Solanum melongena is the botanical name of the eggplant, a wild species of eggplant. Like the tomato, the bizarre plant belongs to the nightshade family. It is suitable as a house and garden plant and is relatively easy to propagate.
The egg tree is easy to propagate from seeds
How can I propagate Solanum melongena?
The fruits of the egg tree are edible, but only when ripe or heated. The attractive houseplant is also a useful plant at the same time. No wonder if you want to own several of them. Propagation is usually by seed. You can get the seeds from seed shops or online. You even have a choice of different varieties.
Egg tree seeds germinate best if you water them for at least 24 hours before sowing. The water should be lukewarm. If you water seeds often, get a thermos flask. The water stays lukewarm in it for a long time, which further improves the effect of accelerating germs.
Sowing step by step
Fill a suitable container (flower pot or seed tray) with high-quality, low-nutrient potting soil. Alternatively, you can loosen up commercial potting soil by mixing it with sand. Distribute the watered seeds evenly on top. Sprinkle some substrate on the seed and moisten it carefully. You may now pull a transparent film over it to keep the moisture underneath constant.
Place the seed pots (€16.68) in a light and warm place. There you keep the seed evenly moist. However, the substrate must not be wet, otherwise the seeds will begin to rot instead of germinating. After two to three weeks, the first seedlings should be visible. Another four to five weeks will pass before pricking out.
The essentials in brief:
- water seeds
- Keep seed evenly moist
- Germination temperature: approx. 20 °C to 28 °C
- Germination period: between 14 and 21 days
- Prick out only when they are 10 to 15 cm tall (after about 5 weeks)
tips
If you use peat spring pots for the propagation, then you save yourself the pricking out of the young plants. You can then transplant them straight away with the pots.