Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

AUBRERGINE FAILURE

burgess8bsburgess8bs Posts: 51
in Fruit & veg
Why do I get loads of flowers but no fruit (flowers drop of and no fruit develops ) any answers where I am going wrong. Planted in a green house and fed comfrey feed when in flower. ????

Posts

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    I have had the same problem this year in the polytunnel. I have pollinated them by using a cotton bud (as in previous years) but to no avail.
    They sulked for many weeks before they decided they would grow and produce flowers.
    This has also happened (again the first time) for the sweet peppers.
  • burgess8bsburgess8bs Posts: 51
    Have grown them for the last 3yrs and had no luck ( the same problem) think its time to give up as 1 of the produce that does not like you???? 
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    I use a cheap sonic toothbrush. Leaving it to nature or using a paintbrush or cotton bud never worked for me (I've never managed to get any pollen out of it but the sonic toothbrush instantly dislodges a cloud of pollen). I recommend it to everyone before giving up.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    Same here. Plenty of flowers but no fruit setting. I blame the upside down weather.
  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    As @edhelka says, it's a pollination problem. I grow my aubergine outdoors and don't have this issue, but that has other challenges. They're difficult plants, I'm thinking of giving up on them next year.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    I grew mine in a small greenhouse with my tomatoes, excellent crop, and my chillies and peppers, again, an excellent crop. I left the door and roof light wide open most of the time so easy access for pollinators.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Tomatoes, sweet peppers, chillies, cucumbers and melons all did fine for me this year but even though I successfully polinated them and had about 6 to 8 fruit set, all but one later fell off for one reason or another before maturity (botrytis was often the cause in cool spells.)  Over the 30-odd years I've been growing them, I have found they only do well in about one in 3 or 4 years so I am forced to agree that can be rather tricky to grow in the UK.  The only year I had no problems and a huge crop was when I bought a couple of grafted aubergines, but they were expensive and I don't like them enough to justify that sort of money, so unlikey to happen again!
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    @Joyce Goldenlily Tomatoes and peppers can very easily self-pollinate, they are usually good even without pollinators. Aubergines can too if the conditions are right for it but they never are here.
    I had them outside when I used to grow them and then in a small open plastic greenhouse but still needed to hand-pollinate.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Have you considered growing the Japanese Eggplant?  They are long, thin, and purple.  They taste like egg plants, and less seedy.  I never had success with the normal aubergines.. but these grow great and produce tons of fruit.  Nice looking plants as well, bushy with purple flowers.  
    Mine are outside, so I never had pollination issues.  But they might be worth a try.. just to see if they are more successful.  
    Utah, USA.
  • burgess8bsburgess8bs Posts: 51
    Hi Blue Onion

    Thanx for the tip will give them a try, 
Sign In or Register to comment.