Eggplant seedlings - planting and growing at home

In today's episode:

Hello, friends. On the agenda today is eggplant seedlings and their cultivation at home. The matter is important, necessary and pleasant.

Today we will touch on such topics as the time of planting seedlings, popular methods of planting seeds, as well as caring for seedlings before planting them in the ground. We will also recommend eggplant varieties.

From a seed to a seedling ready for planting, we will walk this path with you in order to get beautiful, healthy plants and so that the harvest in the coming season will please us.

When to plant eggplant seedlings

Eggplant is a plant that requires a lot of time to grow, develop and bear fruit.

This should be taken into account when planting this wonderful vegetable for seedlings.

In Siberia and central Russia, you can start planting mid-ripening varieties at the beginning of February, and late-ripening varieties even at the end of January.

However, before you do this, make sure that you can provide your seedlings with good lighting (up to 16 hours a day).

Since the days are still too short at this time of year, there will not be enough light from the window for seedlings.

The seedlings will experience a lack of lighting, stretch out, and have weak immunity. In this case, you don’t have to think about a good harvest.

Use fluorescent lamps or special lamps for plants for additional illumination.

If you do not have lighting, we advise you to opt for early-ripening varieties and plant them for seedlings in early to mid-March, when daylight hours naturally lengthen.

Early varieties of eggplants: Alekseevsky, Behemoth F1, Bibo F1, Valentina F1, King of the North, Kasatka, Quartet, Maksik F1, Gardener's Dream, Lilac Fog, Solaris, Purple Miracle F1, Black Beauty, Nutcracker F1.

Of the mid-season varieties, the most widely recognized are: Almaz, Lebediny, Matrosik, and Striped Reis.

Seeds

It is assumed that the eggplant variety has already been selected and the seeds have been purchased.
But if this is a new, unusual matter for you, first repeat the 7 most important rules for choosing seeds, remember what types of seeds there are, what are the advantages of each of them. Eggplant seeds. Photo from the website yagodka.club For those who have little personal experience yet, it will be useful to learn how to avoid mistakes when choosing seed, which seed producers are trusted by experienced gardeners, what to choose - a variety or a hybrid - this is very important!

You will find a large assortment of eggplant seeds in our catalog, which combines offers from various gardening online stores. Select eggplant seeds.

Eggplant Bourgeois ® F1, 0.2 g Professional series 32 RUR

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Eggplant Mowgli, 0.3 g 32 rub.

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Eggplant Hooligan F1, 10 pcs. 100 rub

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Ultra early eggplant F1, 10 pcs. 63 RUR

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Sowing eggplants - seedlings in the traditional way

Let's look at the simplest "grandmother's" method of sowing eggplant seeds for seedlings.

It is very simple and always guarantees good results, time-tested.

Make furrows 0.5-1 cm deep in the soil.

Spread the seeds along the entire furrow. The distance between seeds should not be less than 1 cm. More is possible.

Cover the furrows with soil and moisten the soil well with a spray bottle. This method of moistening prevents the seeds from washing away and sinking into the ground.

When the ground is sufficiently moistened, cover the container with glass or film. Place in a warm place.

The temperature required for germination is 22-25 degrees.

As soon as the shoots appear, we gradually remove the glass, accustoming the seedlings to fresh air.

Pests and their control

Eggplant seedlings can be susceptible to attack by spider mites and aphids - these are sucking pests that feed on the juice from the cells of the crop.

Spider mites make small holes in the leaves of seedlings and entangle them in a thin web.

Most often they appear due to lack of moisture.

Aphids cannot be seen immediately, despite the fact that they settle on seedlings in entire colonies.

The solution to the problem can be treatment with acaricidal drugs such as Aktara, Karbofos or Actellik.

Read more about this problem in the article: How to get rid of aphids on pepper and eggplant seedlings using chemical, biological and folk remedies

Sowing eggplant seeds - seedlings in a snail

Another popular way to plant eggplants is to save effort and space. This is sowing seeds into a snail.

A snail is a soil twisted into a substrate into which seeds are planted.

Let's look at the process step by step.

First, prepare the base of the snail. This could be a laminate backing or insulation.

Cut it into ribbons, approximately 12-15 cm thick. The length can be arbitrary, the more seeds you need to plant, the longer.

Prepare the soil for seedlings. Pour it over the tape and press it down a little with your palms. The thickness of the earthen layer should be 1.5-2 cm.

