What to do if the leaves turn yellow in the eggplant greenhouse

Eggplants are popular among Russian summer residents. They are grown in open areas and in greenhouse conditions, but it is far from always possible to get a high-quality harvest. One of the problems is the yellowing of the leaves.

In the article you will find the answer to the question, why are the eggplant leaves in the greenhouse yellow or pale, and learn how to deal with this phenomenon.

Why eggplants turn yellow in the greenhouse

Eggplant is not a whimsical and capricious culture.... But like any other plants, they need to create favorable conditions for growth and fruiting. Violation of agricultural technology or mistakes in care lead to the fact that greenhouse vegetables turn yellow leaves... Gradually, they crumble, the eggplants remain with bare stems, flowering and growth completely cease, fruits are not tied. In this case, it remains only to remove the culture from the summer cottage.

Unsuitable soil

Eggplants need light, loose and nutritious soil with neutral acidity levels. It is better to choose sandy loam or loamy soil, ideally fertile black soil. To do priming more nutritious and saturated, clay soil is added to sandy soil, and sawdust or sand to peat soil. The addition of chalk or lime will lower the acidity.

It is recommended to add as fertilizers:

• humus;
• ash;
• a mixture of nitrate or urea, potassium sulfate or superphosphate;
• any other mineral complexes.

Vegetable seedlings are best grown in specially prepared formulations that are sold in stores. They are well balanced and contain a full range of essential nutrients.

Greenhouse transplant response

Every plant is stressed after transplanting. Eggplants can also weaken during the adaptation period. It is not worth worrying about one or two yellowed leaves, but if they began to fall off en masse, it is recommended to support the viability of the culture.

If there are no other reasons for yellowing, blue will quickly take root and be covered with green foliage again. During this period, it is important to provide enough light and regular watering.

Root damage

If the root system is damaged during transplantation, the process of supply of nutrients and water to all parts of the plant is disrupted. Therefore, young seedlings are handled with extreme caution. When transplanting plants, it is advisable not to remove them from the soil, but to transfer them together with an earthen lump.

Experienced gardeners recommend using peat pots for these purposes. They are more suitable for rooting and development of seedlings than traditional wooden boxes.

Tender roots are often damaged when loosening the soil in the greenhouse. This should be avoided, carefully weeding the beds, without affecting either the stems or the underground part of the eggplant.

Wrong watering regime

In warm and dry weather, the crop should be watered at least 2 times a week before active flowering begins. When flowers appear and fruits begin to set, watered 2-3 times every 10 days.

Important! Pour water gently, only on the ground, without wetting the stem and leaves. The amount of liquid should be sufficient to completely saturate the soil layer where the roots are located.

Temperature drops

Eggplants are sensitive and heat-loving plants... They instantly react to temperature fluctuations: night frosts and extreme heat during the day. The varieties bred for the southern regions or brought from the south do not take root well in the northern regions. If, after transportation and transplantation, yellow leaves appear, it means that the culture cannot adapt in any way to the new climate.

Due to temperature changes, the foliage becomes pale, lifeless. But if you provide the plant proper care, over time it will recover and begin to bear fruit.

Lack or excess of nutrients

Due to a lack of nutrients, the vegetable quickly weakens and dies. The lack of nitrogen is especially negative. The plant spends all its energy to ensure the transport of substances to the young developing leaves, and the lower ones remain without nutrition.

Important! Weeds should not be allowed to appear in the greenhouse, otherwise they will further reduce the content of useful components in the soil.

You can determine which substance is missing by its appearance:

• nitrogen deficiency - the bush turns pale, the stems become thinner;
• potassium - the foliage curls up like a boat, shrinks and turns yellow;
• phosphorus - the leaves become in relation to the stem at an acute angle and grow almost vertically;
• zinc - brown or gray spots are formed.

An abundance of fertilizers is also unacceptable. From an excess of potassium-calcium nitrate, vegetables quickly die even at the stage of flowering and fruit setting.

Close fit

It is important for each specimen in the greenhouse to provide enough space for proper growth and development. With a thickened planting, the lower parts of the plant receive less sunlight, so they die off.

On each package of seeds, the grower provides useful information on planting dates and recommends the placement scheme most suitable for a particular variety.

Diseases and pests

The most common eggplant disease is leaf mosaic. It manifests itself as yellow spots of irregular shape on the foliage, which eventually merge and completely affect the plate. The disease spreads quickly, so when the first signs of it are found, it is better to dig up the bush and burn it.

Yellowed leaves are a sign of fungal infection:

• late blight - the appearance of brown or brown spots with a yellowish or green border;
• alternaria - small dots cover the entire sheet plate;
• anthracnose - large oval spots.

The plant and pests are not neglected. Eggplants often infect whiteflies, aphids, fungus gnats and spider mites. Only fungicides or homemade compounds will help get rid of them.

Natural process

As they get older and older, some parts of the eggplant die off. This is a natural process that allows the plant to get rid of unnecessary leaves that interfere with the normal growth of young. In this case, nothing needs to be done.

