Growing Eggplant Outdoors

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

Eggplants are very heat-demanding plants, and in conditions of a long winter period and a short summer, they have to be grown through seedlings. The time is approaching for transplanting the plants sown for seedlings into the beds. What kind of care will they require outdoors?

Conditions for growing eggplant in the beds

Eggplant seedlings are moved outdoors at approximately 60-70 days of age. It is always necessary to make allowances for weather conditions so as not to ruin good healthy seedlings by planting in beds. This is a very thermophilic culture, and when the planting time is already approaching, and the outdoor temperature leaves much to be desired, it is important to know what measures need to be taken so that this does not negatively affect the eggplants.

When planting eggplants in cold spring conditions and changeable weather, you should always keep a film cover close at hand. At the same time, plants need sunshine, especially during the period when flowers appear. With a lack of light, the buds, like the ovaries, can crumble. Therefore, you can use such a trick as planting seedlings under arcs and use shelter only as a last resort. Another way to deal with the vagaries of the weather is to plant plants in a warm garden bed. Such conditions are very popular with eggplants.

When planting seedlings in open ground, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the plant variety. If these are rather tall eggplants, they should be placed further away from each other so that they do not overshadow the neighbors. On average, the density of plants is 5-6 pcs. per 1 sq. the area of the beds.

By the way, too much light is also not suitable for plants. The fact is that eggplants are plants with short daylight hours. If in your area the length of the day is more than 10-12 hours, it is worth considering how to arrange artificial darkening for your plantings.

Rules and technique for pinching eggplants

The eggplant plant should be shaped. They begin to pick up a little later than, for example, it is done with tomatoes. Also, in this matter, you need to proceed from the characteristics of the climate in your region. If eggplants are grown in southern regions, in conditions of a long warm summer, pinching is done in moderation or even do without it. In wet summers, in conditions of frequent rains and a short warm season, pinching is carried out more diligently.

First, the lowest, basal stepchildren are removed. They also get rid of the weak ones that appeared in the axils of the first leaves. If they already have flowers, you need to look at the planting density, the humidity of the microclimate around the plants. And when these stepsons interfere, then you shouldn't feel sorry for them either. But when there is enough heat and light, then you can leave it. On average, it is not recommended to leave more than two stepsons before the fork.

In the process of pinching, attention is also paid to the condition of the leaves. When they turn yellow, wither under conditions of strong thickening, then it is also better to cut them off immediately. At the same time, it is not worth getting carried away with thinning the bush and removing all unnecessary immediately, this has a bad effect on the state of the plant. It is better to carry out such work with breaks of several days. Another trick is to water the day before your scheduled pinching. This will make the stems more elastic and you will avoid such a nuisance as accidentally breaking out the necessary parts.

What to do with the first flower that bifurcates the eggplant? As a rule, it is removed to allow the eggplant to branch better. However, there may be special cases when this bud does not inhibit the development of the plant. Experienced gardeners advise in this case to proceed from the fact whether there are flowers and ovaries on the shoots from the branching. When the eggplant develops poorly, it is better to pinch off the flower at the first fork. Then the top will soon be decorated with new fruits. When development proceeds normally, the flower is left.

You also need to look in which direction the flowers and stepsons are directed. If they are looking in the middle of a bush or in the center of a thickened garden, it is better to get rid of them. When sunlight hits the flower, it will be wiser to leave this copy.