Lay the soil in this way and begin to roll it up so that the soil remains inside.

You should end up with a “snail” like this. We have a shortened version for clarity. Your tape can be longer and the snail from it will turn out to be larger in diameter.

Secure the roll with a rubber band. The earth inside needs to be crushed a little, from above, so that the sides are better visible.

This is convenient to do with your finger or pencil. It is advisable to spill the soil inside with Epin solution (3 drops per 0.5 ml).

Wait until the water saturates the ground well. Using the same pencil, make small depressions in the ground (0.5-1 cm deep), at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other.

Place a seed in each hole. Sprinkle soil on top, but do not press down any further.

There is also an option when we do not make indentations on purpose, but simply place the seeds on the surface of the “snail” and press them with a toothpick to the same depth of 1 cm.

Both of these seeding methods work the same, so choose whichever you prefer.

So, place the finished “snail” with seeds in a tray. Until the seedlings hatch, there is no need to water it anymore.

Cover the “snail” with a bag, creating a greenhouse. Place it in a warm place. When the first shoots appear, provide good lighting.

This should be backlit or a bright place on the window, without access to cold air and drafts.

We remove the greenhouse gradually when all the seeds have sprouted and become a little stronger.

This is a way to get a large number of seedlings in a very small area.

What are we sowing and planting in?

I sow in 50 ml plastic cassettes, then transfer them into larger containers.
In general, there are a great variety of containers for seedlings, you can choose them to suit your taste. We fill the cassettes with soil seeding. Photo by the author If you have not yet decided which option is preferable, I recommend this review, which describes the advantages and disadvantages of various types of containers for seedlings, and also provides recommendations for making planting containers with your own hands from scrap materials.

Well, if you prefer to buy ready-made ones, choose containers for seedlings in our catalog, which contains offers from large online stores of seeds and planting material. Select containers for seedlings.

Container (set) with a lid for germination and dressing of seeds d 60 mm (Petri dish), 10 pcs. 363 RUR

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Greenhouse for window sill “Margarita”, 4 shelves, 460x240x1050 mm RUB 2,006

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Greenhouse for window sill “Margarita”, 3 shelves, 460x240x800 mm RUB 1,794

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Electric heater (mat) for seedlings TeploMax, 20 W 626 RUR

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Sow eggplants in boiling water

A fast way to quickly obtain seedlings. Planting in boiling water significantly speeds up seed germination.

You will need a plastic greenhouse, soil for seedlings, eggplant seeds and boiling water (not steep, but a few minutes after boiling).

Place the soil in the greenhouse and level it, maintaining a thickness of 3-4 cm. Sprinkle seeds over the entire surface.

You don’t have to scatter them, but lay them out in even rows. Whatever you prefer.

We water the seeds with boiling water, but not too much. So that the earth is moistened, but a swamp does not form.

In this method, we do not bury the seeds; we leave them on the surface.

Cover the greenhouse with a lid and place it in a warm, bright place.

Shoots will appear in 3-4 days. If the seeds are of high quality and fresh, then the germination rate is 100%.

This is a good way, take note.

Sowing rules

Eggplant seeds are sown in slightly moistened soil. It is good to moisten the ground with melt water: put a layer of snow on top of the soil and let it melt at room temperature. This method is only suitable for ungerminated seeds. If the seeds have already sprouted, they are planted in soil heated to +25°C.

The higher the soil moisture, the greater the likelihood that the seeds will not germinate, they simply do not have enough air.

To avoid thickening of crops in the future, it is better to foresee the distance between seedlings in advance. Optimally, 1-2 seeds are sown on a 6x6 or 8x8 cm square. Depth is 1-2 cm.

The timing of sowing depends on the selected variety and climatic conditions. The optimal age of seedlings is 70-80 days after germination.

If in the future it is planned to grow the little blue ones in a greenhouse, then in central Russia young plants can be transferred to a permanent place at the end of April. Based on this, sowing must be done in early February.
In most regions, seedlings are transferred to open ground after June 10 , when the risk of return frosts has passed. The time for sowing seeds under this regime is the beginning of March.

It is very important to observe the grade when sowing. Different varieties are never sown in one box (cassette), since their germination period can vary significantly. In the future, this will create problems when caring for seedlings and when transferring them to the ground.

Eggplants in peat tablets without picking

Planting in peat tablets is easy and convenient. This method also does not require picking, which guarantees the preservation of the roots.

