Eggplant loves to be toasty warm. It will not withstand much frost or cold temperatures. In Phoenix, the first expected fall frost is around December 5. Some gardeners have had luck in getting their eggplant harvest to last through part of December, but you would need to keep the plant protected from cold temperatures.
The flowers falling might indicate a lack of water (be sure to place mulch on the soil to help with consistent moisture in the pot), disease (check for other symptoms on the plant), too low or too high temperatures (or extreme fluctuation), or lack of pollination. Eggplant is pollinated by wind; in humid air, very hot temperatures, calm days, etc., pollination will suffer. You can take care of this by hand-pollinating--use a small paintbrush to brush the inside of each flower for a few seconds (to move the flower's pollen onto the central pistil).
Eggplants like daytime temperatures between 70 and 85 F, and nighttime temperatures of at least 65 F. Temperatures below 60 or above 90 may cause troubles, such as stunted growth or failure to fruit. If temperatures in your area have been straying out of the ideal range, that might be causing the flowers to drop.
Eggplant loves to be toasty warm. It will not withstand much frost or cold temperatures. In Phoenix, the first expected fall frost is around December 5. Some gardeners have had luck in getting their eggplant harvest to last through part of December, but you would need to keep the plant protected from cold temperatures.
The flowers falling might indicate a lack of water (be sure to place mulch on the soil to help with consistent moisture in the pot), disease (check for other symptoms on the plant), too low or too high temperatures (or extreme fluctuation), or lack of pollination. Eggplant is pollinated by wind; in humid air, very hot temperatures, calm days, etc., pollination will suffer. You can take care of this by hand-pollinating--use a small paintbrush to brush the inside of each flower for a few seconds (to move the flower's pollen onto the central pistil).
Eggplants like daytime temperatures between 70 and 85 F, and nighttime temperatures of at least 65 F. Temperatures below 60 or above 90 may cause troubles, such as stunted growth or failure to fruit. If temperatures in your area have been straying out of the ideal range, that might be causing the flowers to drop.