What to do and how to treat

A wilting plant needs urgent help, otherwise the entire bush will die. It is very important to correctly determine the cause and eliminate it in a timely manner.

Eliminating care errors

If the plants are too crowded in the greenhouse, they are thinned out so that there is enough space between the beds for bright lighting of all the planted eggplants. With a lack of natural light, ultraviolet lamps are used.

One of the mistakes is a lack of moisture or its excess. The soil should not completely dry out, but it should not be poured over, so that water does not accumulate at the roots. Vegetables need regular loosening to get oxygen to the root system.

In the greenhouse, all weeds are removed, and adult plants are stepchild (remove excess shoots), which has a beneficial effect on fruiting.

Fertilization

An effective way to make up for nutritional deficiencies is to add complex mineral formulations. Nitrogen-containing preparations can be prepared at home:

• dilute 1 tbsp. l. urea in 1 bucket of warm water;
• dissolve 1 liter of mullein in 10 liters of water;
• 0.5 liters of chicken manure per 6 liters of water.

The solution is poured at the rate of 0.5 liters under each bush. Eggplants are sprayed with the same remedy to activate fruiting. You should not get carried away with this method, you can repeat the procedure only after 15 days.

Reference. To eliminate the lack of potassium, add herbal ash. Its assimilation directly depends on the air temperature. If the thermometer rises above + 35 ° C, the plant will not absorb the trace element. Therefore, it is important to regularly ventilate the greenhouse, open the vents, and mulch the soil.

Experienced gardeners carry out foliar feeding with milk solution or yeast infusion.

Treatment by means

If eggplants are infected with fungi or other diseases, use special preparations. They are sold as a ready-made solution, sprayed on all parts of the shrubs. As soon as the plant gains strength, it will continue to develop and form young leaves.

Attention! Finish the chemical treatment before flowering. Especially when the fruit is ripe, it is dangerous to use insecticides and fungicides.

Chemical methods

To eliminate a number of diseases (gray rot, bacterial spotting, late blight, black leg), the following compositions are used:

• copper sulfate;
• Bordeaux liquid;
• "Cuproxat".

Preventive measures for processing the plant begin 24-27 days after the first seedlings emerge, and then continue for 21 days after planting in the greenhouse.

Vertimek, Inta-Vir, Decis Profi, Confidor Extra, Actellik, etc. are used as protective agents against pests. These are potent compounds, so usually 1-2 treatments are enough with an interval of 2 weeks.

Folk remedies

They are much safer for plants and humans, especially with repeated use. The following tools are most popular with summer residents:

• against spider mites and aphids - decoctions of chamomile, wormwood, yarrow for spraying;
• from whitefly - pollination with ash solution, infusion of walnut leaves;
• from aphid larvae - an infusion of dandelion parts passed through a meat grinder.

Compliance with the conditions for growing eggplant will reduce the use of treatment formulations.

Prevention measures

In preparation for the growing season, it is recommended to process the soil in the greenhouse where the eggplants were growing.

An effective preventive measure against yellowing of foliage is soil dressing with fungicides "Lamador" or "Maxim". These products destroy viruses and bacteria, and also increase the immunity of vegetable crops.

"Trichodermin" is recommended to be introduced into the wells as an antifungal agent. It is always easier to prevent diseases than to subsequently deal with problems and save the crop.

Preventive measures also include:

• selection of early maturing, the most disease-resistant varieties and hybrids with a short growing season;
• pre-sowing seed treatment (calibrate by size, separating large and small seeds, disinfect with a weak, light pink solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide);
• treating the greenhouse with acaricides or insecticides to control sucking insects - vectors of diseases;
• regular feeding of vegetables;
• periodic loosening of the soil to saturate it with oxygen;
• planning the correct neighborhood of planted crops and observing the rules of crop rotation;
• regular checking of all copies for the timely detection of problems.

Eggplants grow well in areas where cabbage and cucumbers, legumes and root vegetables, onions and corn, greens and zucchini were previously planted. According to the rules of crop rotation, eggplants, like other nightshades, can be planted in one area with a break of three years.

Important! Pests and diseases that cause yellowing of leaves are fought by planting calendula, tansy, petunia, chamomile, marigolds. They scare off the Colorado potato beetle, ants, caterpillars, rodents, and also prevent the development of nematodes.

Fungus develops in greenhouses if the temperature exceeds + 29 ° C. Fusarium spores quickly penetrate through the roots into all parts of the plant, and it dies. Regular airing, as well as moderate watering without stagnant water in the beds, will help prevent the problem.

To prevent the appearance of yellow leaves, it is enough to follow the rules of care and planting. Timely cleaning of weeds, regular irrigation with warm water, adequate lighting and timely fertilization - all this will prevent possible problems and get a rich and high-quality harvest.

Conclusion

To save eggplants in a greenhouse, it is important to understand why their leaves turn yellow: due to unsuitable soil, temperature changes, imbalances in nutrients, improper care or pests. The sooner you identify the cause and take measures to eliminate it, the more chances are that the plant will grow with renewed vigor and please with a rich harvest.