Matrosik eggplant won't produce!

[peebee]

I'm growing this for the first time and for the life of me it refuses to flower. The very tiny buds (not blossoms)I've seen so far just fall into my hand when merely touched. I'm feeding it 0-10-10 recently but nothing is happening.

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[peebee]

Want to add, this is one thirsty plant! Whereas I'm watering my other vegetables every 2 days sometimes less, this guy sulks & wilts unless he's watered daily. Again this morning I found another tiny blossom that was turning beige\brown & it fell into my hand. Any ideas anyone?

[Seven Bends]

I grew Matrosik last year in-ground and it was a big, vigorous plant. It looks like you're growing it in a container, is that correct? Is it possible your container isn't big enough? If the plant is getting to the wilting point, that could explain why the buds are dropping off.

Besides water issues, heat is probably the most common reason for blossom drop on eggplant. How hot are the days there now, and how hot are the nights?

I'd also say that sometimes eggplant plants just take a long time to get going. It's not unusual for the first buds to not set fruit. How long has it been going on? The problem may fix itself if the weather is okay.

Did you really mean 0-10-10 or was that supposed to be 10-10-10? And how often are you fertilizing? Too much or unbalanced fertilizing could cause a problem, but I don't know much about proper fertilizing of container-grown plants, so I can't say anything useful.

[pepperhead212]

Before I started growing EPs in sub-irrigated planters, 2/18 gal, and I tried them in 5 gal buckets, they would dry out in less than a day, and even in the SIP, I have to set the timer to water twice a day, or it will be very light in 24 hrs! Same thing with the large tomatoes.

This is my 1st season with Matrosik, and it was the last one to produce, but this is still early, compared to some others I've grown. And they both have a generous number of set fruits, and more blossoms, even with a lot of 90+ days, and a few in the high 90s. The source I got mine from (maybe your source, too) is in central Florida, if I recall, and has no heat problems with it, which is one thing that looked good, to me! The 1st harvest was in under 60 days, 2 days ago, and close to a lb, but I'll let others get larger, now that I see what it looks like.

[Shule]

Potassium can temporarily increase water needs for a couple days or so (but in the long run it should reduce them), if anything.

I'm guessing what it needs it just some nitrogen and a bigger pot.

[GoDawgs]

Another advocate for a large container for big old Matrosik. In fact, all four of my eggplants are in 15 gallon containers and get watered every day. They don't seem to grow as well in smaller containers and yes, if they get rootbound in smaller containers it's hard to keep them hydrated. These get watered daily, mostly around 6pm so they can hydrate well overnight and get ready for the next day.

This is my first time out with Matrosik and it's doing really well.
Seed started 2/19
Seeds up 2/27
Transplanted from quart sized pot to 15 gallon 4/23
1st fruits harvested 6/20. There were two ready at the same time, together weighing 1 lb 10 oz.

It's been hot as Hades here but they're doing ok. They're with the tomatoes in an area that gets sun from 9:30 am to about 4:40 so they're somewhat protected by that late afternoon heat.

What size pot are yours in? Any possibility of repotting to a bigger one?

[peebee]

Thanks all for your help. I'm growing it in a very large wide pot, wider than a normal 5 gallon black nursery pot but a tad shorter. It was getting fed a liquid fertilizer that included nitrogen in the beginning but after it grew tall enough I switched to the 0-10-10 hoping for more blooms. My other eggplants are Millionaire & Money Maker, in Earthboxes & producing well. Maybe next year I'll grow Matrosik in an EB.
I don't have any more room to plant in-ground but I might dig up a rose that I don't like. We'll see about that if this eggplant doesn't improve.
And no, we have been spared the awful heatwaves that seem to be everywhere now.

[peebee]

Well I did end up digging out the rose to make room for this eggplant. It's loving the new environment! I haven't had to water in 2 days & it's doing very well. I'm looking forward to eating one soon. Thanks for suggesting that the pot probably was the problem.