Ping tung eggplant is native to Taiwan. The plants are long with purplish flowers. The ping-tung long eggplants are soft, thin-skinned, and magenta. They tolerate heat extremely well and are also disease resistant. They have a high-yielding capability. This article will discuss Ping Tung Eggplant and its growth and care tips.
Key takeaways:
- The ping tung name is from the country Ting tung of Taiwan.
- Ping tung eggplant has the botanical name ‘Solanum melongena ‘ping tung long eggplant’ and the family Solanaceae.
- They thrive well in both spring and fall seasons and need full sun to grow well.
- The average height of the Taiwanian eggplant plant is 3 to 4 feet. The soil should be well-drained and moist.
- They are good annual plants that are easy to grow. They can be grown both indoors as well as outdoors as long as good sunlight is present.
- Growing ping tung eggplants like black beauty eggplant in containers is one of the best options.
So, let’s start the journey to know more about the Ping Tung Eggplant.
How to plant ping tung eggplant?
The seeds can be planted indoors a few weeks before the last frost. Seeds will take a week or two to germinate in optimum conditions. The plant will take one month and a half to grow well. The seed should be placed at a depth of 0.6 cm under the soil.
The space between the plants should be about 18-24 inches. While you are choosing a spot outside the house, make sure it is sunny, warm, and weedless with abundant fresh air.
The pH range of soil needed for ping tung eggplants is 6-6.8. The seedling can be transferred outdoors after the last frost and are not much tender anymore. The plant needs a good supply of fertilizer or fish emulsion solution at least for 30-40 days.
| Scientific name | Solanum Melongena |
| plant spacing | 2 Square Feet per plant |
| sunlight requirement | 8 – 14 Hours |
| support need | you can use cages or stakes to support tall ping-tung plants. |
| harvest | the perfect time for harvesting the plants is when they are grown for 11-14 inches long |
How to grow ping tung eggplants?
Temperature: The ping tung eggplants can tolerate high heat, even wet conditions too. The dry soil also doesn’t bother the plant but cold weather has cons to the growth of plants. The plant gets stunted, and seeds become dormant.
Soil should be fertilized well, moist, and well-drained. You can also mix the soil with sand.
Fertilizer: Organic fertilizer, like compost tea. Fertilizer is required with a good amount of nutrients as they are always hungry. Avoid over-fertilizing and providing too much nitrogen. Phosphorus is great to start with. Avoid overhead watering, water them regularly.
When to harvest Ping Tung eggplants?
- Fruits are good to harvest as they become long about 12-14 inches and look super shiny.
- In case the plant needs support, the stakes can be used if the land is low-lying, uneven, or raised.
“Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.”
– By Shira Tamir
How to care for Ping Tung eggplants?
Ping tung eggplants don’t need too much water but have low to moderate levels. Moist soil helps them fruit well. Dripping irrigation is suggested for these plants so that they leave and don’t get hurt.
Balanced organic fertilizer is required, you can use organic compost every 2-3 weeks. Late after they attain a good size and lower fertilizer supply.
How to Prune Ping Tung eggplants?
Prune when the number of fruits growing is in excess. By picking the extra fruits, the fruits left will be bigger in size and soft. The plant can be trimmed once a year if the plant is growing as a perennial or in tropical areas.
1. Mulching
If you see too many weeds near the plants, mulching can be the right decision. Other than mulching will also keep the soil cool, and damp for the plants. In winter, mulching can act as a warmer by retaining heat in the soil.
In case you want to store the fruits after harvesting, make sure the temperature is 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit with good humidity to keep the quality good.
Pests and diseases
- Aphids and whiteflies are usually attack the ping-tung long eggplants.
- Also, flea beetles, Colorado potato beetles, and worms create problems for ping tung eggplant.
- Stinkbugs and spider mites can infect them as well
- Yellow blotches are usually seen on the leaves when the plant becomes. You will also see leaves wilting and then dropping off.
- White mold is another disease that is seen in ping-tung eggplants. These fungal diseases cause root rot and branches appear to droop and die.
Tips On Growing Ping Tung Eggplants From Seeds:
The following are some basic points that will help in growing ping tung eggplants from seeds:
- You need to seed the plant about 6 to 8 weeks before only indoors.
- The seed will start germinating within 7 to 14 days but for dad even to maintain the temperature above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make sure that the seeds need to be hard before planting them in the garden.
- You need to give the Ping tung eggplants with full sunlight and fertile, moist, well-draining soil.
- You need to feed the plant with organic fertilizers every 2 months.
- I will suggest you provide them with earthworm casting compost tea or homemade compost.
- The ping tung eggplant is able to mature in about 60 to 40 days
Difference between Ping Tung and Ping Tung Long
There are some differences between ping tung and ping tung long plants such as:
- The ping tung eggplants are shorter than the ping tung long and are of medium size.
- Both of the eggplants contain dark green obliquely lanceolate leaves having purple flowers on the top of the stem.
- If we Differentiate them based on their taste then ping tung long does taste sweeter than the Ping tung eggplant.
- they need full sun and moist, well draining soil to grow quicker and healthy.
Footnote of the context
Taiwan in eggplants is an awesome choice to go with plating in gardens. For this, you are required to know everything regarding it whether the growing conditions or care. They are just like the other eggplants and almost similar are the demands with few changes. We have tried to cover all the information to grow and care for your Ping Tung eggplants just like the process of growing Salpiglossis. Hope you like our effort.
FAQs
1. What are the best conditions for growing eggplant?
Moist soil, full sun, direct sunlight for at least five to six hours a day, and soil that needs to be loamy or sandy with a ph of 6-6.5 are some of the main conditions that are best for growing eggplants.
2. What is the best fertilizer for eggplants?
The fertilizer needs to be balanced in a proportion of 10-0-10. In the growing years, fertilizer much but later lower the level of fertilizer. These plants are also nitrogen-sensitive.
3. Do eggplants grow well in pots?
Eggplants can be grown easily in pots as well, the size of the pot should be large, as their roots need a lot of space, too many nutrients, and well-drained soil.
4. What month do you plant eggplant?
The eggplant plant should be planted when the soil is warm and the temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit after the last frost. They can’t bear cold conditions.
5. How tall does an eggplant plant get?
The plants are seen to reach a height of 2-5 feet and are wide enough, to need good sunlight and air.
6. Do eggplants need a trellis?
Eggplants in many cases might need support. It is a good idea if you add stakes so that they can grow straight and stay away from diseases, rodent attacks, etc.
