Eggplant scurvy? - Ask Extension
Hello,
I've been planting eggplants for the last four or five years in a raised garden bed. They did fine - until last year. They started great, but ...
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Eggplant scurvy? #827687
Asked April 29, 2023, 11:58 AM EDT
Hello,
I've been planting eggplants for the last four or five years in a raised garden bed. They did fine - until last year. They started great, but then turned sickly and produced no fruit.
I heard something about tomatoes: lf you plant the same breed in the same place year after year, the same thing will happen to them. I wonder if the same thing is true for eggplants?
I composted the bed heavily this year. Regardless, I'm going to get the soil tested. Do you have any suggestions?
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi,
To help you figure out what happened last year we would need more specific details (and photos?) regarding the symptoms you observed.
Pest and disease problems include flea beetles, eggplant lacebug, 3-lined potato beetle, Colorado potato beetle, alternaria, and spider mites. In poorly drained soils, soil-borne pathogens can sometimes cause stunting and wilting.
Our eggplant page has links to some of these problems.
It's always a good idea to rotate your crops to different garden locations if that's feasible. And getting baseline information on your soil by submitting a soil sample to a lab is also a good idea.
Adding compost improves soil structure and water-holding capacity and provides plants with slow-release nutrients. Be sure to protect your transplants from flea beetles as soon as they are planted. Covering them with a row cover is a relatively easy and cheap way to protect them.
Jon
To help you figure out what happened last year we would need more specific details (and photos?) regarding the symptoms you observed.
Pest and disease problems include flea beetles, eggplant lacebug, 3-lined potato beetle, Colorado potato beetle, alternaria, and spider mites. In poorly drained soils, soil-borne pathogens can sometimes cause stunting and wilting.
Our eggplant page has links to some of these problems.
It's always a good idea to rotate your crops to different garden locations if that's feasible. And getting baseline information on your soil by submitting a soil sample to a lab is also a good idea.
Adding compost improves soil structure and water-holding capacity and provides plants with slow-release nutrients. Be sure to protect your transplants from flea beetles as soon as they are planted. Covering them with a row cover is a relatively easy and cheap way to protect them.
Jon
Thanks Jon, I appreciate the help!
-- Jack
Thanks Jon, I appreciate the help!
-- Jack
