Is it necessary to pinch eggplants in open ground? How to plant eggplants in a greenhouse? How and when to stepchild

When growing eggplants, experienced gardeners must form plant bushes. This agricultural technique is part of planting care. It does not require much time, but allows you to obtain stable, rich harvests. Find out how to properly form eggplants in a greenhouse and open ground, and how to avoid making serious mistakes. Beginning gardeners will find this information especially useful.

Eggplant is a heat-loving plant of the nightshade family, which is capable of setting fruit only in intense light. During the growing season, bushes can reach a height of 35 to 150 cm. Depending on the variety, they are short, medium and tall. In greenhouse conditions, eggplants develop more intensively than in open ground. With some exceptions, they always need gartering and pinching.

With good care in the garden or in closed ground, the plants grow densely leafy, spreading, with a large number of side shoots and stepsons. They often shade each other. While the green mass is growing, the formation and growth of fruits is delayed. They begin to ripen at a later date.

If you remove part of the crown (stepchildren and leaves), this will not interfere with the plant - it will continue to grow and develop. At the same time, ventilation of the root zone and the bush itself will improve, therefore, the risk of plants being affected by various diseases will be reduced. It will ensure the formation and early ripening of eggplant fruits due to the fact that the plant will transfer nutrients from the soil to them, and not to excess stems and leaves.

Only low-growing varieties of eggplants in which the growth of stepsons and leaves occurs slowly do not require mandatory thinning.

Medium-sized and tall plants must be tied up so that they can safely withstand the weight of filling and ripening eggplants. Stakes are used as supports or plants are grown as trellis crops. Eggplants that grow in a greenhouse especially need a garter. Here they have juicier and more fragile stems, which is why they break more often.

Bush formation schemes

Regardless of the variety, the formation of an eggplant bush always occurs differently. The plant is often grown in 2 or 3 stems; in addition, as it grows, all unwanted shoots and some leaves are removed. Sometimes a bush is formed into one stem, especially if it is very weakened, or dense planting was used in a small area and a large number of seedlings.

The formation scheme for each plant is selected individually. Also take into account:

• food area;
• climatic conditions in the region;
• expected fruit load.

There is the following pattern - the sunnier and warmer the weather, as well as the wider the row spacing and distance between the bushes, the more plants can be formed into 3 stems. And then only with high-quality care (watering and fertilizing), otherwise the plant will not have time to produce a decent harvest.

The formation of eggplant seedlings begins 2-3 weeks after planting them in the ground. During this time, the plants have time to take root well, grow, and even throw out their first flowers. On most bushes you will notice a forked stem. This will be the signal to begin formation.

In the greenhouse

Forming eggplants in a greenhouse is a complex of operations. Medium-sized and tall varieties, which are most often grown indoors, must be tied to supports. This is done according to the same principle as when shaping tomatoes - the stems are twisted around twines, which are secured with a movable loop on the trellis. Each stem has its own support. Eggplants are tied up when they reach a height of 30-50 cm.

The formation of the bush begins by removing the stepsons that are located below and above the fork. If the bush has 2 stems, leave the main shoots, all other shoots are cut off. When forming into 3 stems, the strongest stepson above the fork is retained. Its location is chosen so that it does not interfere with other stems or shade them. Next, the eggplants are planted in the greenhouse regularly, preventing the shoots from overgrowing.

The flower that forms at the fork of the stem is removed. Until the plant has grown and become stronger, the fruit ripening here will only interfere, drawing nutrition onto itself. The rest of the ovary may die, and the bush may lag behind in development.

For better ventilation of the root zone and lighting, the leaves of the plants are also trimmed. First, those that grow near the root zone are removed. After setting the first fruits, all the lower leaves are cut off with pruning shears, leaving one under the fruit. The same operation is carried out further as the plants grow.

At the end of the growing season, the stem of eggplants is pinched. This stops the growth of the plant and forces it to intensively supply nutrients to the fruits. As a result, they have time to fully develop before frost. In the greenhouse, they begin to pinch eggplants 2-4 weeks before the end of cultivation - they simply cut off the top, leaving the upper leaves above the ovary.

In the open ground

Gardeners living in the southern regions plant plants directly in the beds. For medium-sized and tall varieties, the formation scheme for eggplants in open ground is the same as in a greenhouse. Plants grow in 2 or 3 stems. If the bush is weak and grows poorly, it is formed into 1 stem. It is also necessary to plant eggplants regularly.

