Melon Thrips These small insects attack a number of crops, including eggplant. Females lay their eggs on plant tissues, and the plant is damaged by both adult and hatched larvae feeding on the leaves, steams, flowers, and fruit (in eggplants, thrips are typically more abundant on leaves).
Why are the flowers falling off my eggplant?
Eggplant Blossoms Drying Out from Lack of Water
When an eggplant plant is stressed, its blossoms will dry up and drop off without producing fruit. The most common reason a eggplant gets stressed is due to a lack of water. Your eggplant needs at least 2 inches (5 cm.) of water a week, more in very hot weather.
What will eat eggplant plants?
Aphids and whiteflies both have piercing, sucking mouthparts used to suck the sap out of eggplant leaves and stems. Both pests are primarily found on the undersides of the leaves. As they feed, they secrete a sticky waste known as honeydew.
What is the major pest of eggplant?
eggplant flea beetle
Eggplant – a solanaceous crop – has some of the same pests as pepper, potato, and tomato. The eggplant flea beetle and the eggplant lace bug are common pests, but twospotted spider mites can be more damaging.
How do I keep bugs from eating my eggplant?
A variety of chemical insecticides are labeled for flea beetles. Organic options are neem oil, garlic-based sprays, rotenone, pyrethrins and Pyola (a canola oil and pyrethrins combo from www.gardensalive.com.) You might need to spray every week or so through August, when flea beetles taper off for the season.
What does an overwatered eggplant look like?
An overwatered eggplant will also show symptoms of this problem on its leaves. Look for leaves that feel wet, soft, and limp. More symptoms of overwatering include premature leaf drop of new growth and soft, brown, or mushy roots that prevent the plant from taking water, causing leaf curl and wilting.
How do I make my eggplant flower better?
Insufficient water results in dried flowers that drop. You can prevent this by watering your Eggplants at least once per week with a good soaking that reaches 6 inches into the soil. This also helps the roots of your Eggplants to grow deeper into the soil where it stays moist.
Can I use Epsom salt on my eggplant?
You can also work in a tablespoon of Epsom Salt per foot of plant height around the base of tomato plants, slightly less in eggplant and Peppers. Flowers, shrubs, and even lawns will benefit from Epsom salt.
What animal eats eggplant in garden?
So, the big question is what animals eat eggplant plants? The types of animals that can devastate your eggplant crops are the usual suspects like rabbits, squirrels, deer, rats and raccoons.
How do I keep my eggplant plant healthy?
Choose an area with abundant sunlight and fertile, well-drained soil. Improve native soil by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter. Keep soil moist but not soggy—soaker hoses are a great option. Keep your plants fed by feeding them regularly with a continuous-release plant food.
What should not be planted near eggplant?
fennel
What Not To Plant With Eggplant. Do not plant fennel near your eggplant. Fennel inhibits growth in many plants, including eggplant. Geraniums can host diseases that also affect eggplant such as leaf blight and root rot, so it is best to avoid planting them with eggplant.
What is putting holes in my eggplant?
The tiny holes are likely due to flea beetles. Flea beetles are the most common pest of eggplant in the home garden. Adults are tiny, shiny, black beetles. They possess large hind legs that enable them to jump.
What is eating holes in my eggplant fruit?
Small, irregular to oval-shaped holes along the fruit surface are signs that pepper maggots may be feasting inside. Pepper Maggots are a common pest of Eggplant and related crops. To reduce populations, sanitation and crop rotation is helpful. Pick up any fallen peppers and destroy them.
How do I get rid of aphids on my flowers?
Soap and water:
Apply with a spray bottle directly on aphids and the affected parts of the plant, making sure to soak the undersides of leaves where eggs and larvae like to hide. The soap dissolves the protective outer layer of aphids and other soft-bodied insects, eventually killing them.
What can I use to stop bugs from eating my vegetable plants?
10 Natural Ways to Eliminate Garden Insect Pests
- Start with “Clean” Soil. Good soil can actually deter garden insect pests.
- Buy Disease and Pest-Resistant Seeds.
- Selectively and Aggressively Thin Out Plants.
- Water Plants in the Early Morning.
- Control Weeds.
- Keep your Garden Clean.
- Use Insect Traps.
- Add Beneficial Insects.
What can I use to stop bugs eating my plants?
Spread crushed eggshells beneath the targeted plants and creepy-crawlies will move along. Make A Stink: Many aromatic herbs, like yarrow, citronella, mint, fennel, catnip, basil, and lemongrass are natural deterrents for garden pests from aphids to potato beetles.
Do egg shells keep bugs away from plants?
Eggshells can also be used in the garden to help fight off pests like slugs, snails, cutworms and other crawling pests. Crushed eggshells works much like diatomaceous earth on these pests.
Should you water eggplants everyday?
Water eggplant deeply and infrequently, applying 1-2 inches per week. Use drip irrigation if possible. Mulching around the plant will conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth.
Can eggplants get too much sun?
☀️Eggplants love and need full sun to thrive. If you live in an area with intense sun, make sure the fruits have adequate shade from the leaves to avoid sunscald on your eggplants. If they’re getting too much sun, you can use shade cloth shade cloth to protect the fruit.
How long do eggplant plants live?
three years
How long do eggplant plants live? Eggplant plants can live up to three years in very warm climates, like zones 10-12. But in most regions they’re grown as annuals, and only live for one season.
Should I pinch off eggplant flowers?
As your eggplant starts to bloom, pinch the first buds you see coming through. Use your fingers to gently pinch the buds right where they meet the stem of the plant. This encourages your plant to put more energy into growing sturdy stalks and deep roots instead of producing new fruit right away.