The Behemoth F1 eggplant has the characteristic features of the fruit: they have convex sides, massive weight, and a beautiful appearance. The hybrid is valued for its early ripening and is grown in covered beds.
| Origin | Landing location | Ripening period | Fruit color | Fruit weight | Fruit shape |
| Hybrid | Greenhouse | Early | Dark purple | 300-350 g. | Cylindrical |
Description of the hybrid
Mid-season eggplant Behemoth F1 is a hybrid variety.
It has high productivity. The bushes are characterized by moderate pubescence (oval-shaped leaves) and grow up to 75-145 cm in film greenhouses, and up to 2.5 m in glazed structures. The period from germination to the first ripe vegetables is 100-112 days. The fruits ripen, weighing up to 250-340 g. Eggplant has a deep purple color and skin with a smooth, shiny surface (as in the photo). The pear-shaped fruits grow 14-18 cm long, with a diameter of approximately 8 cm. The yellowish-white pulp is of medium density, with virtually no bitterness.
Advantages of eggplant variety Behemoth F 1:
- beautiful coloring of fruits;
- high yield - approximately 17-17.5 kg of fruit can be collected per square meter of area;
- excellent taste of eggplant (no bitterness);
- The plant is slightly spiny.
The yield of one bush ranges from approximately 2.5 to 6 kg and is determined by the climatic characteristics of the region.
Important! Seeds from the Behemoth F1 crop are not left for future sowings. Because the advantages of hybrids do not appear in subsequent generations of vegetables.
Harvest
Behemoth eggplants are cut off along with the green cup and a small portion of the stalk. Ripe fruits can be collected every 5-7 days. Eggplants do not have a long shelf life. It is recommended to store ripe fruits in dark, cool rooms (with air temperature +7-10˚ C, humidity 85-90%). In basement conditions, you can store eggplants in boxes (the fruits are sprinkled with ash).
Behemoth eggplants are excellent for growing in different regions, as they grow well in greenhouse conditions. With proper care, the bushes delight summer residents with high productivity.
Characteristics and description of the variety
The Behemoth eggplant is an F1 hybrid, so its taste and immune qualities are at a high level. The height of an adult plant is from 80 to 150 centimeters, the trunk is massive and rigid. The oval-shaped leaves are slightly drooping to the bottom and have a green color.
The variety is considered mid-season; at least 100 days must pass from planting to fruiting. The fruits are formed gradually, the weight of one eggplant ranges from 250 to 350 grams. The shape of the fruit is regular, slightly flattened at the bottom and narrowed at the base. The length is approximately 8 centimeters, but can reach 10 centimeters. The dark purple, almost black skin has an elastic structure and protects the fruit from all kinds of damage. When cut, the flesh is light yellow in color and produces virtually no aroma.
The consumption of culture is characterized by great diversity. Eggplants do not have the slightest bitter taste, so they are suitable for any purpose - stewing, frying and boiling. You can use them to make snacks for the winter, marinate, cook with meat, other vegetables, or as a separate dish.
The yield of Behemoth eggplant ranges from 2.5 to 6 kg per bush. This ambiguous indicator is associated with the specific growing conditions of the vegetable. The variety is considered heat-loving and is not particularly suitable for outdoor cultivation. Mostly planting is carried out in greenhouse soil. In the central part of Russia, in the south, yields under good weather conditions can reach their maximum. In regions of Siberia and the Urals, yields are slightly reduced. A sharp cold snap is detrimental to eggplants - when it shoots die, and the fruits themselves deteriorate in taste.
The Behemoth variety has a number of positive qualities:
- beautiful shape and bright color of the fruit;
- high productivity;
- high taste rating and lack of bitterness;
- large size;
- good seed germination.
It is highly resistant to tobacco mosaic and is rarely affected by fungal diseases. However, to support immunity, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment after planting with a 2% solution of copper sulfate.
Landing
The seed material is kept in warm water for a day and treated with Gumi and Emistim for speedy germination. Aloe juice can be used for stimulation. For seedlings, prepare a nutrient substrate with the addition of peat, compost, and vermicompost.