Low-growing varieties of eggplant practically do not require shaping. As a rule, they begin to bear fruit early and do not form many extra shoots, which does not interfere with fruit set and growth. In such plants, only the lower leaves and side shoots are removed before the bush branches.

Common errors when forming

1. Eggplant plants can be grown without shaping. In open ground and when cultivating low-growing varieties, yes. This is exactly what happens in farmers' fields, where crops grow without unnecessary human intervention. But, when growing eggplants in a greenhouse, as well as choosing medium-sized and tall varieties, shaping is necessary. It allows you to switch the plant to earlier and more friendly fruiting. As a result, the gardener will receive a good harvest in the fall.
2. Using a single forming scheme for all plants. Eggplant bushes grow and develop in different ways. That’s why they require an individual approach. If you form them according to the same scheme, crop losses are inevitable. It is better to focus on the condition of each bush separately.
3. Incorrect leaf cutting and pinching. Removal of unnecessary shoots should be done regularly. They must not be allowed to outgrow. This takes away nutrition from the fruits and delays their ripening. The only exceptions are early ripening varieties. As for the leaves, gardeners often either do not remove them at all or cut off too many. It is imperative to remove old yellowed leaves (the eggplant no longer needs them) and all the green mass on the trunk up to the fork. If it is too hot and dry, you can leave 2-3 bottom leaves to conserve moisture in the root area. You shouldn’t cut off too many eggplant leaves – they are needed for photosynthesis.
4. Early pinching of the tops of eggplants. Throughout the warm season, eggplant is able to grow and bear fruit. At the same time, the number of ovaries only increases towards the top. If you remove it ahead of time, you can get an early harvest, but it will be small. Eggplants need to be pinched 2-4 weeks before the end of the growing season, and to ensure that the top fruits do not remain small, it is necessary to collect ripe specimens on time. While they hang on the bush, the rest will not grow.

Eggplant, or as people call it “little blue”, is not a vegetable at all, but a berry with a special taste. And they are blue because the glossy peel contains the compound delphinidin, which gives the flowers a cornflower blue color, and these pear-shaped fruits a dark blue, deep purple, almost black color. Growing this plant in a greenhouse is not much different from growing the crop in open ground. For growth and proper development, these fruits require timely planting and careful protection from insect attacks.

Properly formed eggplant bushes

Features of eggplants

Every vegetable grower dreams of growing fruits of amazing size, pleasing in color and quantity, in his greenhouse or on his personal plot. But not everyone has this dream come true. This plant is capricious, afraid of drafts and humidity; temperature conditions and proper lighting in the greenhouse are important for them. Provided you follow comprehensive measures, recommendations and use the advice of experienced specialists and agronomists, the eggplant harvest in the greenhouse will not disappoint you.

And the main thing that needs to be taken into account in the process of caring for this plant is stepsoning, neutralization of stepchild sprouts.

Growing eggplants

If you are growing vegetables in an open area, you need to take care of a sunny area protected from the wind. For the harvest, it is important to use loamy and light sandy loam soil. Otherwise, you must first fertilize the soil with peat or humus. It wouldn't hurt to add sawdust, straw cuttings or river sand. They will lighten heavy soil a lot, and the result will be better. To harvest eggplants, the time of planting the seedlings is no less important.

If plants are not planted on time, their yield can decrease by up to 60%. Until the soil warms up to a temperature of +15°C, planting seedlings makes no sense.

Necessary activities and stepsoning

Along with other vegetable crops, eggplant is not much different in terms of removing shoots. The most cultivated varieties, for their best productivity, need to get rid of stepchildren to form a compact bush.

The presence of many stepsons in a plant slows down its growth and ripening of fruits.

The shoots, in any way, strive to take root among the leaves on the main stem of the plant and if they are not removed in time, the eggplant will turn into a thick and lush bush, and the fruit ovary will fall off before it has time to ripen.

There are many opinions about pinching eggplants. Some are for, others are against this method. To get a good harvest, you need to form the bush correctly, that is, plant the eggplants. Tall varieties are suitable for this. With the right approach to the procedure for removing stepchildren, the best percentage of yield is achieved.

Pinching increases the yield

Before you start removing the stepsons, you need to tie up the bushes, since with a large number of ovaries, the stem is subject to excessive stress and may break.

