The eggplant is a popular Mediterranean vegetable that also delights hobby gardeners. In most cases, the nightshade family is grown from seeds. Here you can find out whether you can propagate them from cuttings and what you should pay attention to.
Are eggplants propagated from cuttings and if so, how?
Aubergines arevery rarelypropagated via cuttings. Eggplant seeds germinate reliably and are therefore used for propagation. Propagation viahead cuttings is more complex and less safe. Young shoot tips are cut off from the mother plant and rooted in water or soil.
When is it worth propagating eggplants with cuttings?
The first choice when propagating eggplants is rather to grow them from seeds. Eggplant seeds germinate very reliably and apart from time, warmth and sufficient light, they hardly need anything else. However, the seeds need about 6 weeks to form the first leaves from the seed. If you are missingthistime, it may be worth trying to propagate from cuttings. Even if a young shoot has broken off, you may be able to save it and grow it into a new plant.
How to propagate eggplants with cuttings?
Aubergines can be propagated from head cuttings as follows:
- Cut off a young, non-woody shoot tip from the mother plant with a sharp knife. The shoot tip must have at least two leaves on the stem.
- Variant 1: Place the cutting in fresh potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon) and water it. Cut off the tips of the leaves so that they stop growing and instead roots are formed.
- Variant 2: Place the cutting in a glass of water. The first roots form within two weeks.
When can you plant the eggplant cuttings?
If sufficient roots have formed from the cutting in the glass, you can pot it in fresh potting soil. If the young plants are large and strong enough, they can be planted outdoorsafter the Ice Saints (around mid-May). Eggplants are heavy feeders and need new nutrients every two weeks through organic fertilizer or mature compost.
What should you consider when propagating with eggplant cuttings?
- For propagation, only use he althy and strong plants whose genetic material you want to propagate.
- Always work cleanly so as not to bring germs into the cut and thus the plant
- Change the water of the cutting in the glass every two days, keep it warm and as bright as possible (preferably on a windowsill).
- The cutting in the pot should always be moist, warm and bright.
Tip
Aubergines are perennial
It is very time-consuming to overwinter eggplants outdoors or in a greenhouse in Germany. In conventional agriculture, it is therefore more cost-effective to destroy annual plants after harvest and to sow new seeds the next year. In fact, eggplant plants are perennial. For example, with the right care, you can cultivate them in pots for several years.
