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Thanks to the variety of eggplant varieties, it is already easy to find a plant that will grow well in a particular region. Therefore, more and more summer residents began to plant eggplants in the plots.
Description of the hybrid
Eggplant variety Marzipan belongs to mid-season hybrids. The period from germination of seeds to the formation of ripe fruits is 120-127 days. Since this is a rather thermophilic culture, Marzipan eggplant is planted mainly in the southern regions of Russia. The stem of the eggplant grows to a height of about 1 m and is resistant. However, eggplant of the Marzipan F1 variety must be tied up, since the bush can quickly break under the weight of the fruit. Flowers can be collected in inflorescences or are single.
The fleshy fruits ripen with a weight of about 600 g. The size of an average eggplant is 15 cm long and 8 cm wide. The flesh of the fruits is pale cream in color, with a small number of seeds. 2-3 eggplants grow on one bush.
Advantages of Marzipan F1 eggplant:
- resistance to adverse weather;
- neat fruit shape and pleasant taste;
- 1.5-2 kg of fruits are collected from the bush.
Growing seedlings
It is recommended to sow seeds in the second half of March, they are pre-prepared before sowing. The grains are first heated for about four hours at a temperature of + 24-26-2C, and then kept for 40 minutes at + 40˚C. For disinfection, the seeds are soaked for 20 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate.
Then the seeds are spread in a wet cloth and left in a warm place.
Planting stages
For growing seedlings, you can prepare the soil yourself: mix 2 parts of humus and one part of sod land. To disinfect the mixture, it is calcined in the oven.
- You can sow seeds in pots, cups, special containers. The containers are filled with soil by 2/3, moistened. In the center of the cup, a depression is made in the ground, germinated seeds are planted and covered with a thin layer of soil. The cups are covered with foil.
- When planting seeds of the Marzipan F1 variety in a large box, shallow grooves should be made on the surface of the soil (at a distance of 5-6 cm from each other). The container is covered with glass or foil and placed in a warm place (approximately + 25-28 ° C).
- As soon as the first shoots appear (after about a week), remove the cover from the containers. Seedlings are placed in a bright place.
- To prevent stretching of the seedlings, the temperature is lowered to + 19-20˚ С. Watering the seedlings is carried out carefully so that the soil is not washed out.
Dive eggplant
When two real leaves appear on the sprouts, you can plant the seedlings in more spacious containers (about 10x10 cm in size). The containers are specially prepared: several holes are made in the bottom and a thin layer of drainage is filled in (expanded clay, broken brick, pebbles). The soil is used the same as for seeds.
A couple of hours before transplanting, the seedlings are watered with water. Take out the Marzipan eggplant carefully so as not to damage the root system. In a new container, the seedlings are sprinkled with moistened soil to the level of the cotyledon leaves.
During this period, the plant must be protected from direct sunlight.
You can water Marzipan F1 eggplants 5-6 days after picking. Approximately 30 days before transplanting plants to the site, the seedlings begin to harden. For this, containers with plants are taken out into fresh air. A hardening procedure is carried out by gradually increasing the residence time of the sprouts in the open air.
Top dressing and watering seedlings
Special attention should be paid to feeding seedlings. The best option is double fertilization:
- as soon as the first leaves grow on the sprouts, a mixture of fertilizers is applied. A teaspoon of ammonium nitrate is dissolved in 10 liters of water, 3 tbsp. l superphosphate and 2 tsp potassium sulfate;
- a week and a half before transplanting seedlings to the site, the following solution is introduced into the soil: 60-70 g of superphosphate and 20-25 g of potassium salt are diluted in 10 liters.
On the site, eggplant varieties Marzipan F1 needs fertilizers (during flowering and during fruiting):
- when flowering, add a solution of a teaspoon of urea, a teaspoon of potassium sulfate and 2 tbsp. l superphosphate (the mixture is dissolved in 10 l of water);
- during fruiting, use a solution of 2 tsp of superphosphate and 2 tsp of potassium salt in 10 l of water.
When watering, it is important to be careful so that the soil is not washed out and the root system of the bushes is not exposed. Therefore, drip irrigation systems are the best option. Eggplant varieties Marzipan F1 are sensitive to water temperature. Cool or hot water is not suitable for a vegetable, the optimum temperature is + 25-28˚ С.
In this case, one should not go deep so as not to damage the roots of the bushes.
The frequency of watering depends on the climatic conditions. Before flowering, it is enough to water the Marzipan F1 eggplant once a week (about 10-12 liters of water per square meter of land). In hot weather, the frequency of watering is increased (up to 3-4 times a week), since drought can cause foliage and flowers to fall. During the flowering period, the bushes are watered twice a week. In August, the frequency of watering is reduced, but at the same time they are guided by the condition of the plants.
Eggplant care
Seedlings with 8-12 leaves can already be planted on the site. Since eggplants are a thermophilic culture, sprouts of Marzipan F1 can be transplanted into the greenhouse after May 14-15, and into open ground - at the beginning of June, when the probability of frost is excluded and the soil is well warmed up.
According to gardeners, the first garter of the stems is done as soon as the bush grows to 30 cm. In this case, it is impossible to tightly tie the stem to the support, it is better to leave a stock. When powerful lateral shoots are formed, they must also be tied to a support (this is done about twice a month). 2-3 of the strongest shoots are left on the bush, and the rest are cut off. At the same time, on the main stem of the eggplant variety Marzipan F1, it is necessary to pluck all the leaves growing below this fork. Above the fork, shoots that do not produce fruits should be eliminated.
The foliage is also removed to provide better illumination of the flowers and to reduce the likelihood of gray mold damage to the eggplant. Secondary shoots are necessarily removed.
During the entire period of growth and development of the bushes, it is important to remove dried and damaged leaves. At the end of the season, it is advisable to pinch the tops of the stems and leave 5-7 small ovaries, which will have time to ripen before frost. Also during this period, flowers are cut off. If you adhere to these rules, then you can harvest a magnificent harvest in autumn.
Features of growing eggplant
Most often, a poor harvest is caused by improper care of the Marzipan bushes. The most common mistakes are:
- with a lack of sunny color or abundantly overgrown green mass, the fruits do not gain a beautiful rich purple color and remain light or brown. To fix this, some of the leaves on the tops of the bushes are removed;
- uneven watering of Marzipan F1 eggplants in hot weather leads to the formation of cracks in the fruits;
- if cold water is used for watering, the plant can shed flowers and ovaries;
- the folding of eggplant leaves into a tube and the formation of a brown border along their edges means a lack of potassium;
- with a lack of phosphorus, the leaves grow at an acute angle in relation to the stem;
- if the culture is deficient in nitrogen, then the green mass acquires a light shade.
Proper care of the eggplant Marzipan F1 promotes the full development of the plant and ensures a bountiful harvest throughout the season.
