Clay pots are also heavier than plastic pots, making it easier for them to support the weight of a mature eggplant. The pot should also have large drainage holes to help balance out the moisture level of the soil. Drainage holes will allow excess water to leave the pot, minimizing the risk of root rot.
Reapply the pelleted fertilizer after 10-12 weeks. After the plant flowers, switch to a fertilizer with high potassium, such as 9-15-30.
Wet the soil to make it as compact as possible. Moist, compact soil will be easier to transplant than dry, crumbly soil. If the seedling is in a cheap plastic container, you can “wiggle” it out of the container by bending the plastic. If the seedling is in a stiffer container, you may need to carefully slide a gardening trowel into the side of the pot and beneath the entirety of the pot’s contents. Tip the container on its side and slowly guide the seedling, soil and all, out of the pot.
If the leaves of your eggplant begin to pale, you may need to add more fertilizer. A boost of 5-10-5 fertilizer should help significantly if a lack of nutrition is your plant’s only problem. A fertilizer with a higher number, meaning a higher percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, may prove too strong. Do not dig any deeper than 1/2-inch (1 1/4 centimeters) beneath the surface of the soil when scratching in fertilizer. Digging any deeper than that could disturb the eggplant’s roots, which are rather shallow.
If you need to increase the pH, try using agricultural lime. If you need to decrease the pH, add additional organic matter such as compost or plant litter, or switch to a fertilizer with urea in it.
Snip the eggplant off its vine using pruning shears. The vegetable should only have a short stem upon removal.