From April-May, bushes are planted in beds in greenhouses. A handful of compost is poured into the holes, the optimal depth of the hole is within 7-10 cm. The plants are carefully transferred along with a lump of earth.
Up to 5 bushes are placed per 1 m2. Maintain a distance of 50-55 cm.
Rules for growing seedlings
The peculiarity of this crop is that it grows only in warm conditions with sufficient soil moisture. The temperature for seed germination should be 20-25 degrees, and for good plant growth - 25-30 degrees.
Sowing seeds
Gardeners prefer to grow Bagira F1 as seedlings, followed by transplanting the seedlings into the garden or greenhouse. Features of sowing:
- It is recommended to sow the seeds in special containers, because the seedlings tolerate replanting very poorly during diving. The container size can be 7x7, but not larger than 9x9. Large containers are inconvenient for growing and take up a lot of space.
- soil can be purchased in specialized stores or made independently - 6 parts of turf soil, 1 part of river sand and 4 parts of humus. For 10 kg of this substrate, add 5 g of potassium, 10 g of nitrogen and 20 g of phosphorus fertilizers;
- To speed up germination, you need to soak the seeds in a growth stimulator, and then transfer the seeds into a damp linen bag and place them in a warm place for 2-3 days. Make sure the seeds are kept moist at all times. After germination, they need to be sown in 3-4 pieces in prepared containers or boxes;
- The holes are made 20 mm deep, covered with soil and watered well. The pots or boxes are covered with film, which is removed after the first shoots appear.
Seedling care
After the first 2 true leaves appear on the seedlings, it is necessary to carry out the first fertilizing - add 30 g of potassium fertilizers (salt), 50 g of nitrogen fertilizers (nitrate or urea) and 100 g of superphosphate to 10 liters of water. It is necessary to water the seedlings at the roots so that water does not get on the foliage. Before planting seedlings in the garden, you need to harden them off for 2-3 weeks. You need to start by taking it outside for 60-90 minutes a day and up to 10-11 hours a day.
Transplantation of seedlings occurs when the air temperature is at least 18 degrees. Seedlings should reach a height of 10-20 cm, have 7-8 true leaves, and the stem should be at least 5 mm thick.
Caring for eggplants in a greenhouse
Since eggplants grow quite tall, the stems must be tied up. The best option is to fix the bush in three places. If the size of the structure is small, then the Behemoth eggplant bush is formed from one stem. At the same time, a powerful shoot is chosen for growth. When ovaries form on the bush, they are thinned out and only the largest are left. The tops of the shoots where the fruits have set should be pinched.
About 20 strong ovaries are usually left on the bush. This is also determined by the parameters of the plant - whether it is strong or weak. Stepchildren must be removed.
According to some gardeners, eggplants do not need garters, since the stems grow very powerful. But when the fruits ripen, tall plants may simply break. Therefore, it is practiced to tie the stems to a trellis or high pegs.
Advice! When fixing the shoot, the plant should not be tied tightly to the support, since the stem grows and its thickness increases over time.
Tight fixation can inhibit the development of the bush.
When growing eggplants in a greenhouse, it is important to promptly remove yellowed and wilted foliage. This should be addressed several times a week. During hot and humid weather, unnecessary stepsons are pruned, especially at the bottom of the bush. If dry weather sets in, the stepsons are left to reduce soil evaporation.
At the end of the season (in the last days of August), 5-6 ovaries are left on the Behemoth variety eggplant bushes. As a rule, the formed fruits have time to ripen before the strong fall in temperature in autumn.
Growing
Since the Behemoth variety is a mid-season variety, it is recommended to start sowing seeds at the end of February.
Sowing stages
Before planting, the seed material is treated with growth stimulants (“Paslinii”, “Athlete”). This procedure increases the germination of seeds, reduces the likelihood of seedling disease, and increases the duration of flowering. To do this, the fabric is soaked in the solution and the grains are wrapped in it.
- As soon as the grains hatch, they are planted in separate cups. As soil, you can use a special soil mixture offered by flower shops. The holes for the grains are made small - up to 1 cm. The soil in the containers is first moistened. The seeds are sprinkled with a thin layer of soil and sprayed with water from a spray bottle (so that the soil does not become compacted).