The seedlings grow completely stress-free, strong and healthy. Eggplants do not like picking, so this is very important for them.

But this method is unlikely to suit you if you need a lot of seedlings.

Before planting you will need: a set of peat tablets in a tray with a lid, 500 ml of water, eggplant seeds.

To prevent diseases, add Fitosporin to irrigation water according to the instructions.

You can first remove the side coating from the tablets, if any.

Fill each tablet evenly with water and give them time to soak and swell.

Place a seed in each tablet.

Bury the seeds about 1 cm and cover the top with soil from tablets. Do not tamp tightly.

All that remains is to cover the box with the included lid. Or, if it is not there, then any package will do to create a greenhouse.

We put the tablets in a warm place and wait for shoots.

Seed preparation

Before sowing, the seeds must be disinfected by keeping them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes. Or immerse the seed for 10 minutes in a solution of 100 ml of water and 3 ml of hydrogen peroxide, heated to 40 degrees.

After this, the seeds are washed well with running water and stratified. To do this, the seed material is laid out on a damp cloth and covered with the same piece on top. All this is placed in a container and kept in the refrigerator for a week.

Important! During the day, the container with the seeds is removed from the refrigerator.

After the specified time, the stratified seed is soaked for 12 hours in rain or melt water, preheated to room temperature. Growth stimulants are added to it:

If Epin, then 1-2 drops per 100 ml of water.
If Zircon, then 1 drop per 100 ml of water.

Next, the seeds are dried on a clean sheet of paper and sowing begins.

When to pick eggplants

So, when we used one of the above methods for planting eggplants, we got the first shoots and now we are faced with the question of picking.

If you planted eggplants in a “snail” or peat tablets, you will not need picking.

Because the plant can stay in the “snail” for quite a long time and grow to a decent size, then they are planted in individual glasses.

The same thing happens in peat tablets, the seedling grows and forms a good root system, and then, together with the tablet, is sent to a larger pot by transfer.

Picking is required when sowing was done crowdedly: in the traditional way or in boiling water, when many seeds are in a small area and they interfere with each other.

In the phase when the plant has two true leaves, you can begin to dive. To do this, we prepare an individual glass for each seedling.

It is convenient to plant in peat pots, with which it is then easy to plant seedlings in the ground.

It is important to remember that when picking eggplants, it is important for us to prevent damage to the roots.

Therefore, if it is possible to dig up a ball of earth along with the plant and pull it out without disturbing the roots, you need to do this.

We carry out all manipulations very carefully. If you damage the root of an eggplant, its growth will be stunted for a long time and it may begin to hurt.

We place the seedlings in cups, bury them down to the cotyledon leaves, while moistening them with warm water. The first few days after picking, the seedlings should be protected from direct sun and shaded.

Overcooling of plants should also be avoided.

Picking

Seedlings are picked after 2-3 true leaves have grown, this is about a month after emergence. Plant the plants one at a time in separate pots and cups. Each one must be carefully removed from the box along with a damp lump of earth, without disturbing the root system. You can’t pinch the roots of eggplants; they then take a long time to recover. When transplanting, the best seedlings are selected, weak and twisted ones are discarded. After transplanting, the seedlings are watered. Within 3-5 days after transplantation, the plants are shaded, avoiding prolonged exposure to direct sun.

Eggplant seedlings - care

Let's look at the most important factors for maintaining the proper development and growth of eggplant seedlings.

Let's talk about what conditions the seedlings need to create.

Lighting

Eggplant seedlings need intense lighting for at least 12-14 hours a day.

For illumination, you can use fluorescent or LED lamps.

Turn the pots from time to time so that the eggplants do not begin to lean towards the light source and grow evenly.

Temperature

The optimal temperature for eggplant seedlings is 20-24 degrees. Protect seedlings from cold and drafts.

Watering

Eggplants cannot tolerate drought, but they won’t forgive you for a swamp either. Therefore, we water after testing the soil with our finger; if the top layer is dry, then water.

The amount of watering water depends on the size of the seedling: we water very small ones a little, and water the larger ones more heavily.

The water temperature for irrigation should be at least 22 degrees, because... Cold water will negatively affect the development of roots and their absorption of nutrients.

Living space

As the seedlings grow, the cups with seedlings need to be moved apart from each other so that there is enough space for everyone.

The leaves should not touch each other. Crowding causes the eggplant to stretch.

