The cultivation of a crop such as eggplant requires special cultivation conditions, and only those who observe them exactly get a good harvest.
The plant is demanding on soil, watering and light. Due to the long growing season, seeds will have to be sown in winter, after seedlings have been obtained, young plants should be shaded daily. Let us consider in stages these and other agricultural technical details of cultivating the culture.
Prerequisites for growing eggplant
Choosing a place for landing on your site, you should start with a greenhouse. Eggplants are more demanding of heat than tomatoes. They prefer moist soil and warm enough dry air, so they should be planted in the greenhouse in the most illuminated place, with the expectation of effective ventilation after irrigation.
Landing Not recommended due to the lack of shelter from night dew and wind. If there is no room for eggplant in the greenhouse, and the greenhouse arrangement does not seem convenient, the solution will be shelter in the form of frames with glazing or a stretched film. Frames are placed above the plants on supports and rise as they grow. This design is easy to remove during the day and install in the evening, cover with cardboard or cloth for additional shading, when necessary. Frames will protect the ground part of the plant from dew, and adjacent plantings of corn and legumes will create a barrier to the wind.
Eggplant beds should be 25-30 cm tall. They should not be planted repeatedly in the same place, as well as where solanaceous (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers) grew last year. If the choice of another site is difficult, it is possible to solve the problem by replacing the soil.
For outdoor cultivation should choose early ripening varieties or hybrids of eggplant.
The choice of soil and fertilizing for growing eggplant
Eggplant needs fertile, light, loose soil. To obtain this, you should mix peat, humus, compost, sand and garden soil. If the land is loamy or clayy, add more peat and sand, if sandy and loamy sand - humus, and compost (without adding sand). Peat is necessary not only as a nutrient medium, but also as a base that perfectly retains moisture, creating ideal conditions for growth and development of eggplant. It is appropriate to add rotted sawdust to reduce the density of heavy soil.
If the ridge is preparing in the fall, you can put fresh manure in it, by the time of landing, he will cross over enough. Adding manure to the soil in the spring is undesirable, as it will give plants more green mass than fruits. Before planting, humus is applied to the entire ridge or only to the holes for each plant, at the rate of half a bucket per 1 sq. M. land.
Mineral fertilizers are also brought into the earth shortly before planting: on a plot of 1 sq. Km. meter will need 1 tbsp. superphosphate, 1 tbsp. potassium sulfate, 1 tsp carbamide (urea) and 200 gr. wood ash. Reduce excess soil acidity dolomite flour (2 tbsp. l per 1sq.m.); in addition to calcium, it contains magnesium - A necessary element for the proper growth of eggplant.
Subsequent feeding will take place in three stages: two to three weeks after transplanting seedlings to a permanent place, after the same period of time from the first feeding and first fruiting. In each case, fertilizers will be applied in the form of two solutions: potassium phosphate and nitrogen. Both solutions should not be applied to the soil at the same time, since an undesirable chemical reaction may begin.
Potassium phosphate fertilizer It is prepared from a solution of wood ash (200 gr. (glass) per 10 liters of water) or from 70-80 gr. superphosphate and 25-30 gr. potassium salt per 10 liters. water. Nitrogen fertilizer is a solution of mullein (1 liter of concentrate per 10 liters of water) or bird droppings (1 liter per 20 liters of water). It is possible to use a solution of 30 gr. urea in 10 liters. water. The fertilizer prepared in the given proportions is enough for 5 sq.m. plantings. Each top dressing should be accompanied by watering and surface loosening.
Sow seeds for seedlings in late winter - early spring, but no later than March 15. If the deadlines were missed, then it is better to purchase seedlings already prepared from summer residents in the market, because due to the late planting, the entire laborious process of eggplant breeding can be wasted. First of all, you should germinate the seeds to determine their germination. To do this, we will stop planting material in water or a solution of a growth stimulator, daily change water and maintain humidity and temperature +20 - + 24ºС.
After 4 days, spread the seeds on a wet burlap and periodically moisten from a spray bottle. After the emergence of fragile sprouts, gently close up the hatching seeds to the ground, to the holes 0.5-1 cm deep. We put each seed in a separate peat pot - eggplants do not tolerate transplants. Even a transplantation operation that is close to a surgical operation and leaves a lump of earth at the roots can delay plant growth by 2–3 weeks.
The temperature of the soil in peat cups should not be lower than +20 ºС, otherwise the plants will develop poorly or even rot. Before seedlings appear, it is advisable to cover the cups with a film or glass, after that - remove the shelter and transfer the seedlings for a few days to a cooler place (up to +18). This procedure stops the growth of the terrestrial part of the plant and allows the roots to strengthen.
In the first month of seedlings required short daylight hours - 10-12 hours. At this time, it is necessary to shade plants or create artificial lighting. The daylight hours for eggplant should be gradually increased after three weeks. Compliance with this procedure will allow plants to enter the budding phase earlier by 20-25 days.