To prevent this, it is necessary to secure a wire along the entire row above the tops of the plants, to which twine or rope is tied. It is necessary to carry out a garter under each branch of the bush. And now you can move on to the process of removing the plant’s stepsons.

Between the fourteenth and twentieth days after planting eggplant seedlings in open ground, you need to form a bush, for which we remove unnecessary sprouts. To increase the percentage of the harvest to a higher level, pinching is done. First, all shoots, leaves, and flowers that grow on the main stem at the bottom of the branch are removed. You will need to pinch the bush itself for branching and splendor of the plant a little later.

The bush should begin to form two weeks after planting

Towards the end of the plant's growing season, it is time to pinch off the tops of the stems. This is done in order to prevent the trunk from growing in height and to ensure that nutrients flow directly to the fruit.

It is practiced to plant a bush of a plant grown in a greenhouse in three schemes - the ability to leave one main stem, two or three of the strongest stems. For tall varieties of eggplant grown in small greenhouses or greenhouses, the single-stem method is acceptable; this option saves greenhouse space. Using this scheme when growing in a greenhouse, it is necessary to pinch off the top when the plant reaches a height of thirty centimeters, which makes it possible to form side shoots. The effective scheme is two or more stems. She leaves behind not one, but several stepsons.

For hybrid varieties grown not in a greenhouse, but in open ground, you can change the rules for removing stepchildren:

• we rid the bush of unnecessary shoots;
• leave the stems strong;
• On each shoot with an ovary, we cut off the top and limit the growth in height;
• We remove the newly appearing stepsons, allowing nutrients to flow directly to the fruits.

The operation to remove eggplant shoots is carried out once every two weeks.

With the right approach to the peculiarities of growing this vegetable and the formation of a bush, 12 full fruits from a bush is not the limit. Stepping is extremely necessary and important, but there is no need to overdo it either. Stepchildren are removed continuously throughout the life of the plant. Do not forget about removing yellowed and lower large sheets.

It is better to get rid of wilting bushes of the plant immediately; bushes infected with the virus are hopelessly sick and incurable.

Removing the shoots and lower leaves will make harvesting easier and save you from substandard fruits. The remaining fruits receive more minerals and grow better, forming a strong fruit that is less susceptible to infections. Increase your harvest by listening to the advice of professionals!

Growing eggplants is one of the main secrets to getting a decent harvest. Read our article about how to carry out this procedure in a timely and correct manner and avoid the most common mistakes.

The desire to get beautiful, large fruits is so natural for every gardener! But its implementation directly depends on the correctness of agricultural technology. One of its aspects is pinching or removing unnecessary side shoots, as well as parts of the leaves. The procedure allows you to correctly form the bush, strengthen it, as well as increase the size and significantly improve the quality characteristics of the developing fruits.

Eggplants are a rather finicky crop. Like, it is considered perennial, but in our area it is impossible to grow it in this way. Planting eggplants is an important stage in the cultivation of this nightshade crop. And its correctness and timeliness are often the key to obtaining high-quality fruits.

Do I need to peel eggplants?

Many vegetable growers ask this question, especially if they are starting to grow “little blue” vegetables for the first time. In most cases, varieties of low-growing, dwarf eggplants cannot be planted: their lateral shoots are not so strong and often do not form fruits. Tall, as well as medium-sized bushes, almost always need shaping.

in the greenhouse

This is especially true for crops cultivated in conditions of high temperatures and high humidity. Such a microclimate perfectly promotes the growth of green mass. Many side shoots are formed, which absorb most of the nutrients. The process of fruit development is suspended because the bush simply does not have the strength left for it.

To prevent our eggplants from turning into dense thickets with low yields, competent regulation of the ground part is necessary. It allows you to slow down the excessive growth of this nightshade crop and stimulate fruiting. The maximum benefit from the procedure is obtained when it is carried out before the formation of buds.

The sooner you remove the stepsons, the better - they will not have time to absorb a lot of nutrients.

in open ground

In open ground conditions, pinching eggplants is done quite rarely. First of all, this is due to the fact that tall varieties are rarely planted here. Such a microclimate sometimes greatly complicates the process of obtaining fruits with the proper quality characteristics.

In the case of medium-sized, short or hybrid varieties of eggplant, such a need often simply disappears. The bushes of these plants, most often, do not have at all or have only a small number of stepsons that protect the soil from drying out. And thanks to constant ventilation, excess moisture from the green mass easily evaporates.

