Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,265 
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Post by Shawn on Nov 1, 2021 3:02:19 GMT -5
Exciting when you see buds  |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Nov 1, 2021 9:25:44 GMT -5
Worth the wait!
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Post by lynnee on Nov 3, 2021 15:47:05 GMT -5
The buds are turning into flowers on the hydroponic plants. The outdoor plant still has no buds. The photo shows the original garden.  |
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Nov 3, 2021 15:48:47 GMT -5
Totally cool!  |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Nov 3, 2021 21:28:15 GMT -5
It is like watching a miracle happen right before your eyes!
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Post by lynnee on Nov 7, 2021 14:20:38 GMT -5
One of the Farm 12 XL eggplant buds is showing some purple color. I wish the eggplants would hurry up and produce flowers, as I'm waiting to pollinate them! The photo shows the Farm 12 XL plants on top, and the solo Farm Plus plant below. Not much change from before.  |
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Nov 7, 2021 14:45:34 GMT -5
They certainly look happy and healthy! |
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Post by lynnee on Nov 8, 2021 13:04:02 GMT -5
On Day 54, Hooray!  Farm 12 (two plants) and Farm Plus (solo plant):  |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Nov 8, 2021 13:35:51 GMT -5
The top flower will soon be open enough and ripe enough to pollinate with an electric toothbrush (or Be the Bee).
Then you can watch a cloud of yellow fairy dust billow out -- and pollination is successful!
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Nov 8, 2021 15:02:18 GMT -5
Oh, Stan & Cadie want to see the Fairy Dust!!! Corgis are Fairy Steeds, you know! At least, that's what the legend says...  |
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Post by lynnee on Nov 8, 2021 17:13:11 GMT -5
Stan & Cadie have personality! I see why the Queen likes corgis.  |
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Nov 8, 2021 17:33:19 GMT -5
Stan & Cadie have personality! I see why the Queen likes corgis. The Queen has the other kind of Corgis. Pembroke Welsh Corgis, the kind without a tail. Mine are the Cardigan Welsh Corgis...with a huge tail...LOL. Both come from Great Britain, but Pembrokes are from Pembrokeshire and Cardigans are from Cardiganshire. Pems trace back to Spitz type doggies while Cardis are more of the Basset Hound type of lines. Both are dwarf breeds, hence the name Cor Welsh for dwarf and gi Welsh for dog. Yeah, I know, we were talking about Eggplant and Aerogardens, but we hit on my other favorite thing...my doggies!  |
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Post by lynnee on Nov 11, 2021 0:17:53 GMT -5
The eggplants have a lot of buds, and 4-6 open or partly open blooms. Today I removed several large lower leaves from the pair of plants in the Farm XL. The leaves were seriously blocking the flowers and buds, and I wanted better access for pollination. I don't know whether this was a good thing to do, as the AG blog says to remove upper leaves that may be blocking the light from those below. This is the opposite of the pruning advice it gives for tomatoes and peppers. Is it really better, with eggplant, to leave the older, lower leaves alone, and to take off the newer leaves when pruning seems advisable? Any thoughts, given your experience with eggplant, mike and Sher ? |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Nov 11, 2021 14:15:33 GMT -5
I prune whenever a large leaf is blocking out light and air to a desirable leaf beneath it. If the lower leaf is not as robust, then I remove it for air circulation and to keep the plant from wasting energy trying to keep it alive.
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Post by lynnee on Nov 11, 2021 17:46:59 GMT -5
I prune whenever a large leaf is blocking out light and air to a desirable leaf beneath it. If the lower leaf is not as robust, then I remove it for air circulation and to keep the plant from wasting energy trying to keep it alive. Thank you! That's the sort of guidance that I need. I've grown flowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs in soil, but nary an eggplant.  |
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Post by lynnee on Nov 15, 2021 17:17:48 GMT -5
The indoor eggplants have blooms that I'm shaking and buzzing to pollinate. For some reason, I never see an actual pollen release with tomatoes or anything else. Maybe it's because I'm nearsighted. One blossom fell off this morning, leaving the stem securely attached, so I hope it means a successful pollination. One of the eggplant blossoms has a double center. I suspect that this is unusual. I checked, and there is only one purple blossom, and one stem.  |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Nov 15, 2021 21:10:55 GMT -5
I never see tomato pollen, and peppers only sometimes.
But eggplant blossoms release a very visible billow of yellow dust when they are successfully pollinated.
It looks like that one flower is going to make twins -- or at least two fruits fused together. Fun!
BTW, shaking doesn't pollinate eggplant. They depend on bees buzzing. I used a battery powered toothbrush. And the yellow ends have to be open pretty wide before the pollen is ripe enough.
But some people have successfully pollinated them with an artist's brush. One of our members, dianne , pollinated hers that way. |
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Post by lynnee on Nov 15, 2021 22:37:19 GMT -5
Sher, thanks for the pollination tips! I guess that I'd better focus on the buzzing (using my "Be the Bee"). I didn't know that the yellow portion would open up, as mine don't seem to be doing that. Patience is the key, I suppose. 
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Nov 15, 2021 22:58:38 GMT -5
Yours are starting to be open enough. They don't open all the way. The splits just get a bit wider.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,265
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Post by Shawn on Nov 16, 2021 12:14:13 GMT -5
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