Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant

Do you like eggplant? If so, then you are going to love Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant! A high-yield Asian hybrid, this herbaceous perennial produces broad, emerald-green leaves accompanied by striking, lavender flowers that are followed by slender, 8-to-10-inch, blackish-purple fruit. Ready to be snatched in 70 days, these tender and sweet berries–that’s right, eggplant are technically considered berries–are delicious sauteed, roasted, or grilled. Otherwise known as Solanum melongena ‘Orient Express F1’ and Eggplant 'Oriental Express', this plant not only provides as much as 4 to 5 pounds of delicious, nutritional fruit per plant, but with its pale-purple blooms, also attracts hungry pollinators such as butterflies and bees. Growing upright and bushy, this easy-to-grow perennial can be grown in a garden or container, adding beauty and nutritional value to any space.

Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant Care  

To put Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant into high production, find a spot that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun. Plant this hybrid after the last frost date in soil that is at least 70 degrees, loamy, acidic, moist, and well draining. A good pH range is 6.0 to 7.0. If your soil is lacking nutrients, you can add some organic compost, or if it is too alkaline, you can mix in a little peat moss. Give this vigorous perennial adequate room to grow by spacing it 18 inches from the next plant. A relatively low-maintenance bush, it does not require a lot of pruning other than removing dead, damaged, or diseased stems/foliage. However, if you are planning to enter this year’s crop in your local State’s Fair “Biggest Eggplant of the World” contest, deadhead a few of the flowers to encourage larger berries. 

Growing Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant

Reaching a maximum height and spread of 24 to 30 inches, Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant grows upright and bushy. Stake it early to provide adequate support for its bushy stem. If grown indoors, increase this perennial’s daily amount of light to at least 10 hours. 

This eggplant grows happily in a container; not only will this plant reduce your monthly grocery bills, but its verdant foliage and attractive flowers will instantly dress up a deck or patio. Simply plant Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant in a 20-inch pot, place it in a spot that gets 6 to 8 hours of direct sun, and wait for the magic to start. 

Watering Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant

Appreciating moisture in spite of it being drought tolerant, Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant requires about 1 to 2 inches of water per week. To ensure the production of finer fruit, ensure that this plant gets adequate water.

Feeding Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant 

As long as your soil is not lacking nutrients, feed Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant a balanced 1-1-1 (N-P-K) fertilizer during the growing season every 2 weeks. Switch to a fertilizer with less nitrogen and more potassium after the blooming period has started. Decreasing the nitrogen encourages blooming and discourages foliage growth, while increasing the potassium encourages disease resistance.

Orient Hybrid Asian Eggplant Plant Information