Prevention of diseases of eggplant seedlings

Healthy seedlings grown in suitable conditions usually have good immunity.

It successfully resists viral diseases, and to protect against fungal diseases and pests, use the drugs Fitosporin and Fitoverm according to the instructions.

Life hacks from professionals

To make it easier to cope with growing eggplants, you should use the advice of professional gardeners:

Using warm beds . On them, the plants will be protected from the cold and provided with all the necessary nutrients. To do this, in the autumn you need to dig a deep trench or build a wooden structure in the form of a box. Food, wood, paper waste and various weeds are placed in the recess. Then it is all covered with earth. By spring, you will have a warm and nutritious substrate in which eggplants will grow well. This bed will last for 3-4 seasons.
In a greenhouse, plants should be planted in a sunny place , since the amount of yield is reduced due to shade. You can highlight vegetables using white mulch made from reflective film. There will be much more ovaries on the bushes.
Do not apply too much organic fertilizer as it contains nitrogen. Because of this, the stem will grow large, but there will be few fruits.
plant tobacco, basil or calendula between the beds . These plants repel many pests.

What to do if eggplants don’t set?

To avoid empty flowers in eggplants, first of all you need to provide the vegetable with comfortable growing conditions. Abnormal heat or, conversely, sudden cold snaps can ruin your harvest. Also, pests and diseases will cause stress to the plant.

Excessive fertilizing with mineral fertilizers or lack of nutrients in the soil can also cause harm. It is recommended to use natural ash solutions and liquid vermicompost for periodic feeding.

Eggplant seedlings - feeding

We begin to feed the seedlings after two to four true leaves appear, if the plants are planted without picking.

If picking was done, then we feed it 10 days after it. We dilute the first fertilizing more so as not to burn the still tender eggplant roots.

You can feed with complex fertilizers such as: Fertika Lux, Gumi Kuznetsova, Agricola according to the instructions.

The Atlet fertilizer has proven itself very well; it helps seedlings grow thick stems and strong leaves due to a strong root system.

If you took prepared store-bought nutrient soil for seedlings, then you may not need fertilizing at all. There is a lot of nutrition in such soils.

Look at the seedlings, if they grow well, have a good stem, and their leaves are green, then you can do without fertilizing.

Do-it-yourself universal fertilizing for eggplants:

For mineral feeding, for the first time we make a solution: for 1 liter of water we take 1 g of potassium, 1 tsp. wood ash, 0.5 tsp. nitrate and 4 g of superphosphate.

The second time organic feeding is done 10 days after the first. To do this, take 1 part of chicken manure (in granules or fermented) and 15 parts of water, let it sit for 1-3 days and water the seedlings.

1 week before planting seedlings in the ground, it is fertilized with superphosphate.

Also, a week before planting seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground, it is advisable to begin hardening.

You can use short-term episodes: for 5-10-15 minutes, take a box of seedlings to a covered loggia or balcony, if you have one.

Seedling diseases and their treatment

The seedlings turn yellow:

Eggplant seedlings are very demanding when it comes to feeding and require a lot of nutrients for full development. If there are not enough of them, the seedlings continue their development, taking nutrients from the lower leaves. As a result, they become lighter, then turn yellow and die.
Yellow leaves pressed to the stem indicate a lack of phosphorus. Fertilizing will help: dilute 30 g of potassium nitrate and 10 g of superphosphate in 10 liters of warm water
Yellowed and darkened edges of leaves that curl up indicate a lack of potassium. The fertilizer recipe is above.
Violation of water balance - insufficient or excessive watering.

The seedlings rot:

When affected by a fungal disease such as blackleg, the root collar begins to rot and the seedlings die. First, a constriction appears at the bottom of the stem, then the root rots. The disease develops at high humidity. Such seedlings must be immediately removed, and healthy seedlings transplanted into new soil and treated with Trichodermin solution. It is also necessary to correct mistakes in caring for seedlings.

With a lack of potassium, seedlings can be affected by blossom end rot. This disease is not contagious and can be treated by adding potash fertilizers to the soil. Will help correct the situation: 1 tsp. ammonium nitrate and 3 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 2 tsp. potassium sulfate. dissolve in a bucket of warm water.)

It is difficult to get rid of the fluffy coating of gray rot on the leaves and stems. However, this disease affects seedlings very rarely and can be dealt with in the same way as with blackleg.

