Instructions for growing eggplant from A to Z

Eggplant is a favorite product of many housewives. They are nutritious, healthy, good for making hot meals and pickling for the winter. The question of how to grow eggplants is relevant for many gardeners.

The culture is very capricious and is sensitive to negative environmental factors. To get a good harvest in the climatic conditions of our country, you need to follow the rules of agricultural technology and take into account a number of nuances. Read about growing eggplants from "A" to "Z" below.

Growing seedlings

Growing seedlings is an important step in eggplant cultivation. The endurance of adult plants and their yield depend on how high-quality the seedlings turn out.

The timing of sowing seeds in different regions is different:

• in cities with southern climates - end of February;
• in the central regions - the first half of March;
• northern - late March or early April.

Plants are planted in open ground 2.5 months after sowing seeds. By this time, the soil should warm up to + 20 ° C.

Important! Experienced gardeners say it is better to be late in sowing than too early. After all, if by the time the plants are dived into the open ground, inflorescences appear on them or the stems have time to stretch, they will take root much longer and will yield a harvest later.

Seed selection

High-quality planting material is the key to a good harvest and strong, viable plants. The list contains some tips for choosing eggplant seeds:

1. High-yielding varieties are demanding on the composition of the soil and are capricious in care... For the first time, it is better to choose less demanding crops that produce a small amount of fruit. For novice gardeners, it is these varieties that will be more productive.
2. Immunity. Eggplant, which is resistant to infection, is preferred. The presence of resistance to viral pathogens of diseases that are not amenable to treatment and prevention is especially important.
3. Resistant to temperature extremes. This parameter is especially important for the northern and central regions. Such varieties have a less delicate taste, but differ in simple agricultural technology.
4. Hybrid seeds often have more uniform fruits and high resistance to adverse environmental factors. Seeds from their harvest do not retain hybrid traits and are not suitable for growing. Therefore, if you plan to harvest seeds from fruits, choose varietal plants.
5. Each variety or hybrid is designed to be grown in a specific climatic zone. Use planting material designed for the specific area.
6. The best germination will be obtained from seeds, disinfected and covered with a nutritious shell. in the factory.

There are many varieties available in horticultural markets. Examples of the most unpretentious:

• Bebo;
• King of the North;
• Vakula.

Preparing seeds for planting

Before sowing the planting material, it is prepared. This is especially important for those seeds that have not been processed in the factory. This procedure reduces the likelihood of plant infection, accelerates the appearance of the first shoots and increases their resistance to negative environmental factors:

1. Warming up the planting material. It is enough to put the package with seeds 2 weeks before sowing near the battery.This stimulates the emergence of seedlings.
2. Checking seeds for germination. They are soaked in a glass of water with the addition of 1 tsp. salt. Suitable for planting is the planting material that has sunk to the bottom.
3. Disinfection of planting material. For this purpose, the seeds are soaked for 20 minutes in home remedies (light pink solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide) and in commercial preparations (Fitosporin) according to the instructions.
4. Growth stimulation. Such a procedure will increase the germination of seeds, accelerate their germination and improve resistance to temperature extremes. Aloe juice, honey water (1 tsp for 1 tbsp of water), soda solution (1 tsp for 1 tbsp of water) are used as home remedies. The stores sell special drugs (Epin, Kornevin).

Some gardeners additionally germinate seeds before sowing. To do this, they are placed in a warm place, previously wrapped in a damp cloth for 3-4 days. This step is optional.

A few words about containers and soil

Eggplants need a nutritious, light soil mixture with neutral acidity. Such soil is purchased in a store (universal seedling mixture) or prepared independently.

Option for preparing nutrient soil:

• garden soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1;
• peat, river sand and compost - 2: 1: 1;
• humus, garden soil, rotted manure, sawdust - 3: 3: 1: 1.

After preparation, the soil is disinfected. To do this, it is calcined in the oven or in a water bath for half an hour. Another option is to water the soil with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Add 1 tbsp to a bucket of treated soil mixture. ash and 0.5 tbsp. potassium sulfate. The soil is left in a warm place for 2 weeks so that beneficial microorganisms form in it.

Eggplants do not tolerate picking well. Their seeds are sown directly into individual containers. It is better if these are peat pots or tablets, from which you do not need to extract the plants when transplanting to a permanent place.

Plastic pots, cassettes and containers from scrap materials are also used. It is treated with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate. It is important that there are drain holes in the bottom.

Advice! To reduce the likelihood of blackleg development, it is recommended to pour disinfected drainage, such as coarse sand, on the bottom of the seedling containers.

Growing seedlings at home

2-3 eggplant seeds are sown in each pot, deepening them by 1 cm. The soil is moistened with a spray bottle. Some gardeners place a layer of snow on the ground instead. This is believed to further harden the seeds, making the seedlings more hardy.

The containers with seedlings are covered with foil and placed in a place with a temperature of + 27 ... + 30 ° C. At this stage, plants do not need light and oxygen. The film is removed as soon as the first shoots appear.

