aubergines

[lindaf]

Hi,
This year in my polytunnel, the only plants that got infected with aphids and whitefly were the aubergines. I grew two different varieties - black beauty and baby rosanna. Can anybody recommend resistant varieties for next year?

[Colin_M]

In addition to resistant varieties, do you use any companion plants in your polytunnel?

I find that Marigolds and especially Poached Egg Plants are really useful. Whilst I've had problems with aubergines, the ones that really get attacked are my peppers (sweet & chilli). The Poached Egg plants seem to attract hoverflies - the larvae of these devour aphids at a rate of knots!

Failing that, I've found the Derris spray to be moderately effective on aphids and reasonably kind to the environment (it's from a natural source).

Finally, as JB would probably say, when these plants are grown in an enclosed space, aphids can often be a problem. I have tried to leave my greenhouse door open as much as possible during the day this year - there have been virtually no aphids on my plants. By comparison, peppers, bouganvilia and an avocado plant in our conservatory 10' away have been attached by greenfly & blackfly. As soon as I put the plants outside, the pest numbers reduced. This may be a challenge for your tunnel, unless you can sort out some sort of controllable ventilation.

H.T.H.


Colin

[Primrose]

I've been surprised at the success of my Moneymaker aubergines this year, despite growing them outside on my patio in pots. I haven't had any aphids or whitefly on them outdoors although I did suffer from an attack of the lower leaves yellowing and dropping off earlier on. I suspect that Colin may be right in suggesting that the problem may have been due to lack of ventilation or air movement in your polytunnel because when my seedlings were starting off in my mini plastic greenhouse, even with the flap open, I did see a few signs of whitefly. They all disappeared the moment the plants were put out in the open.

[lindaf]

I opened the door every day and the aubergines were just inside it. Now that you mention it Colin I grew marigolds in my second tunnel and I didn't have aphid problems in there, but neither did I have aubergines. So I don't know if it would work on the aubergines.

[George Gray]

This year I didn't have one single aubergine on several plants in my greenhouse! There were very few insects around to pollinate them. I only read too late that if this is a problem you have to hand pollinate them with a paintbrush!

[Primrose]

On the question of aubergines not setting I'm triggered to ask which type of insect is necessary to pollinate flowers? Does it have to be bees?

Judging by the number of fruit flies around this year I wonder whether they could do the pollinating job, and whether, if you placed a rotting apple or some other fruit which encouraged insects to visit it near the flowers of veggies in a greenhouse which needed polinating, other species would do the job?

[Colin_M]

Perhaps others can advise on their success with Aubergines, but it wasn't a brilliant summer for things like that.

Foolishly, I planted a new variety which only end up tennis ball-sized. By Summer I'd forgotten this, so left them on the plants longer than needed, thinking they were slow They were supposed to be pale white with purple streaks, but after an extra month left on the plant, started turning yellow!. I managed about 3-4 per plant (though remember these are smaller than normal fruit).

Other points on these:
1) May people recommend "misting" aubergine flowers with a small spray. I believe this helps with pollination (don't know if they can self-pollinate by this means?)

2) George mentions other insects. When the scares over bees started a few years back, much of the reporting seemed to imply that bees are the main/sole pollinators of all our food crops. Anyone know if this is true


Colin