The seedlings are stretched:

If the seedlings begin to stretch out, it means they do not have enough light and the temperature regime is disturbed. Or you water the seedlings too much or feed them too often.
It is necessary to adhere to the rules of agricultural technology, and when transplanting seedlings into the ground, bury them 2/3 of the length of the stem, treating the lower leaves and wounds with a weak solution of manganese.

Proven tips for good eggplant seedlings

When planting, do not compact the soil; it should be moist, loose and breathable.
The optimal germination temperature is 25-30 degrees.
While the seeds are under film (in the seedling greenhouse), no watering is needed.
The younger the seedlings, the easier it tolerates picking.
When watering, it is better not to top up than to overfill.
Cold is the enemy of eggplant; temperatures below 15 degrees are critical.
A plant suitable for planting has 10 true leaves (age 65-70 days).
Before planting in the ground, spray with Epin-Extra.

That’s probably all about eggplant seedlings, dear friends. If the article was useful to you, save it on social networks using the buttons below.

Harvest and storage

The harvest must be harvested on time, otherwise the fruits will overgrow. This will affect the taste and shelf life.

When to collect fruits?

If an eggplant is overripe, its skin will fade, lose its elasticity, and the flesh will become very hard and bitter. But you cannot pick unripe fruits from the bushes, since they will not be able to ripen on their own, like tomatoes, but will simply wither.

The fruits of this vegetable ripen very unevenly, so it is necessary to collect them selectively, checking them every couple of days. It is advisable to cut using pruners or a sharp knife.

Important! When cutting, be sure to leave a tail on the fruit 3-5 cm long . If you cut close to the fruit, it will quickly wither.

How to store eggplants

Before storing eggplants, wipe them with a dry cloth. After this, they are transferred to a dark place. The temperature should be from 0 to +2 degrees.

Important! If there is high humidity and a temperature of more than +5 degrees in the storage, then gray rot may appear on the fruits.

First, the fruits should be laid on the floor in 1 or 2 layers. After 2 weeks the harvest is checked. Only the most undamaged vegetables are selected, wrapped in paper and laid out on straw. The layer of straw should be 15-20 cm. Then the fruits should be covered with thick cloth.

At the right temperature in these conditions, eggplants can be stored for 3 months.

Late-ripening varieties lend themselves best to storage. Early ripening fruits are recommended to be consumed or processed immediately after collection.

These vegetables are not suitable for longer storage, so they need to be preserved for the winter.

If you don’t want to preserve, you can dry the vegetables and then keep them in a preheated oven for a while. Then they should be sent to the freezer . This product remains suitable for consumption throughout the year without loss of taste.

In Siberia

Siberia has its own climatic characteristics and more severe temperature conditions. These factors must be taken into account when choosing the timing.

The choice of date depends on the general climatic characteristics of the region, but particular weather conditions also have a significant influence. Seedlings cannot be transferred to the ground until the soil warms up to 20 degrees.

Considering these features, it is better to plant seeds in the ground in the Siberian climate in the second half of February-early March.

To a large extent, the exact period is determined by the variety. In the climatic conditions of Siberia, “Purple Miracle”, “Nutcracker”, “Robin Hood” grow and bear fruit well.

In outskirts of Moscow

The heat-loving plant requires special temperature conditions. In the Moscow region the climate is not particularly favorable for this crop. Eggplants are grown by seedlings, ensuring timely planting at home, with the transfer of young shoots to the ground.

Seeds are planted in the ground in the second half of February and early March. Planting in unprotected soil occurs after the end of frost, not earlier than mid-May. For the climatic conditions of the Moscow region, unpretentious hybrid varieties are suitable: “Giselle”, “King of the North”, “King of the Market”.

Landing at a permanent place

Eggplants are planted in a permanent place 2-2.5 months after sowing the seeds. By this time, the soil at a depth of 15 cm should warm up to +15...+20 °C.

Seedlings are not only grown independently, but also purchased on the market. Here are some signs of quality young plants:

Greens should not be limp. The leaves are bright green.
The height of the plants varies between 15–25 cm. Each eggplant should have at least 5 and no more than 7 leaves.
Early varieties may have 1-2 flower buds. Seedlings of late varieties of eggplant should not have flowers.

Advice! Experienced gardeners advise removing inflorescences from seedlings before planting them in a permanent place.

Soil preparation

To grow eggplants in open ground or in a greenhouse, it is important to prepare the soil and choose a location in advance. This is a demanding soil composition and heat-loving crop.