Stepsonning pros and cons

Any intervention by a gardener in the development of a plant is certainly positive. But it is important to remember about the share that falls on shortcomings. And the procedure for pinching eggplants is no exception.

So, among the unconditional positive aspects, gardeners note:

• improvement of eggplant growth rates;
• increasing the amount of harvest;
• significant improvement in the quality characteristics of fruits (weight, color, taste);
• simplifying the care of nightshade crops.

But we cannot discount the other side of the coin: the possibility of an incorrect operation. And it, in turn, can weaken the plant, provoke a decrease in the quality and quantity of fruits, and even provoke premature wilting and death of the plant as a whole.

Removing excess parts of a plant can cause deterioration in its development and even death.

Formation of an eggplant bush in a greenhouse

They start planting nightshades with the beginning of the third week of their “residence” in a permanent place. By this time, the crops have already managed to get comfortable, become sufficiently strong and begin to grow. It is advisable to carry out the operation itself in the morning, so that the plants can regain strength and acclimatize before the evening temperature drops.

Important!
It is extremely undesirable to combine the pinching procedure with watering: the leaves become more fragile, which increases the possibility of breaking the excess.

Features of the procedure

The formation of a bush in nightshade crops must be carried out taking into account that the flowers, and then the ovaries and fruits, are well illuminated. After all, if the sun's color does not fall on the flower stalks, they cannot develop further and fall off. Therefore, it is very important to choose the correct stepson scheme. We will talk about them in more detail below.

Removing excess stepsons can be done by hand. If tools are used for this, they must be disinfected. By plucking shoots on time, we do not allow them to outgrow and take on a critical mass of nutrients. Otherwise, this is fraught with crushing of the fruits, their underdevelopment, deterioration in taste, and distortion of shape.

the instrument must be disinfected

First of all, remove the stepsons up to the first fork. You can do the same with leaves. But if they look good, they can still feed the plant. Therefore, it is better to postpone the operation to remove the leaves until they turn yellow and lose this ability. After this, they move on to the first flower and then carry out pinching according to the chosen pattern.

No more than three sheets are removed at a time.

first peduncle

The first flower of an eggplant most often appears on the fork. It is always the most powerful, since it absorbs the maximum energy aimed at the development of culture. This peduncle is left on the bush only when the plant is tall enough, powerful and can afford to grow it.

first peduncle on the fork

But if the sprout is small, thin and weak, it simply does not have enough strength to develop. Then the peduncle must definitely be removed to allow the bush to grow and get stronger. As a result, the yield obtained from the flowers formed in the upper part of the plant will be greater.

Important!
It is advisable to leave the first peduncle when you plan to grow seeds yourself. The fruit obtained from this flower will provide the best planting material.

general rules

When forming an eggplant bush, it is very important to consider the following recommendations:

• The stronger the plant, the easier it is for it to provide its fruits with the necessary nutrition and vice versa. The weaker the eggplant bush, the fewer stems are left for it.
• The higher the humidity, the more sprouts are removed when forming an eggplant bush.
• The trunk of an eggplant growing in a greenhouse should always remain clean.
• Growing eggplant fruits cannot be shaded under any circumstances.
• Removing excess green mass is a multiple-use procedure. From time to time
• Before the end of the growing season, pinch off the tops of the eggplants. If new flower stalks appear after this, they are also removed.
• As the bush grows, the procedure for removing unnecessary green mass is repeated.

It is advisable not to remove missed stepsons that have outgrown the length of 5 cm from the bush.

Growing eggplant in a greenhouse scheme

When starting to form an eggplant bush, it is important to choose the right pinching pattern: one, two or three stems. Sometimes, under optimal conditions for successful growing season, even up to five shoots are allowed. But to do this, you need to correctly determine the potential capabilities of the plant itself and the microclimate in which it grows.

Schemes for the formation of an eggplant bush

In one stem form tall nightshade varieties that they plan to grow in cramped circumstances. During the procedure, only one, the most powerful branch is left, on which the ovaries will develop. Forming a crop in this way helps to obtain the largest fruits.

In addition, this scheme is also chosen for weakened plants that have not yet developed to their full potential. At the same time, the ovaries are regularly inspected and only the largest of them are left. The method allows you to achieve the best quality characteristics of fruits: large sizes, intense coloring, rich taste.

