Content
Eggplant is a wonderful vegetable, delicious, healthy and amazingly beautiful. The variety of taste, shape, color and aroma is striking in its diversity. But many summer residents refuse to grow eggplants themselves, preferring to buy them on the market. This is explained by some "difficulties" in growing a crop. In fact, the cultivation of "blue" has its own rules. If you adhere to the recommendations, then gratitude for the eggplant will justify all the efforts.
Experienced gardeners believe that only the seedling method of growing eggplants provides a decent harvest. Many buy ready-made seedlings, but the bulk of vegetable lovers grow their own.
After all, it is not always possible to find the variety that attracted your attention. Therefore, we will consider the main nuances of technology growing eggplant seedlings.
Stage one - choose eggplant seeds for seedlings
Seed selection is not only fun but also very important for eggplant lovers. It is necessary to determine which type of eggplant you prefer - varietal or hybrid. If you are not going to harvest seeds for the next year from your garden, then hybrids are fine. And when you want to keep the vegetable you like from the garden, it is better to buy an ordinary varietal type of eggplant for seedlings.
Hybrid seeds are of higher quality, but do not have the ability to maintain their parameters for the next planting year. But ordinary seeds will pass on all the signs to the offspring. The choice is yours.
The abundance of varieties pleases, but you should adhere to the basic rules for choosing seed. Pay attention to the following parameters:
- Yield... High-yielding species are usually more demanding in terms of growing conditions. Therefore, clearly find out what conditions are needed for the variety and its seedlings. If you can always provide watering, mulching or nutrition, then you will not be able to radically change the composition of the soil. A low-yielding variety is less demanding, it is easier to care for, and in the end it may be more productive than a high-yielding fellow.
- Endurance... This parameter means the plant's resistance to climatic extremes, diseases, pests and violations of agricultural technology requirements. We will have to take this into account also because in recent years, abnormal weather events and climate changes in the regions have become more frequent. Choose resistant varieties with fewer health benefits. They will be more fit.
- Keeping quality... Also not the last criterion for eggplants grown through seedlings. Some species are able to survive for a long time without losing their nutritional qualities.
Another important criterion that must be taken into account when choosing a variety of eggplant for seedlings is compliance with the cultivation zone or zoning. Such eggplant seeds, planted for seedlings, will give a guaranteed yield.
In conclusion, carefully read the description of the variety, the name of the manufacturer, well read the reviews of summer residents.
Stage two - we determine the sowing date
The question "When to plant eggplants for seedlings? ", not idle at all. Many indicators depend on the chosen time, including the eggplant yield.Summer residents use simple calculations and recommendations of the lunar sowing calendar. The countdown is made from the date of planting of seedlings for permanent residence.
We are counting on when to plant eggplants in 2021 for seedlings. The lunar calendar allows you to find out when planting eggplants for seedlings will be the most successful.
Eggplants are heat-loving vegetables, the cold is unpleasant for them. Therefore, we will take May 10, 2021 as the calculation date. We continue to count. Seedlings are planted at the age of 65-70 days. We subtract this number from the date May 10, we get the beginning of March (from 1 to 6). It is also necessary to subtract the period for which the first shoots appear (from 5 to 10) and we get February days from 19 to 24.
If in the region where you live, the threat of frost passes later, then the calculation is made taking into account this indicator. Choose the desired disembarkation date and count back all the dates listed.
Getting started sowing seeds
First of all, we will prepare the container and soil mixture so that the seeds have where to plant.
The soil requirements for eggplant seedlings are:
- fertility;
- ease;
- looseness;
- acid neutrality.
To provide the soil with all these parameters, we prepare the mixture in percentage composition:
- peat - 60;
- sod land - 10;
- humus - 20;
- sawdust or sand - 5;
- biohumus - 5.
Another suitable option for summer residents with black soil on the site is equal parts of land from the garden, purchased soil for seedlings, sand. By adding vermiculite, you will get a great result.
The next step will be the preparation of the landing tanks. There is no limit to the imagination of gardeners. In addition to ordinary cups and pots, peat tablets, cassettes, laminate backing, and toilet paper are used. Each method is good in its own way, but everyone has disadvantages.
Cooking seeds eggplant for sowing... If you have processed seed, there is no need for preparation. Ordinary seeds need to be processed on their own:
- soak in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes;
- rinse with water;
- place in a nutrient solution for a day (for 1 liter of water, 1 spoon of wood ash and mineral fertilizer);
- transfer the eggplant seeds for germination.