In order for the seedlings to be strong, it is important for them to provide regular care. The list contains the basic rules for growing seedlings:

1. As soon as the first shoots appear, the film is removed. The seedlings are rearranged on the windowsill. If the seeds were sown in February, they will need lighting with phytolamps or fluorescent lamps 12 hours a day. The lighting fixture is placed at a distance of 50 cm from the plant pots.
2. To make the plants strong and not stretch out ahead of time, they are provided with a special temperature regime. The first week after the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are kept at a temperature of + 16 ... + 17 ° С during the day, then they are moved to a room with a temperature of 23–27 ° С. At night, throughout the growing periods, the temperature is lowered to 15 ° C.
3. Eggplants are afraid of drafts. Throughout the entire period of growing seedlings, it is important to avoid the influence of this negative factor.
4. Eggplants do not dive. They are immediately seated in individual pots.
5. Water the seedlings as the topsoil dries. Plants are sprayed with a spray bottle, always with warm water.
6. Eggplants are fed 2 times during the entire growing period.The first is 2 weeks after germination. Fertilizers with a high phosphorus content are used. Purchased preparations are suitable, for example, "Crystalon yellow" (1 tbsp. L. For 1 bucket of water) or homemade remedies (herbal infusion with the addition of 20 g of superphosphate for 1 bucket of water). Next time, top dressing is applied 5 days before disembarking to a permanent place. The same professional preparations or homemade products with the addition of potassium will do.
7. 2 weeks before picking plants to a permanent place, they begin to harden. To do this, put eggplants on the balcony, outdoors or in a greenhouse for several hours daily, gradually increasing the hardening time.

Advice! Some gardeners believe that if enough nutritious soil has been used for the seedlings, then feeding it is not necessary.

Landing at a permanent place

Eggplants are planted in a permanent place 2-2.5 months after sowing the seeds. By this time, the soil at a depth of 15 cm should warm up to + 15 ... + 20 ° С.

Seedlings are not only grown independently, but also purchased on the market. Here are some signs of good quality young plants:

1. Greens should not be sluggish. Leaves are bright green.
2. Plant height varies between 15-25 cm. Each eggplant should have at least 5 and no more than 7 leaves.
3. Early varieties may have 1-2 flower buds. Seedlings of late varieties of eggplant should not have flowers.

Advice! Experienced gardeners are advised to remove inflorescences on seedlings before planting them in a permanent place.

Soil preparation

To grow eggplants outdoors or in a greenhouse, it is important to prepare the soil in advance and choose a location. This is a demanding soil composition and a heat-loving culture.

The most illuminated part of the garden is prepared for the plantings. Solanaceous crops should not grow on it for the past 2 seasons. Any greens and melons and gourds are considered the best predecessors for eggplant.

Potatoes and tomatoes are not planted next to eggplants. They attract pests and illness.

The beds begin to be prepared in the fall. They are dug up and cleaned of plant residues. For each square meter, 6 kg of humus or rotted manure, 1 kg of ash are applied. If the soil is heavy, then add river sand. All fertilizers are mixed by repeated digging.

In the spring, the soil is leveled with a rake and cleaned of weeds. For each 1 m², add 30 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate, 30 g of superphosphate and 4 g of magnesium sulfate. All fertilizers are mixed with soil.

When growing in the open field of the garden watered hot solution of copper sulfate prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l vitriol. In the greenhouse, not only the ground is disinfected, but also the walls, ceiling and floor of the room.

Landing in open ground

5 days before planting in open ground, seedlings are fed. 1 day before this procedure, the soil is abundantly moistened. This will make it easier to remove the plants from the pots.

The planting scheme depends on the type of eggplant. As a rule, 3 to 5 plants are placed on 1 m². The distance between the rows is 60–80 cm. The holes are dug to a depth that matches the height of the cup in which the seedlings were grown. The width of the recess should be 20-25 cm.

A handful of ash or granular fertilizers are poured into the bottom of each hole. When planting plants, the root collar is usually not buried. Such a procedure will only be needed if the seedlings are elongated.

After picking, the plants are watered with warm water, spending 1 liter for each of them (the next watering is possible no earlier than 2 weeks later). Then the next 2 weeks they are covered with a film overnight and during the period of cold snaps.

Advice! To help the plants take root, they are watered with water with the addition of Epin.

Cultivation and care in the open field

Eggplant is a capricious culture. To get a good harvest, it is important to properly care for your plants.

