Eggplant Cheat Sheet

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Time flies quickly, and before we have time to look back, it’s time to plant grown and strengthened seedlings in greenhouses and in beds in the open ground. A lot of questions arise when growing eggplants. Consider what subtleties exist in this delicate matter

About growing eggplant seedlings

Eggplants are capricious in the sense that they do not tolerate transplanting well - both when picking or transferring seedlings, and when moving to the mainland. And if picking can be avoided when growing seedlings, then in the process of moving to the beds you need to be very careful and injure the roots as little as possible. You also need to try to make the holes so deep that the crustal system can easily fit horizontally in them. It is convenient to use pegs for this. And, of course, the least difficulties will arise when transporting seedlings into open ground for those gardeners who previously sowed their eggplant seeds in "snails" - a non-woven material rolled in a roll, this technique is also called Moscow - or grew seedlings in "diapers".

Eggplants love to "eat". If you are against the use of chemicals and adhere to the principles of organic farming, you can use extracts of chicken manure, onion husks, and sugar-yeast infusion for feeding eggplant seedlings. Herbal infusion works very well - such fertilizer is absolutely free, but it has a very good effect on seedlings. In addition, before planting on the beds, the plants should be hardened.

Place for planting seedlings in the ground

Eggplant seedlings are planted in the ground at the age of about 60 days. Planting times can fluctuate depending on whether you prefer to grow your vegetables in a greenhouse or outdoors. In the latter case, they are produced much later.

Many gardeners, even in regions with a long summer, do not dare to plant eggplants in the open air. And in vain, since this culture is a big lover of fresh air and sunlight. But when planting seedlings in the open air, you need to make sure that it is protected from the wind. Therefore, the landing site is chosen next to the walls of the capital buildings on the leeward side. Or they arrange a platform, fenced on all sides with a dense fence of wooden boards, on which you can additionally throw a film. This will protect from the wind and help create a special microclimate. At the same time, you need to have arcs ready in case of a sharp deterioration in the weather. They are useful both for protection from the cold and for shading plantings on very hot days.

Transplanting and caring for eggplants in the ground

Experienced gardeners recommend planting seedlings in pre-moistened soil. Therefore, the beds are watered the day before the planned date of "relocation" of eggplants from cups and diapers into the ground. And by this time, the seedlings should already have 6-7 leaves.

The optimal placement of the holes for planting is staggered. It is not necessary to thicken the plantings, otherwise they will not have enough light. In a row, the distance between plants is measured by approximately 50 cm. It is convenient to do this using a rail of the required length. If the planting is carried out in greenhouses, then about 30 cm recede from the wall.

Watering is done at the root. You cannot take cold water for this, the temperature must be at least +25 degrees C. Each bush needs about 2 liters of water. This procedure is carried out early in the morning or in the evening. Eggplants love water, but do not tolerate high humidity. Therefore, if they are grown in greenhouses, one should not forget about airing the room.

Watering is combined with top dressing and soil loosening. Fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, superphosphate are suitable for eggplants. You can also use a yeast tincture.