Pinching out eggplants in a greenhouse is an important part of care

Necessity of the procedure

Pinching out side shoots (or side shoots) involves removing excess lateral shoots and foliage from a plant. This allows the young plant to develop, strengthen, and produce larger fruit. This process requires skill and experience. It's important to understand that these side shoots form between the main stem and a side leaf, and they consume a lot of the plant's energy. Typically, these shoots are carefully removed, leaving a stub of about 10 millimeters. A larger stub can promote rot at the damaged site, which can further damage the entire plant. However, if the side shoot is removed completely, new growth will usually grow in its place.

Given that most greenhouse-grown eggplant varieties form large bushes with abundant foliage, it is recommended to periodically remove excess leaves and shoots. Otherwise, the plants will become tall and multi-stemmed with well-developed foliage, and will lack the energy to produce fruit.

For almost all greenhouse varieties, pinching out side shoots is recommended. Even if it is possible to regulate temperature and humidity in a greenhouse, which promotes normal foliage growth and ensures a good harvest, removing side shoots is carried out to increase the size of the fruit and accelerate ripening.

However, it should be noted that in some cases, pinching out side shoots is not necessary. Low-growing eggplant varieties have a moderate amount of foliage and form their own bushes, requiring little additional care. Varieties grown in open ground typically have a sparse amount of foliage, which protects the soil from drying out during hot periods. These plants grow less rapidly than greenhouse varieties and do not require pinching.

Preliminary work

Before removing side shoots, it's recommended to tie up eggplants, as the stems bend significantly under the weight of large fruits and may break. It's also important to understand that removing excess foliage and shoots weakens the plant.

There are several options for fixing bushes:

• The installation of the support (trellis, stakes) is carried out carefully, without damaging the roots of the plant.
• Pulling wire or thick rope over planted bushes along the bed, to which the stems are then tied.
• The garter is done using twine in several places on the plant below the internode of the stem.

How is step-sonning done?

It is recommended to carry out side-sonning 2-3 weeks after planting eggplants, when a sufficient amount of foliage has already appeared and the side-sons have grown to a size of 5-10 centimeters.

To do this, carefully inspect the plant and remove excess growth according to the chosen bush formation scheme. Considering that eggplants don't grow very vigorously, removing side shoots once every two weeks is sufficient.

When performing the stepsoning procedure, it is recommended:

• Stepchildren should be carefully removed by hand (by pinching them off) or using a tool (pruning shears, knife), without damaging the plant itself;
• remove all leaves, shoots, flowers below the internode of the main stem, only in hot periods it is advisable to leave a few stepsons and leaves to shade the roots and soil;
• pinch the top of the stem to stop growth, which promotes faster ripening of the fruit.

Pinching out the side shoots is carried out according to the chosen bush formation scheme:

• Single-stem pruning is used for weakened plants, especially if the eggplant variety is tall. When the plant reaches about 30 centimeters, the tip of the main shoot is pinched off, which stimulates the growth of side shoots, leaves, and flowers. In this case, the flowers and ovaries are manually thinned out, leaving only one at a time, and the tips of the shoots are removed. All excess shoots are pinched off.
• Multi-stem pruning (2 to 5) – performed on strong, healthy plants. When a bush reaches 30 centimeters, the top of the plant is pinched off, leaving several of the strongest and largest shoots, allowing for more flowers and fruit to be produced.

Further care

When growing eggplants in greenhouse conditions, you should follow the basic rules:

• Tall varieties should be tied to supports (trellises, stakes) or wire stretched over the branches.
• It's important to monitor air humidity, which should not exceed 65%, and the temperature. Thermometers and hygrometers are used for this purpose.
• It is recommended to regularly ventilate the greenhouse using vents and windows to prevent plant diseases and pests. Fresh air helps harden off young plants.

• It is advisable to plant eggplant varieties in a greenhouse that have proven themselves well in this type of cultivation and are characterized by resistance to temperature fluctuations and various diseases, have a high yield and excellent taste of the fruit.
• It is advisable not to overdo it with excessive watering, as high humidity in the greenhouse can contribute to the development of gray mold and root system diseases.
• Fertilizing is carried out after the plant has adapted to the new soil after planting. This usually manifests itself in the appearance of new leaves or ovaries.
  It is recommended to place the removed leaves, stems, ovaries and defective fruits in a compost container, as this will later turn into good fertilizer.

Video: "Proper Eggplant Care. Pinching Out Sideshoots"

This video will answer important questions: should eggplants be side-sonned and how to properly shape the plants.