The most illuminated area of the garden is prepared for planting. Nightshade crops should not grow on it for the past 2 seasons. The best predecessors for eggplants are any greens and melons.

Potatoes and tomatoes should not be planted next to eggplants. They attract pests and diseases .

The beds begin to be prepared in the fall. They are dug up and cleared of plant debris. For each square meter, add 6 kg of humus or rotted manure, 1 kg of ash. If the soil is heavy, then add river sand. All fertilizers are mixed by repeated digging.

In spring, the soil is leveled with a rake and cleared of weeds. For every 1 m², add 30 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate, 30 g of superphosphate and 4 g of magnesium sulfate. All fertilizers are mixed with soil.

When grown in open ground, the beds are watered with a hot solution of copper sulfate prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l vitriol. In the greenhouse, not only the ground is disinfected, but also the walls, ceiling and floor of the room.

Planting in open ground

5 days before planting in open ground, seedlings are fed. 1 day before this procedure, the soil is moistened abundantly. This will make it easier to remove the plants from the pots.

The planting pattern depends on the type of eggplant. As a rule, 3 to 5 plants are placed per 1 m². The distance between the rows is 60–80 cm. The holes are dug to a depth that matches the height of the cup in which the seedlings were grown. The width of the recess should be 20–25 cm.

A handful of ash or granular fertilizer is poured into the bottom of each hole. When planting plants, the root collar is usually not buried. This procedure will only be needed if the seedlings are elongated.

After picking, the plants are watered with warm water, spending 1 liter on each of them (the next watering is possible no earlier than after 2 weeks). Then, for the next 2 weeks, they are covered with film at night and during cold spells.

Advice! To help the plants take root, they are watered with water with the addition of Epin.

Growing and care in open ground

Eggplants are a capricious crop. To get a high-quality harvest, it is important to properly care for the plants.

The list contains the main subtleties and nuances:

Eggplants should not be watered for the first 2 weeks after planting. To help them take root faster, the beds are regularly loosened to a depth of 5-8 cm. They are also sprayed with a weak solution prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tsp. urea.
It is recommended to mulch eggplant beds with grass, straw or compost. This layer will protect the roots of plants from pests and cold weather, and it will also slow down the evaporation of moisture and the growth of weeds.
Eggplants are watered with warm water at sunset. If the beds are covered with mulch, then this is done once a week. Otherwise, the soil is moistened every other day. It should not be flooded, otherwise the roots will rot and the plants will die.
After each watering and rainfall, the soil is loosened. During this procedure, the beds must be cleared of weeds.
If roots appear on the roots of the eggplants, they are covered with earth (hilled up). If there is no such sign, it is not necessary to do so.
Eggplants do not like overheating, but do not tolerate windy weather and drafts. In the greenhouse, the plants are regularly ventilated by opening the windows on only one side. In open ground in windy weather, spandbon (polypropylene) is used to cover the plantings on the windy side. To do this, install arcs or vertical structures on the beds.
The formation of eggplants depends on the variety. Low-growing varieties do not take stepson. Tall varieties are formed into 3 stems, the remaining shoots are pinched. The leaves at the bottom of the bush are removed.
On each inflorescence, leave 1 of the largest and most beautiful flowers. This technology will increase the yield and size of the fruit.
Tall and medium-growing varieties need a garter. They are attached to a trellis or wooden support with synthetic thread. The growing point is pinched when the plant reaches its maximum support height.
Feed eggplants every 2 weeks. To do this, use chicken manure diluted 1:1 with water, silage (a quarter bucket of grass is filled with ¾ bucket of water, add 1 kg of chicken manure and leave for a week in a warm place) or purchased fertilizers.

Protection from diseases and pests

The higher the variety's resistance to disease, the easier it is to grow. If the chosen crop does not have such an advantage, it is important to know the main signs of the most common diseases and methods of combating them:

Late blight. Fruits and green plants become covered with brown and brown spots. There is no cure for the disease: damaged bushes will have to be removed and burned. To prevent planting, spray it weekly with copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture at sunset.
Mosaic. The leaves are covered with bright green spots, and the fruits are covered with yellow formations. There is no treatment. Affected bushes are removed, and healthy ones are treated with Fitosporin.
Gray rot. Plants become covered with dark spots and a gray coating. Treating the soil and plants with fungicides will help save the plantings. An important part of preventing this disease is avoiding waterlogging of the soil.
White rot. Plants are covered with a white coating. The damaged parts are cut off and these places are treated with wood ash.
Black bacterial spot. Plants become covered with black spots with yellow borders. Affected eggplants are removed and burned. The soil and healthy plants are treated with copper sulfate.

To prevent the development of dangerous diseases, it is important to follow the rules of disinfection, crop rotation, watering and pinching. Diseases are often carried by insects, and they also damage the eggplant bushes themselves.

Common pests include:

Spider mite . Plants are covered with thin cobwebs and small insects. To combat the pest, prepare a remedy by mixing 0.5 kg of chopped dandelions, garlic and onions in a bucket of water. The composition is allowed to infuse for 3 hours. After this, the product is filtered and a piece of crushed laundry soap is added to it. The bushes are sprayed with the drug.
Whitefly. Large white insects appear on plants. They are washed off with water or collected by hand. As a preventive measure, yellow traps greased with a sticky mass (honey, Vaseline) are installed between the rows.
Aphid. The bushes are covered with small midges. To get rid of the pest, the bushes are sprayed with a decoction of wormwood.

Types and varieties

Currently, the classification of eggplants divides them into three subspecies: eastern, European and Indian.

The eastern subspecies of eggplant is represented by low plants with semi-spreading and spreading bushes, mostly early, but sometimes mid-early varieties. The shoots and stems of plants of this subspecies are thin, greenish-violet, the leaves are ovoid, small, green, with purple veins and petioles. The fruits are also small, spherical, serpentine, crescent-shaped, pear-shaped, cylindrical, dark purple in color with greenish or white flesh with a mild bitterness.

The western subspecies of eggplant is represented by mid-season and late varieties of closed or semi-spreading bushes of medium or high height with thick green stems, at the tops of which purple pigmentation is faintly visible. The leaves of plants of this subspecies are large, elongated-ovate, pubescent, green in color, sometimes with a light brown tint in the area of the veins and petioles. Relatively large fruits of various shapes, having reached technical ripeness, acquire a purple, brownish-violet, dark purple and black-violet color. The pulp is yellowish or greenish-white with varying degrees of bitterness.

The Indian eggplant subspecies is widely represented in cultivation, but its varieties are not grown in our climate.

We offer you a description of the best varieties of the western subspecies of eggplant, which can be successfully grown in the middle zone:

Valentina - the standard size of the purple-black fruits of this early productive variety is 5x26 cm, they are elongated downwards and have exceptional taste and resistance to the tobacco mosaic virus;
Purple miracle is an early ripening hybrid, with shiny purple fruits, weighing 350 g, with greenish pulp without bitterness. This is a productive and wilting-resistant variety;
Czech Early is an early-ripening, high-yielding variety with powerful, compact low bushes with dark purple, smooth, shiny, egg-shaped fruits with greenish-white pulp without bitterness;
Black Beauty is a Danish early-ripening variety with a bush height of about 50 cm and fruits of a very dark color and cylindrical shape weighing about 240 g;
Delicacy - early ripening variety, bush up to 40 cm high, dark purple fruits, white flesh without bitterness;
The Golden Egg is an early-ripening hybrid with medium-sized fruits shaped like a goose egg. This variety is grown more as an ornamental plant;
Donskoy is a medium-yielding, medium-spreading bush of medium height with pear-shaped fruits weighing up to 180 g;
Epic is an early ripening variety with original drop-shaped fruits of dark purple color measuring 10x22 cm, characterized by unpretentiousness and high yield;
Donetsk fruitful - an early variety with dark fruits up to 15 cm long, up to 4 cm in diameter and weighing up to 160 g;
Black Beauty is a high-yielding early variety with very large fruits - up to 900 g in weight;
Maria - the weight of small elongated fruits of dark purple color reaches 220 g, the variety is characterized by rapid ripening of the fruits, which compensates for their small size;
Barbentane is an early-ripening, productive variety with a long fruiting period with glossy dark purple fruits;
Nautilus is a mid-early variety with saber-shaped dark purple fruits weighing up to 500 g. Suitable for growing indoors;
Arap is a tall bush, reaching a meter in height, which bears very dark purple-brown fruits up to 25 cm long;
Albatross is a mid-season, high-yielding variety up to 50 cm high with pear-shaped blue-violet fruits weighing up to 450 g;
Solara is an early-ripening, productive and easy-to-care variety with dark purple fruits weighing up to 1 kilogram.