Scheme of forming an eggplant into two stems is considered the most optimal, since it often allows you to find a balance between high productivity and potential plant capabilities. It is most popular among gardeners.

When forming a bush using it, after pinching the growth point, only two skeletal branches are left on it, coming from the branch. The remaining shoots are removed. As the ovaries form, they get rid of the defective ones. Leaves are plucked to the extent they turn yellow or are unnecessary.

Scheme of 3-5 stems is formed similarly to the previous one, but in addition, several more powerful stepsons are left on the bushes. It is practically not used in greenhouses, since such an application requires the availability of large areas for growing crops. The technique is suitable exclusively for powerful plants that have developed well in a new location.

The formation scheme for an eggplant bush is selected individually for each plant.

Video of pinching eggplant in a greenhouse

Growing eggplants in open ground

The need to remove green mass from an eggplant bush in open ground is determined by several criteria:

• features of the climatic zone;
• established weather conditions;
• planting density;
• specificity of the variety.

Thus, pinching is a prerequisite for obtaining an eggplant harvest in short summer conditions. It allows you to harvest not only a higher quality, but also an earlier harvest. But you should definitely refrain from the procedure both in very dry weather and in conditions of excessive humidity.

It was said earlier about low-growing eggplants, in which the formation of a bush occurs solely under the influence of external factors. In this case, gardeners can only thin out the plant, as well as control the quality of the ovaries and remove excess.

Tall crops that necessarily require pinching require more care. Thus, high density of plantings requires constant thinning of the bushes and vice versa: an abundant amount of free space makes it possible to form more stems on the plant. You can also leave more stepsons in dry and hot summer conditions.

Forming a bush into one stem is used here exclusively for weak plants that have not had time to grow stronger. In other cases, a more branched bush is left.

In general, it looks like this:

• Remove all stepsons located before the branching. The exception is when it is necessary to prevent the soil from drying out.
• Leave 2-5 of the most powerful shoots. The rest are deleted.
• Stepping is carried out on each of the skeletal branches.
• Remove yellow and disturbing leaves regularly.
• Before the end of the growing season, in order to allow the fruits to ripen normally, each of the branches previously formed on the plant is pinched.

Do I need to tie up eggplants?

The feasibility of carrying out this procedure, as in the case of pinching, primarily depends on the height of the plant. There is no need to tie up low-quality crops, but above-average varieties simply cannot do without it.

The branches fall to the ground and become shaded, and this leads to the plant weakening, flower stalks forming poorly, and the ovaries often fall off. In addition, they are easy to break or trample during agricultural work.

Therefore, before you start pinching, each bush must be tied up. The need for such a procedure applies to both greenhouse plants and eggplants growing in open ground. By the way, in the second case, the presence of wind also testifies in favor of tying.

How to properly tie eggplants

There are several ways to tie up plants:

1. A wire is stretched over the rows of eggplants, to which plant branches are tied using twine;
2. Install a trellis on which the stems are laid out;
3. Long stakes are driven in and the plant is tied to them.

The plant is tied to supports in several places.

The first and second methods are most suitable for greenhouse crops. The third is a little unsafe due to the threat of excess shading, but is well suited for plants formed into one stem, as well as bushes growing in open ground.

The installation of such structures must be carried out very carefully so as not to harm crops. This video will help you understand how this happens in practice:

Eggplants are very demanding on growing conditions. They do not like excess moisture and cannot tolerate drought; they do not like drafts, but at the same time they need regular ventilation; They respond well to feeding with fertilizers and do not tolerate their excess. Eggplants can only grow in loose soil.

Eggplants should not be planted after potatoes and tomatoes. All legumes, cabbage, and cucumbers will be good predecessors for them. When growing eggplants, beginners and even experienced gardeners have many questions. Is it worth picking off the leaves of eggplants? This is one of them.

Eggplants have large leaves that are not typical for the nightshade family. For all its fragility and sensitivity to transplants, the eggplant bush grows in height on average to 40-120 cm. To prevent the bush from going into “growth”, the top of the plant must be pinched. This will allow side shoots to develop and produce more fruit.

In addition to pinching, when growing eggplants, gardeners form a bush, remove shoots and leaves. Agronomists are still debating whether it is worth removing leaves from eggplants.