The list contains the main subtleties and nuances:

1. Eggplant should not be watered for the first 2 weeks after planting. To help them settle down faster, the beds are regularly loosened to a depth of 5-8 cm. They are also sprayed with a weak solution prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tsp. urea.
2. It is recommended to mulch the eggplant beds with grass, straw or compost. Such a layer will protect the roots of plants from pests and cold snaps, it will also slow down the evaporation of moisture and the growth of weeds.
3. Eggplants are poured over with warm water at sunset. If the beds are covered with mulch, then this is done once a week. Otherwise, the soil is moistened every other day. It should not be flooded, otherwise the roots will rot and the plants will die.
4. After each watering and precipitation, the soil is loosened. In the process of this procedure, the beds must be cleared of weeds.
5. If roots appear on the roots of the eggplant, they are covered with earth (spud). If there is no such sign, it is optional.
6. Eggplants do not like overheating, but they are bad for windy weather and drafts. In the greenhouse, the plants are regularly ventilated by opening the vents on only one side. In the open field in windy weather, spandbon (polypropylene) cover the landings from the windy side. For this, arcs or vertical structures are installed in the beds.
7. The formation of eggplants depends on the variety. Low-growing varieties do not stepchild. Tall varieties are formed into 3 stems, the rest of the shoots are pinched. The leaves at the bottom of the bush are removed.
8. On each inflorescence, 1 of the largest and most beautiful flower is left. This technology will increase the yield and fruit size.
9. Tall and medium-sized varieties need a garter. They are attached to a trellis or wooden support with synthetic thread. The growth point is pinched when the plant reaches its maximum support height.
10. Eggplant is fed every 2 weeks. To do this, use chicken manure diluted 1: 1 with water, silage (a quarter of a bucket of grass is poured with ¾ bucket of water, 1 kg of chicken manure is added and insisted for a week in a warm place) or purchased fertilizers.

Protection against diseases and pests

The higher the disease resistance of a variety, the easier it is to grow. If the chosen culture does not have such an advantage, it is important to know the main signs of the most common diseases and methods of dealing with them:

1. Late blight. Fruits and greens of plants are covered with brown and brown spots. There is no cure for the disease: damaged bushes will have to be removed and burned. To prevent planting, they are sprayed weekly with copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid at sunset.
2. Mosaic. Leaves are covered bright green spots, and the fruits are yellow formations. There is no cure. Affected bushes are removed, and healthy ones are treated with Fitosporin.
3. Gray rot. Plants are covered with dark spots and gray bloom. Treatment of soil and plants with fungicides will help to save plantings. An important part of preventing this disease is avoiding waterlogging.
4. White rot. Plants are covered with white bloom. The damaged parts are cut off and these places are treated with wood ash.
5. Black bacterial spot. Plants are covered with black spots with yellow borders. The affected eggplants are removed and burned. The soil and healthy plants are treated with copper sulfate.

In order to prevent the development of dangerous diseases, it is important to follow the rules of disinfection, crop rotation, watering and pinching. Diseases are often carried by insects, feed this, they damage the eggplant bushes themselves.

Common pests include:

1. Spider mite... Plants are covered with fine cobwebs and small insects. To combat the pest, a preparation is prepared by mixing 0.5 kg of chopped dandelions, garlic and onions in a bucket of water. The composition is allowed to infuse for 3 hours. After that, the product is filtered and a piece of crushed laundry soap is added to it. The drug is sprayed on the bushes.
2. Whitefly. Large white insects appear on the plants.They are washed off with water or collected by hand. As a preventive measure, yellow traps smeared with a sticky mass (honey, petroleum jelly) are installed between the rows.
3. Aphid. The bushes are covered with small midges. To get rid of the pest, the bushes are sprayed with wormwood decoction.

Harvesting and storage

The harvest time depends on the ripening period of the variety. The ripeness of the fruits will be indicated by the large size and glossy crust with a uniform color.

The eggplants are cut with the stalk. Store in a dark, dry place, regularly sorting out the fruits. In such conditions, many varieties will last up to 2 months.

Experienced agronomist tips

Experienced farmers use a few tricks to make it easier to handle eggplant growing. Here are the most important secrets of agricultural technology:

1. Warm beds... In such facilities, plants will be protected from the cold and provided with nutrients. To do this, in the fall, they dig a deep trench or erect a structure in the form of a wooden box right on the soil surface. Wood, paper, food waste and weeds are laid out in layers in the resulting depression. Sprinkle everything on top with earth. In spring, this place will be a warm nutrient substrate, in which plants are planted. One such bed has been working for 3 years.
2. To get the maximum eggplant yield, it is recommended to replace the greenhouse with a film construction without a roof. Thus, all cultural requirements will be met.
3. It is advised to plant calendula between the beds, rye, basil or tobacco. They will scare away harmful insects.

Read also:

How to freeze fresh eggplants for the winter at home, and what to cook from them.

Is it possible to have eggplants with gastritis: arguments for and against, acceptable methods of use.

Cooking eggplants like mushrooms for the winter: recipes that guests will definitely ask for.

Conclusion

Eggplant is a demanding crop that novice gardeners often have difficulty with. It is important to follow all the basic rules of agricultural technology, regularly inspect plants for diseases.

Those who grow eggplant for the first time should look at the less productive, but more hardy varieties. If you follow the advice of experienced agronomists, eggplants will give a good harvest and "forgive" small mistakes in agricultural technology.