- All containers are covered with film or placed under glass so that the moisture does not quickly evaporate and the soil does not dry out. Containers with planting material are placed in a warm place.
- As soon as the first shoots of Behemoth eggplants appear, the covering material is removed and the seedlings are placed in a well-lit place, protected from drafts.
Advice! Since natural lighting is not enough for the full growth of seedlings, phytolamps are additionally installed.
About three weeks before transplanting the sprouts into the greenhouse, the eggplant seedlings begin to harden off. To do this, the containers are taken out into the open air, first for a short period, and then gradually the time spent on the street is increased. This procedure helps the seedlings to take root faster when transplanted.
Before planting the bushes in the greenhouse, feed the eggplants. As soon as the first true leaves appear on the stems, Kemiru-Lux is added to the soil (25-30 g of the drug is diluted in 10 liters of water) or a mixture of fertilizers is used (30 g of foscamide and 15 g of superphosphate are dissolved in 10 liters of water). Repeated feeding is carried out 8-10 days before transplanting the seedlings into the greenhouse. You can again use Kemira-Lux (20-30 g per 10 liters of water).
Transplanting seedlings
Eggplant seedlings of the Behemoth variety can be planted in film greenhouses at the age of 50-65 days. It’s better to focus on the end of May (in central Russia). The soil is prepared in advance.
Advice! It is recommended to fertilize the soil in the greenhouse in the fall. Approximately half a bucket of organic matter (compost or humus) is added per square meter of land and the entire soil is dug up shallowly.
The order of the holes: row spacing - 70-75 cm, distance between plants - 35-40 cm. It is advisable that no more than 5 eggplant bushes be placed per square meter of area.
It is not recommended to plant seedlings tightly in a greenhouse, as this can lead to a decrease in yield. Before planting seedlings, the soil must be watered.
Watering and fertilizing
To moisten the soil, it is advisable to take warm water. The seedlings are watered for the first time after transplantation five days later. It is better to do greenhouse watering of Behemoth eggplants in the morning, but do not allow water to get on the green mass. The best option is to install a drip irrigation system. In this case, the soil at the roots will be evenly moistened and a crust will not form on the surface of the soil. During hot weather, be sure to mulch the soil and ventilate greenhouses, as high humidity can cause the appearance and spread of diseases.
Advice! It is recommended to do shallow loosening of the soil (3-5 cm) 10-12 hours after watering. This will slow down the evaporation of moisture from the soil. This procedure is also called “dry watering”. Loosen the soil carefully, since the roots of the plant are shallow.
The appropriate humidity level in the greenhouse is 70%. To prevent plants from overheating in hot weather, it is recommended to open the greenhouse for ventilation. Otherwise, when the temperature rises to +35˚ C, pollination and the formation of ovaries noticeably slow down
Since Hippo eggplants are a heat-loving crop, it is important to prevent drafts. Therefore, you need to open the door/windows only on one side of the building
During flowering and fruiting, Behemoth eggplants especially need nutritious soil. Therefore, the following fertilizers are used:
- during flowering, add an ammophosphate solution to the soil (20-30 g per 10 liters of water). Or a mineral mixture: dissolve a liter of mullein and 25-30 g of superphosphate in 10 liters of water;
- during fruiting, you can use a fertilizer solution (for 10 liters of water, take half a liter of chicken manure, 2 tablespoons of nitroammophoska).
Important! When growing Behemoth eggplants, foliar feeding is not used. If mineral solution gets on the foliage, wash it off with water.
Diseases and pests
The delicate green color of eggplant plants is loved by many pests, but the greatest danger to the future harvest is spider mites, slugs and the Colorado potato beetle.
Control of the Colorado potato beetle is one of the main problems when growing eggplants. Unfortunately, this wonderful culture is a real pleasure for him. At the beginning of summer, beetles (usually slugs, caterpillars) and insects can be collected by hand. However, when larvae appear on plants en masse, chemical or herbal preparations should be used.
Copper sulfate
Against other pests and diseases, you can use infusions of wormwood, yarrow, onion peel, garlic, as well as Bordeaux mixture (1% solution), copper sulfate with soda ash.
