Egg Plant

[B. Pearcy]

I transplanted an eggplant today into my gravel bed. It immediately collapsed, folded in half and wilted so that it looked absolutely pitiful.  I chalked that up to an "experiment" and went on about my day.

Within 45 minutes, I went back out into the backyard and to my surprise the eggplant the was completely upright with no signs of wilting. I'm still skeptical, but for now at least the eggplant has come back from the brink.

[B. Pearcy]

Yep. The ichiban eggplant is doing well. In fact, I transplanted another one today.

[TCLynx]

Then I expect it should be fine after it recovers from the transplant.

[B. Pearcy]

I have had good luck in above ground beds with ichiban eggplant. It seems to take heat better than classic variety.

[TCLynx]

Transplant shock will knock most transplants flat for a time in our current heat here.  However, the good water availability in aquaponics can definitely help bring hearty things like eggplant (which are supposed to take the heat well) back.  Make sure you are flooding the beds often.

In this heat I would recommend doing any transplanting when it is cool and shading the transplants a bit for at least a few weeks.

[Kobus Jooste]

The older a transplant is, the more likely I think the result that you described here.  They do survive most of the time though.  The other "trick" of relatively old seedlings transplanted into my system is to appear to stand perfectly still, with no growth above gravel, for days or even weeks, followed by a sudden burst of effort.