[scabs]

As with so many things this year, I am trying aubergine for the first time - the plant is doing well and looking healthy, and has flowered quite well.

Unfortunately it is stubbornly refusing to set fruit.

I am giving it a good soak once (sometimes twice when the weather was hot) a week and as I say, the plant looks great with plenty of side shoots (I believe there's no need to pinch out?)

I haven't sexed the flowers up with a paintbrush or anything as I was told by one of the OBs that it really wasn't necessary...

The one thing I've not done yet is to give it a particular feed... is that where I've fallen down?

Any advice appreciated.
Andrew

[gillie]

Mine are in the greenhouse with the tomatoes and get the same treatment, that is watered every day or two and fed Tomorite at least once a week (I aim for twice, but tend to forget!).  I have not pinched them out and the plants are getting quite big - about 4 ft tall and bushy.

I have Ophelia, a smaller fruiting type, which I understand are easier, and which have baby aubos hanging on them like bunches of grapes.  I also have a stripey fruited variety which was sown later and has just started flowering but has not set any fruit yet.

I tried a little paintbrushing, but the pollen was not running.  However the air is full of hoverflies so they are obviously doing a better job than me.

So my advice is keep it well fed, and be  patient!

Cheers,

Gillie

[DD.]

Got mine on impulse from Tesc*.

Watered daily & fed when I remember to do the toms.

It's loaded, one fruit is 3" long.

Done nothing special with it.

[kingdhesiii]

When the plant is about 12 inch high you should remove the growing tip so the plant produces more sideshoots which the fruit then come from.
Also using a tomatoe feed once a week should help fruit wise.
Been up north and with hardly getting any warm weather ive pritty given up any chance of getting a gd crop now. .

[Pompey Spud]

I'm growing for the first time as well and having great success.

Black Beauty is the variety and they're in the greenhouse grown in cut off buckets into the soil.

All I've done is fed them weeky with comfrey tea and pinched out when about 2ishft high or so. Keeping the soil moist is important with an irrigation network from the water butt.

I misted them with either water or, seaweed solution now and again.

Harvested a few nice ones and loads growing on.

[Babstreefern]

Can't remember what mine's called, but I've got one bush with one fruit on it that's about 3" long

Its also my first attempt.  Just did it for the novelty

[jamima]

I'm growing mine in the greenhouse  this year, dont water them as much as the toms etc, because their in moisture retaining compost got some friuts coming but dont think their doing as well as outside 

[scabs]

I should have said, it's in the greenhouse.

Thanks everyone, looks like I should have been feeding it up. Will start and see how things go.

Appreciate all the comments, 
Andrew

[oldcow]

If you have flowers, but no fruit, and they're in the greenhouse, you'll probably need to use a little brush to help pollination, whatever the OB said.
Mine are outside and I've started harvesting them last week. They're in rich soil, and they get a weekly feed of half strength comfrey tea to help the fruits set. Since they're in raised beds, I water them very often, with the warm weather we had this summer almost every day; they're quite thirsty. The varieties are Brabentane and Moneymaker.

[mumofstig]

I've been eating them for weeks now.........at the beginning of the season I was hand pollinating because there were not many insects about........but there are loads now, so they do the job better than I can
I'm growing moneymaker for the 2nd year........the fruits don't grow huge but I do have a regular supply of them 

[Snoop]

We have very few pollinating insects about this year, so few in fact that even now lots of my courgettes are dropping off unpollinated and things aren't looking too good for the squash.

However, my aubergine plants are going great guns. I was under the impression they are self-pollinating. Maybe giving them a jiggle, like tomato plants, might help if you've got no fruit.

[LivvyW]

Mine wouldn't set fruit unless i 'sexed them up with a paintbrush'

[sunshineband]

Mine have shrivelled again this year 

[mumofstig]

too hot?.....not enough water/feed?

Ok who has put the evil eye on them .....twasn't me I told them to behave.
You haven't been singing to them have you

[compostqueen]

I give my aubs a daily shake, just a gentle one or tap the main stem a few times, whilst giving it some verbal encouragement. No aubs eaten yet but they're beginning to appear at last