Content
Eggplants in domestic gardens are not so common: this culture is very thermophilic and has a long growing season. Not all regions of Russia can boast of a climate suitable for growing eggplant, because this vegetable from the nightshade family needs a long and warm summer. The way out of the situation was greenhouses, hotbeds, selection of early ripening varieties of blue and, of course, intensive feeding of plants - all this contributes to the early ripening of fruits, an increase in yield.
You can learn how to feed eggplants in the open field, what fertilizers to use for this, from this article.
What do the blue ones feed
Fertilizers for eggplants should be complex, this culture loves a combination of mineral dressings with organic... Fertilize the blue ones often and abundantly; on scanty soils, fertilizing is applied almost every week.
The most important trace elements for eggplant, as well as for other vegetables from the Solanaceae genus, are the following substances:
- Nitrogen, which is necessary for building up green mass, rapid growth of eggplant, ripening of fruits;
- Phosphorus the blue one is needed for better adaptation, because it promotes the development of the root system, improves the suction capacity of the roots, and also stimulates the formation of ovaries and the maturation of the blue ones;
- Potassium increases the immunity of plants, thanks to it, eggplants can better tolerate temperature fluctuations, they staunchly resist diseases and viruses, it is also needed for the growth and development of bushes;
- Boron, manganese and iron are necessary for the blue ones for the appearance of new inflorescences, the formation of ovaries, and the improvement of the taste and appearance of the fruit.
It is necessary to replenish the deficiency of these microelements regularly by feeding the eggplants with purchased mineral supplements or organic compounds.... But in order to correctly draw up a scheme for feeding eggplant, you need to know which fertilizers contain the substances necessary at this stage of development.
So, you can find trace elements in such mineral supplements:
- Superphosphate is able to simultaneously compensate for the deficiency of three components: phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.
- Nitrophoska or nitroammophoska have practically the same composition as superphosphate, only the dosage of certain components (potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus) may differ.
- Ammonium sulfate consists of nitrogen and sulfur. This fertilizer should not be used by those whose site is located on soils with high acidity, since sulfur further acidifies the soil.
- Potash saltpeter consists of potassium and nitrogen.
It is quite possible to replace chemical fertilizers with organic matter, but it is much more difficult to calculate the dose of substances necessary for eggplants, but organic fertilizers are better absorbed by plants and are safer for humans.
Feeding eggplants can be carried out with the following organic compounds:
- cow dung;
- bird droppings;
- humus;
- compost.
It is categorically impossible to use fresh manure or chicken droppings, since the nitrogen content in such fertilizers is extremely high - eggplants will grow strongly, instead of forming ovaries and fruits, plants will begin to increase the green mass.
In order not to burn the roots of the eggplant, organic fertilizers are pre-infused and diluted with water. They are brought in together with watering or immediately after irrigating the blue ones.
Eggplant feeding methods
As a rule, the blue ones are fertilized only with root dressings, that is, they introduce the necessary components directly into the soil. This method contributes to the rapid absorption of trace elements by the root system of the eggplant, while there is no danger of burning leaves or fruits with concentrated fertilizers.
It is necessary to prepare top dressing, strictly following the instructions. It is recommended to dilute trace elements with water at room temperature - about 22-24 degrees. If fertilizer gets on the stems or leaves of the eggplant, rinse it off as soon as possible with clean water.
Foliar dressing for eggplant is rarely used, in general, the plants have enough conventional fertilizers applied to the soil. But on scanty soils, additional plant fertilization may be needed; it is performed by spraying a nutrient solution on blue bushes.
It is necessary to prepare a solution for foliar dressing correctly: the amount of water should be several times more than when preparing a concentrate for root fertilization. Each plant needs about a liter of diluted fertilizer.
With insufficient flowering and poor formation of ovaries, you can irrigate the eggplant bushes with a solution of boric acid, dissolving 1 gram of the substance in a liter of water. The blue ones are processed twice with an interval of 10 days.
With a weak build-up of green mass, eggplant bushes can be treated with a urea solution, if there are too many greens, the blue ones are irrigated with a preparation containing potassium.
It is important to understand that all foliar feeding of the blue ones must be performed with solutions with a much lower concentration than the root ones. Otherwise, you can simply burn the plants.
Eggplant feeding scheme
Over the entire growing season, the blue ones will have to be fertilized at least four times. AND, if the land on the site is depleted, then the amount of fertilizing increases - you need to fertilize eggplants every 10-14 days.
Feeding blue seedlings
While the plants are in the seedling state, they need to be fed at least twice:
- For the first time, fertilizers are applied under the blue ones when the first pair of true leaves forms on the seedlings. As a rule, this period falls on the stage of diving blue ones. This means that plants are in dire need of nitrogen and potassium, those trace elements that contribute to the growth of seedlings and their better acclimatization in a new environment. Even when the seedlings are grown in individual containers, and there is no diving stage, eggplants with two leaves must be fed with the same compositions.
- The second time "support" little blue is needed 10-12 days before the intended transplant in open ground or in a greenhouse. In addition to nitrogen and potassium, phosphorus must now also be present in the fertilizer. Phosphorus contributes to the development of the root system, which is very important at the stage of planting seedlings, because thermophilic blue ones often stop growth after transplanting into the ground due to damage to the roots. Thanks to timely fertilization, the eggplants will be ready for planting - their roots will become strong and healthy.
Top dressing eggplant after planting in the ground
After the seedlings have been brought into the ground, the eggplants are fed at least three to four more times.
The scheme of these dressings looks like this:
- The first time the plants are fertilized no earlier than two weeks after planting in the ground. Only after 10-14 days will the roots of the plant grow strong enough to take in nutrients. At this stage, eggplants need nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, that is, superphosphate can be used again.
- When the first flowers begin to appear, the bushes need to be fed a second time.At this stage, the plants still need nitrogen, but they will need twice as much potassium and phosphorus as in the previous feeding. As a fertilizer, you can use humate or tuk containing only one mineral component.
- The third feeding is needed for eggplants at the stage of formation of ovaries and fruits. They now only need phosphorus and potassium. Additionally, you can treat the bushes with ash or use other folk remedies, such as herbal infusion or yeast.
- The last time the blue ones are fertilized at the stage of mass ripening of fruits, this dressing is aimed at prolonging fruiting. You need to use the same potassium and phosphorus.
Outcomes
Fertilizing eggplant practically does not differ from feeding tomatoes, these related crops are supported with the same microelements, the use of organic matter is also permissible (while bell peppers, for example, do not tolerate manure).
In order for the plants to be healthy and the harvest large, you should choose sunny areas with nutritious and breathable soils for eggplants, do not plant this crop after potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, protect from diseases and feed them on time.