Eggplant seedlings are planted to a permanent place at the age of 60-65 days in the conditions of an early warm spring, in the south of Russia. Later planted seedlings aged 80-90 days in the middle lane of our country, usually after June 10th.
Planting eggplant
Planting seedlings on ridges is necessary only after the threat of frost has passed and the soil warms up to +15 at a depth of 20 cm. In a greenhouse or greenhouse, the soil temperature will reach the desired mark much earlier, and planting can be started already at the end of May.
In order not to disturb the root system, eggplant is planted in the ground along with peat pots. Such “packing” in the soil swells and does not interfere with the further development of the underground part of the plant. Close pots with seedlings should be at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other and 50-60 cm in the aisle. Plants are placed in pre-prepared wells spilled plentifully with warm water, covered with loose soil, mulched with peat and watered again.
If the air temperature is very high after planting, you should nestle plants until they get stronger and grow in a new place.
Basic Eggplant Care
Watering during the cultivation of eggplant should be carried out regularly, as the soil dries. This requires only warm water, since at low temperatures the growth and development of the plant is delayed and diseases of the root system develop. Irrigation is carried out "under the root", without touching the green mass. Then you should ventilate the greenhouse and loosen the upper basal layer of the earth.
Eggplants need regular watering more than peppers. With a lack of water, the plant discards the ovaries and brings small fruits. Before fruiting, watering is carried out approximately once a week, in the future - twice as often.
Molding when growing eggplant, it is carried out in order to remove excess shoots and is a prerequisite for obtaining a high yield. After the appearance of the first lateral shoots, 2-3 of the strongest are left on the bush, the rest are carefully cut. On the main stem to the first fork, all leaves and shoots should be removed, only those shoots on which the fruits have not formed are removed above the fork. You should remove those stems and leaves that turn yellow or weakened.
At the end of the season, pinch the tops of the stems, leaving up to eight ovaries, which will have time to ripen before the onset of frost. Flowers that later appear are also removed - they will not have time to bear fruit and will delay the development of those that have not yet reached technical ripeness.
If, during molding, a weak growth of shoots is noticeable, the plant should be fed with nitrogen fertilizers. If, on the contrary, green mass has grown to the detriment of fruiting, potash fertilizers should be applied to the soil.
Eggplant Garter usually carried out in greenhouse conditions, when fragile stems are stretched even before the fruiting begins.
Harvest begins when the first fruits reach the required size and ends before the onset of frost. Removing ripe eggplant from the bush is done by carefully cutting so as not to damage the stems and leaves. Harvested fruits are stored in a cool, dry place for about a month.
Eggplant diseases and pests
Often during eggplant cultivation, it is not possible to get a high yield due to the susceptibility of plants to diseases. Most often, improper care or landing contributes to this. If eggplants follow solanaceous plants or are planted in one place for many years, the risk of contracting late blight or tobacco mosaic increases several times. In order to prevent the disease, special preparations “Zircon” or “Fitosporin” should be used, which will help maintain a high “plant immunity”.
Late blight appears on the leaves, and later on the inflorescences, in brown and black spots. The lower part of the leaves is covered with white coating. The treatment of plants with fungicides with an interval of 12-14 days gives a good result in the fight against this disease.
late blight on eggplant
Gray rot - a fungal disease - manifests itself in the form of a white fluffy coating, which leads to the drying of the damaged part. Like other fungal diseases, it develops in conditions of excessive humidity and sharp fluctuations in temperature. Fungicides also help in the treatment, the spraying scheme of which should end at least 10 days before the harvest.
gray rot
Tobacco mosaic is a viral disease that spreads with insects, weeds and plant debris. You can determine the disease by examining the leaves: the infected ones will have spots along the veins.
tobacco mosaic
The black leg is a fungal disease that affects the root neck of the plant. The first signs of the disease appear after emergence. Affected eggplants should be removed immediately, and the soil should be replaced or treated with bleach solution.
Black spotting is a bacterial disease, manifested by the appearance on the leaves and fruits of black spots with a yellow border: small on the stems (up to 3 mm.) And significant on the fruits (up to 10 cm). Prevention of the disease consists not only in the organization of proper care for plants, but also in the treatment of seeds before sowing.
If the eggplant is watered with cold water, develops in a damp, cool climate, or watered excessively, then the plants can get sick not only with all of the listed diseases, but also root rot. For prevention, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime, reduce watering and properly organize ventilation.
Pests that can affect eggplant: Colorado potato beetle, spider mite, whitefly and aphid.
whitefly
To combat them, it is not recommended to use chemicals, since they negatively affect the benefits of the fruits. The Colorado potato beetle and its caterpillars should be assembled manually or put “barriers” for them. Caps from a mosquito net or a network stretched over a ridge will save bushes and crops only if the beetles do not find a single slit.
Non-toxic glue traps will help in the fight against harmful midges, their bright yellow color attracts whiteflies and aphids, and insect-coated plates are easily disposed of.
To combat aphids, it is also recommended to use a solution of wood ash and soap. Compliance with all these recommendations will help to grow a good and healthy eggplant crop in the garden.