Opponents of tearing off leaves believe that tearing off traumatizes the already fragile trunk of the plant, weakening it and opening access to pests. Plus, the foliage shields the fruits from direct sunlight, and eggplants do not tolerate overheating.

Proponents of leaf plucking, on the contrary, argue that excess leaves should be plucked off. It is believed that removing leaves from eggplant will allow:

1. Activate plant growth - this eggplant will bloom earlier and form fruits.
2. Form a stronger root system, since the leaves take some of the nutrients from the plant.
3. Provide proper care. It will be easier to water and loosen the eggplants, while less moisture will stagnate in the soil and air access to the roots will be provided.

It is imperative to remove yellowed leaves, as well as leaves damaged by aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, Colorado potato beetles, and fungal infections. Removed leaves must be burned, and the infected plant must be treated with special preparations.

How to pick leaves from eggplants

The first time you need to pick off the leaves a week before planting the seedlings in the ground or greenhouse. There is no need to pick off the leaves immediately after transplantation, even if they wither and turn yellow. You need to give the eggplants time to adapt. Leaves must be removed as the plant grows.

When picking leaves, the following rules must be observed:

• remove all the lower growth that has formed below the fork, from which the side shoots will grow;
• it is necessary to cut off all leaves growing below the first formed fruit;
• It is better not to break off the leaves, but to cut them with scissors or pruners - this will cause less injury to the plant and prevent it from breaking.

As an experiment, you can try not picking off the leaves of several bushes. Although practice shows that the best harvest is produced by those eggplant bushes on which the leaves were torn off.

Video of cutting eggplant leaves

Before planting a new crop on your site, you need to learn as much as possible about the features of caring for it. Eggplants are no exception. There are many nuances in growing this vegetable, but most often amateur gardeners are interested in whether it is worth pinching eggplants. This vegetable can safely be classified as a capricious crop. Not everyone can grow a good harvest. Some people complain about the early shedding of ovaries, while for others the plant does not want to bear fruit at all. One of the mistakes gardeners make when working with eggplants is precisely pinching. Is it worth applying this manipulation to this culture? Is it worth or not to plant eggplants?

To get a decent harvest stepsoning is definitely necessary. Excess shoots should be removed completely before the first flower. Closer to autumn, it is worth removing those shoots that do not plan to bear fruit. Several stepsons (1-2) can only be left on a healthy, strong bush. If the eggplant looks weakened, then you should leave only one main shoot. In case of unfavorable weather conditions, all excess ovaries must be removed. A little more flowers are allowed to be left in good weather.

The yield of eggplants largely depends on the correct time for planting. If we talk about eggplants, then their fruitfulness is negatively affected not only by early, but also by too late planting. If a gardener is late in planting this crop, then his harvest may decrease by even 60%. The best time to plant eggplants is two months after sowing. This vegetable is quite difficult to transplant; this fact suggests that it is better to plant it in peat pots.

Eggplants prefer short daylight hours for good growth. If this crop is provided with lighting around the clock, it may simply die. In order to enjoy the harvest as early as possible, it is worth protecting the seedlings from light using cardboard boxes from 6 pm to 8 am.

Eggplants do not like being next to each other even with related plants, so it is better to allocate a separate bed for them. Mullein and compost are ideal for feeding. If the weather gets cold, you should sprinkle a small amount of ash or charcoal around the plant.

Humidity is another factor affecting eggplant yield. If the soil moisture content is high, eggplants may be susceptible to fungal diseases, and pollination problems may arise, which will directly lead to crop failure. However, a lack of moisture is also detrimental to this culture. The root system of this vegetable is close to the soil surface. Warm water in large quantities is used for irrigation. However, you should not allow water to get on the leaves and you should definitely avoid prolonged stagnation of water around the eggplant bush.

Eggplants need to be loosened regularly, the depth of impact should not exceed 3-5 cm. Loosening is ideally carried out immediately after watering. It is better to remove ripe fruits with pruning shears; you should not pick them off. You must constantly get rid of diseased and yellowed leaves, as well as leaves in contact with the soil. As soon as the first flowers appear, all leaves and shoots below the ovary must be removed.

As you can see, there are many nuances. To get a good harvest of eggplants you need to put in a lot of effort. In particular, do not neglect such an event as stepsoning. Pruning eggplants helps increase yield. That is, we have answered the question of whether or not to harvest eggplant.