They improve the germination and frost resistance of seeds for seedlings by hardening. To do this, the seed material is moved several times after the nutrient mixture into the refrigerator and back into the room. During this time, the seeds should be moderately moist and then immediately planted in the soil mixture.
We place one seed in each container filled with moistened soil. There are recommendations to moisten the soil mixture for eggplant seedlings with thawed snow.
The results meet the expectations of gardeners.
Raising healthy seedlings
Seedling care is not difficult, but it requires the completion of all points. The most important ones are:
Temperature regime
After the seeds fall into the ground, the container must be covered with polyethylene. But as soon as sprouts appear, it is important to lower the air temperature so that the root system of eggplant seedlings develops well.
It is optimal to keep + 17 ° in the daytime and + 14 ° at night. After the appearance of the first leaves, the temperature is increased. The daytime indicator is + 25 °, we leave the same at night. This is necessary to prepare seedlings for open field conditions.
Lighting
Seedlings need light, although eggplant is considered a short day plant. Providing artificial light for 12 hours should be sufficient for the first three weeks. Then they make additional lighting so that the sprouts do not stretch out and the eggplant budding phase begins earlier.
Watering
Water for irrigation is taken with the room temperature. Better to use a humidifier spray. This will prevent the eggplant seeds from washing out and damage the roots of the seedlings.Drying out of the soil is extremely undesirable for eggplant seedlings, so watch out for its moisture. Water is used rain or settled during the day.
Feeding
Not all summer residents feed eggplant seedlings. But if the need arose, then the meal schedule will be as follows:
- First. Without diving seedlings a week after the emergence of sprouts. With a pick 12 days after planting. Use formulations with a high percentage of phosphorus (Yellow Crystal) in a ratio of 1 tbsp. a spoonful of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.
- Subsequent. It is done at intervals of a week to stimulate the vegetation (Special Crystal).
Seedling picking
Moving on to a process that seems daunting for beginners. Eggplant seedlings do not like transplants... These are delicate plants that can hardly tolerate stress and damage to the root system. Therefore, at this stage, care and care is required. We carry out a number of actions:
- water the seedlings 3 hours before the pick;
- we fill a container of a larger size with nutritious soil mixture;
- we moisten the soil;
- we place the seedlings in the recesses, immersing them to the first leaves.
Caring for dived eggplant seedlings will consist of:
- combination of dressings with watering;
- monthly adding wood ash;
- watering at a certain time - in the morning;
- hardening of seedlings.
Before planting, eggplant seedlings should have up to 12 true leaves, be healthy and strong, up to 25 cm high.
We plant seedlings for permanent residence
In our case, it can be a greenhouse or a vegetable garden. For one square meter of a greenhouse landing site, a mixture of magnesium sulfate (15 g), humus (4 kg), potassium sulfate and ammonium nitrate (30 g each), superphosphate (60 g) is prepared. The components are mixed and the mixture is applied to the soil. Before planting, holes are prepared and eggplant seedlings with a lump of earth are transplanted into them. The planting depth of the seedling is 8 cm. If the lump crumbles, then it is strengthened with a talker made of mullein and clay. The distance between the eggplants is 50 cm, the row spacing is maintained up to 1 m.
Planting density - three eggplants per 1 sq. m area. The soil is sprayed, a shade is created for the seedlings. This must be maintained until the eggplant seedlings get used to the sunlight.
In the open ground, planting is carried out in the evening, then the sprouts are covered with film or paper caps.
Caring for the planted eggplant seedlings is timely:
- dressing;
- watering;
- hilling.
Some gardeners in greenhouses form eggplant bushes.
Extraordinary ways of growing eggplant seedlings
Recently, gardeners have been using new methods of growing vegetable seedlings. A new technology has gained popularity when eggplants for seedlings are sown in a snail.
In this method, the seeds are placed on a strip of laminate support. The optimal size of the strip is 10 cm x 1.5 m. The strip is laid out, soil is poured and seeds are placed at a distance of 2 cm.
The strip is twisted, fastened with an elastic band and placed in a plastic container. Water and cover immediately to maintain optimum humidity. A video with detailed explanations will help you get acquainted with the technology:
Growing eggplant seedlings is within the power of every gardener. To make the whole process go without mistakes, try to think over your actions in advance. Write it down if necessary. This will make it easier and faster to grow eggplant seedlings.
Video for sowing seeds for seedlings:
