Picking eggplants - when and how to pick eggplant seedlings at home

When to pluck eggplant seedlings after germination - optimal timing

The timing of picking depends on the variety and the length of the growing season. When buying seeds, read the time period from germination to the first harvest; such information is always available on the packaging. If the seeds are planted on time, with proper care, for early varieties the period from germination to technical ripeness is 95-105 days, for late varieties - 100-150 days. Transplantation of seedlings into the ground is carried out approximately half of this period.

Moreover, when planting seedlings, take into account all the pros and cons of the procedure.

• The advantages include a gradual increase in soil volume, which allows seedlings to grow strong and healthy. Planting seeds immediately in large containers makes it difficult to deliver oxygen to the roots.
• The disadvantage is the delay in development after transplantation for a week. Recovery sometimes takes up to 2-4 weeks. But after adaptation, the little blue ones will begin to grow faster and develop better.

At what age should you pick eggplants?

Having sowed the seeds in the second half of February, after 30-35 days the first 2-3 true leaves appear on plants other than heptads. And this is the very time when it is necessary to plant the seedlings in separate cups. The given deadlines should not be observed exactly to the day. Everything is individual and depends on the appearance of the seedlings. But the older she is, the more painful the transplant process will be for her.

Timing for picking

You need to plant eggplant seedlings at a certain time - when the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves. This usually occurs 3–4 weeks after germination. Previously, it is undesirable to do this, since the seedlings have too weak a root system and they may simply not withstand transplantation. It is also impossible to delay the timing of picking, since it is difficult not to damage the overgrown roots during transplantation.

After two or three true leaves appear, the seedlings can be pruned

Should I pluck eggplant seedlings or not?

This issue is quite controversial. Opponents and followers have their own arguments. Since the eggplant crop is quite capricious to grow, experienced gardeners advise beginners to grow little blue ones without picking. Because during planting, not only are the seedlings weak, they sometimes lack light and sun. And if the root system is disturbed, then half of the plantings may simply die.

Moreover, if you are just starting to grow eggplants and you have only 1 bag with 10 seeds, then plant the seeds directly in cups. It is not so difficult to plant one large seed in a pot or glass with a capacity of 0.5 liters. And there are advantages to this too.

• Sowing is carried out only once and then all that remains is to care for the plantings;
• They like to grow alone until sowing in the ground;
• The seedling will have enough space under the lamp, because the plants still need additional lighting in February-March.

Well, experienced gardeners, on the contrary, prefer to grow eggplants through seedlings. A gradual increase in soil volume makes it possible to better supply the root system with oxygen and nutrients.

What is plant picking?

Gardeners call picking when transplanting a plant seedling into a large container. This is done so that the root system has more space for development.

Often, during transplantation, the central (main) root is shortened by one third. The essence of this operation is to stimulate the growth of lateral roots.

• Later, when the seedlings are planted in the ground, such a root system will grow to the sides, being in the fertile soil layer.
• Roots that are not shortened will grow deep into the ground, reaching layers poor in nutrients, and the plant will not receive proper nutrition.

The operation of shortening the roots also has opponents who claim that pinching the central root weakens the plant. In particular, after picking, eggplant gets sick for a long time and is delayed in growth, forcing the gardener to sow the vegetable 10-15 days earlier, taking into account this delay in development.

Opponents of transplanting prepare eggplant seedlings by sowing the seeds in individual cups and not disturbing the root system before planting the plant in the ground.

Sowing eggplant in peat tablets will allow you to not disturb the roots of the plant at all.

Picking eggplants according to the lunar calendar in 2020

The lunar calendar for planting garden crops is compiled annually. It all depends on the phase of the moon in a given period. Among the general recommendations, you should pay attention to the following points.

• On the waxing Moon, it is recommended to replant plants, cultivate and loosen the soil, so it is better to plant seedlings during this phase;
• When the Moon is waning, all life processes take place underground, in the root system. These will be unfavorable days for transplantation and picking. But the most favorable time is to weed weeds and thin out thickened plantings;
• On new and full moons, it is better to completely abandon any work in the garden.

Favorable days for picking eggplants

Favorable days in 2022 will be (period of the waxing Moon)

• January 1-9, January 16 - February 8;
• February 24 - March 8,
• March 25 - April 7,
• April 24 - May 6 (in April, the seedlings should already be picked, although someone else may not have had time yet).

Unfavorable days - February 9 and 23, March 9 and 24, April 1, 8, 23.

What if it was not possible to replant the plants on favorable days for one reason or another? The situation can be corrected by focusing on alternative days.

Modern lunar calendars are oriented not only by the phases of the Moon, but also by its location in a particular constellation. This is the so-called Lunar-bio-zodiacal calendar. The presence of the Moon in one or another zodiac sign affects the further growth of plants. Thus, the fertile signs in descending order of fertility include: Taurus, Cancer, Libra, Scorpio, Pisces, Capricorn. Therefore, try to replant plants when the Moon is in these signs.

But still, the most favorable day is when you do your job with pleasure and good mood!

How to pick eggplant seedlings at home

First, prepare the containers where you will plant the seedlings. Dishes - cups should be larger than for flowers. Because the root system of the little blue ones is quite powerful, it should feel free and not lack either space or nutrition. This point is very important and should not be ignored.

The fact is that weather conditions sometimes do not allow plants to be planted in open ground on time. The small volume of the cup and the soil in it do not allow the plant to develop further. And having planted plants ahead of time in cold soil, no matter how strong the seedlings are, they will sit in the ground without developing and gradually wither away. Until the soil warms up to a sufficient temperature (+15+18ºС), blue ones cannot be planted. Even in the southern regions of the country, eggplant is the latest crop to be planted in open ground.

Therefore, you need to choose larger cups. Plastic disposable cups with a capacity of at least 0.5 liters are best. Plastic bottles - one and a half bottles from carbonated water or kvass - are also suitable, cut to half their height. An important condition for planting in such containers is the presence of drainage holes in the bottom. To do this, you can slightly cut off the bottom of the cups in 2-3 places or pierce the bottom of the bottle with a hot nail.

Another important condition is choosing the right soil. Nutrient soil purchased in specialized stores is best suited. Its composition is better balanced; the plants in it will receive all the necessary nutrients. If you decide to plant seedlings in the ground from your garden, choose the most nutritious soil, for example, from a greenhouse. Or use garden soil, adding humus or peat to it, mixing them in equal proportions. The soil must be air and moisture permeable.

2 hours before picking, water the container with the seedlings, which will make it easier to remove the seedlings from the common container. The soil where you will transplant the plants should also be moderately moist. If it is dry, try to moisten it a little so that it is moderately moist.

Rules for choosing eggplant seeds

When choosing seeds, you must be guided by the following rules.

• Choose reliable and trusted manufacturers.
• The release date should not be more than 4 years ago.
• Hybrid varieties suffer less disease and also bear more fruit.
• You need to buy seeds strictly in accordance with the region of residence, choosing a variety that is suitable for the timing.

Eggplant seedlings - how to properly plant seedlings in cups

Having prepared the soil and containers, we proceed to direct picking, which is carried out in 2 ways.

1st method

Pour half the volume of soil into prepared containers - plastic cups, and water the soil. We pry up the seedling in a common container with a fork and carefully remove the seedling, trying not to injure the roots along with a small lump of earth.

Place the seedling in a glass on the ground. Holding the plant with one hand, add soil with the other.

We bury the seedling down to the seven-lobed leaves and lightly compact the soil. Water the seedling again with warm water.

2nd method

1. Pour soil into plastic cups to fill 2/3 of the volume. We make a depression in the ground measuring 1.5x1.5 cm;
2. We take out a seedling from a common container along with a small lump of earth;
3. Place the seedling in the hole and lightly press the soil against the stem. Water it with water.

When a seedling is taken out of the ground, the root is always slightly disturbed, which is not bad. By tearing the tip of the root, it stimulates the plant to produce lateral roots; in this case, the root system becomes more branched.

Caring for eggplant seedlings

If the plant stops growing at first after picking, this is normal. Since the root system is slightly damaged during transplantation, it needs some time to recover. Experienced gardeners advise watering seedlings with a solution of hydrogen peroxide to restore them. For this, 1 tsp. 3% hydrogen peroxide is added to 100 ml of water. The solution is watered on the ground under the plants or sprayed from above. Hydrogen peroxide contains an increased amount of atomic oxygen, which has a very beneficial effect on plant growth and the survival rate of seedlings after picking.

We place the planted seedlings in a warm and bright place. At first, when watering, plants may fall over on their side because the soil has not yet been compacted and is loose. It's quite normal. Literally in 2-3 hours the plants will rise and take a vertical position.

Caring for planted plants involves regular watering. But under no circumstances should the soil be over-moistened, otherwise root rot may develop and midges may appear. Provide the seedlings with sufficient light. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, turn the container around its axis, the sun should shine on the plant evenly, and the seedlings do not stretch.

Loosen the plantings from time to time, preferably with a toothpick, so the root system will not be disturbed, rather than loosening, for example, with a fork.

Further care

After transplanting for 1-2 weeks, the eggplants will most likely freeze in growth, but this is normal, since this is the period it takes them to adapt and get used to new conditions. During this period, water them a couple of times a week, not more often, but loosen them often, but very carefully so as not to catch the delicate roots. Loosening increases the flow of air and moisture to the roots. It is useful to cover the ground between the sprouts with mulch; this allows you to loosen the soil less often and retains moisture, and eggplants are moisture-loving.

You only need to fertilize the little blue ones three times during the entire period of their growth:

• 10 days after landing.
• 20 days after the first feeding.
• The last time is at the beginning of root formation.

At first, cover the seedlings from direct sunlight to avoid sunburn.

Growing eggplants is quite a troublesome task. Of course, the planting region greatly influences the complexity of the growing process. It will be easier for a gardener from Krasnodar than for his colleague in Khabarovsk, but with due effort there will definitely be a harvest!

Is it possible to bury seedlings when picking?

Is it worth deepening eggplant seedlings when picking and, if necessary, to what depth? This worries many beginning gardeners. Let's figure it out.

Let’s look at it in comparison with peppers, since they are planted with seeds almost simultaneously and then picked. If you bury pepper seedlings when picking, then later additional roots will form on the buried part of the pepper. Which in turn has a certain benefit, since the plant will receive additional nutrition.

The situation is completely different with eggplants. By deepening the seedlings to the seven-lobed leaves, later digging up the seedling and looking at its root system, you can see that additional roots are not formed. From this we conclude that depth does not play any special role. Unless the plant itself will be more stable when picking out elongated seedlings. To confirm this, watch the video.

Step-by-step procedure

Eggplant picking is carried out when the bush grows 1-2 true leaves. Later dates of transplantation are more difficult for the plant to tolerate.

Containers for transplanting seedlings are prepared in advance; these can be:

• plastic glasses or cut-off bottles with holes made in the bottom, with a volume of at least 400 ml;
• cylinders made of thick film filled with earth;
• peat pots of the same volume.

Transplanting eggplant bushes into peat containers allows you to plant seedlings in the ground without shaking the plant out of the pot. The peat walls of the pot quickly open up in the soil and the eggplant roots easily pierce them, growing to the sides.

Keep the soil ready to pour it into the seedling container. The composition of the soil mixture for eggplants is chosen as standard: humus, garden or forest soil, peat and sand, in equal parts. The soil should be crumbly and light.

Before transplanting, seedlings are watered abundantly to soften the soil and make picking minimally traumatic for the root system.

How to pick eggplants into cups:

1. The box with seedlings is laid on its side and the soil is carefully shaken out, along with the plants, onto the table. It is important not to damage the delicate stems of the seedlings with too vigorous movements.
2. Plants are selected from the soil, helping themselves with a plastic fork or wooden stick.
3. The eggplant is planted in a glass, two-thirds filled with soil in advance.

Important! Experienced gardeners do not recommend pinching the central root of an eggplant. The plant tolerates this procedure very painfully.

The seedling is sprinkled with soil, lightly pressing it with your fingers. How to bury an eggplant when picking? The stem of the plant should be covered up to the cotyledon leaves. This planting depth will allow the eggplant to additionally grow roots on the soil-covered stem.

After the procedure, the seedlings are watered with warm soft water, strictly at the root. You can dissolve Kornevin or Heteroauxin in water to accelerate the growth of the root system, or Epin to reduce stress levels in plants.

author morskaya, source 7dach.ru

Video from TsPSO Russia

How to plant elongated seedlings - at what depth should they be planted?

Of course, it makes more sense to prevent the seedlings from being pulled out. Sometimes this happens for reasons beyond our control. The main reasons for pulling seedlings are:

• Lack of light is the main reason for stretching in north-facing apartments;
• Thickened crops - due to lack of light, seedlings are drawn to the light;
• Violation of the temperature regime when seedlings grow on cold windowsills;
• Excessive watering - a dry top layer is not a sign of dry soil. Usually, under the top dry crust, the soil remains quite moist.

Well, if everything has already happened, the plants have become very elongated, then what to do in such a situation? Correcting the situation with eggplants is more difficult, but you can do the following.

1. When picking, plant seedlings in deeper cups, or bury the seedlings deeper. Although this will not bring much benefit to the plant, the seedling will nevertheless become more stable and will not fall to one side.
2. On the blue ones, pinch the top after the 5th true leaf. This will restrain further stretching, the trunk thickens, and stepsons appear on it. In this case, the plant does not waste energy on growing the top, but develops additional shoots. Moreover, as with tomatoes, 2-3 upper stepsons are left later, removing all the lower ones.

Have a good harvest!

Disease and pest control

Eggplants most often suffer from fungal diseases, and their main pest is the Colorado potato beetle. The most effective methods of controlling diseases and pests are preventative.

The most common diseases and pests of eggplants:

Spraying with insecticides and fungicides is carried out before flowering and after flowering. During flowering and fruiting, processing is prohibited.