Notice: Undefined variable: css_bg in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/experts-by-webnavoz-1.3/experts-by-webnavoz.php on line 314 Notice: Undefined variable: out in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/experts-by-webnavoz-1.3/experts-by-webnavoz.php on line 314 Notice: Undefined variable: css_market in /home/g/ grigorig/prodachnika.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/experts-by-webnavoz-1.3/experts-by-webnavoz.php on line 322 Notice: Undefined variable: css_padding in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika.com/ public_html/wp-content/plugins/vote2x/vote.php on line 100 Notice: Undefined variable: css_opacity in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/vote2x/vote.php on line 101 Notice: Undefined index: prodachnika_comvote2x6838 in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/vote2x/vote.php on line 118 Eggplant is a world-famous fruit from the nightshade family. It is in great demand in the vegetable market, a desirable guest on any table. It can be seen in almost every household plot; numerous farms grow eggplants indoors and outdoors. Breeders around the world regularly work on the latest species. Black opal is a modern, tasty eggplant variety that has become widespread among gardeners and farmers.
Description of the eggplant variety
Cold-resistant eggplant is suitable for growing in any climatic zone of the country . The vegetable tolerates frosts and sudden temperature changes, and is resistant to crop diseases - stolbur, root rot, tobacco mosaic virus. Black opal can be cultivated both in open ground and under film covers. In protected conditions, the crop ripens earlier.
Distinctive features
The bushes are compact and spreading and require tying to a support . The foliage is medium, dark green. The variety is late-ripening, harvested in 120–130 days. The vegetable is planted in seedlings.
Fruit characteristics and yield
The fruits are elongated, cylindrical in shape . Color black and blue. Eggplant weight is from 150 to 200 g, length - about 20 cm. The peel is dense, the surface is glossy. The pulp is light, the taste is neutral, there is no bitterness. From 1 sq. m, gardeners harvest about 4 kg of vegetables. Eggplant is universal in use; it is used for preparing first and second courses, and winter preparations.
Interesting! Regular consumption of vegetables reduces cholesterol levels in the blood and prevents liver and kidney diseases.
Eggplant Black Opal. Search
Characteristic
It begins to produce a good harvest already on the 125-128th day. Opal eggplants have the following characteristics:
- plant height - average;
- leaf size is moderate;
- ripe eggplants resemble a cylinder;
- the weight of a ripe eggplant is 150-200 grams;
- the inner pulp is light;
- color darkish purple.
The fruits are valued for their great taste, for this reason they are often used in culinary processing. The absolute absence of a bitter aftertaste is especially appreciated. The variety does not require additional shaping or tying. It can be grown both in unheated spring greenhouses and heated winter greenhouses. The total yield is 4 kg/1 m2.
How to grow a variety yourself
When growing the Black Opal variety, traditional planting and care rules are followed : planted in nutritious soil, regularly watered, and loosened the beds.
Other varieties of eggplant:
What is good about the Epic eggplant variety?
Review of the Nutcracker eggplant variety
Early ripening and heat-loving eggplant "Vera"
Growing seedlings
The soil for seedlings should be neutral acidity, moisture-absorbing and loose . They improve the nutritional properties of the soil with the help of compost or ash - one part of these elements is added to the soil. Disinfect with a manganese solution or by freezing in a freezer. Then superphosphate or urea is added to the soil - they saturate the soil and create favorable conditions for sowing seeds.
Before sowing, eggplant seeds are disinfected : placed in a gauze bag and dipped in a solution of the drug “Fitosporin M” for 20 minutes. To improve germination, the material is treated with the Atlet growth stimulator. Plant the seeds in any convenient container.
Eggplants have a compact root system, so seedling boxes or cassettes with trays are suitable for planting . They are made of wood or plastic and are sold at any gardening store. It is easy to care for seedlings when they are all in one container. The main thing is to thoroughly rinse the container before planting and wipe it with a weak solution of manganese.
Pour soil into the container and make grooves 1-2 cm deep , place 2 seeds in each and sprinkle with a layer of soil. Water with warm, clean water and place in a sunny and dry place.
Important! Water the seedlings once every 4-5 days. Two weeks after planting, they are fertilized with liquid organic fertilizer, and after another two weeks - with ammonium nitrate or potassium salt. There should be at least 14 hours of daylight.
Transfer
The bed for Black Opal should be in a sunny and protected from the wind place . If the soil is weak, it is dug up in the fall with the addition of straw cuttings or wood ash. To increase soil fertility, dry manure is added. Then level and water. For eggplant, a bed 30 cm high and 1 m wide is suitable.
The finished seedlings are moistened abundantly the day before planting . Holes are made in the beds at a distance of 50 cm from each other with a depth of no more than 15 cm. Water is poured into the depressions, the seedlings are moved, and sprinkled with earth. The soil is compacted around the root and sprinkled with a layer of mulch or peat chips.
Further care
Black opal eggplants require regular loosening of the beds . The procedure improves the quality of the soil, making it lighter and looser, and more oxygen reaches the roots. Loosen the beds before watering.
Important! Moisten eggplants only with warm water. Water is directed to the root, avoiding contact with leaves and stems. It is recommended to water the plant in the morning or evening so that the moisture does not evaporate in the sun. 1–1.5 liters are consumed per bush.
During cultivation, eggplant needs three feedings. Summer residents alternate mineral and organic fertilizers to maintain nutritional balance :
- The first feeding is organized 15 days after planting. Use ash, nettle infusion, manure or liquid droppings.
- The second is carried out after another 20 days. Mineral complexes are used - “Kemira”, “Zdraven”, double superphosphate, potassium salt.
- The third procedure occurs at the beginning of fruiting. Nitrogen-containing substances are added, as they improve the taste and quality of the fruit.
Care
During the growing season, the following activities are carried out:
- The beds are well mulched - this will free you from loosening and weeding, and will also reduce water consumption for irrigation. Freshly cut grass, straw, sunflower or buckwheat husks, etc. are used as mulch. Grass is good as mulch in an eggplant bed.
- Water once a week with warm water.
- During the period of flowering and fruit growth, every 2 weeks they are fed with potassium fertilizers (for example, potassium monophosphate at the rate of 6 g per 10 liters of water) or liquid organic fertilizer (1 liter of mullein is diluted in a small amount of water, after fermentation it is again diluted in 10 liters of water ) at the rate of 0.5 liters per plant.
- Spray with 0.1% boric acid during the flowering period - this will increase the number of ovaries.
- Excess ovaries are removed (it is optimal to leave 6-8 units), which will make it possible to purchase the largest fruits.
Harvesting and application
Black opal eggplants are harvested at the stage of technical maturity .
During this period, the vegetable does not taste bitter, the flesh is dense and elastic. A glossy shine appears on the fruits, the peel acquires a black-blue tint. Eggplants are cut with garden pruners along with the stalk. For long-term storage, select smooth, small fruits without scratches or dents. There is no need to wash them, just wipe with a dry cloth. Vegetables are packed in a plastic bag with holes and put in a cool place. The optimal storage temperature is +2°C. Eggplants are used to prepare winter preparations : caviar, salads and snacks. They combine harmoniously with herbs and spices, other vegetables and vinegar. The fresh harvest produces delicious dishes that are served as an addition to side dishes and soups.
Invasive diseases of eggplant
Invasive diseases are caused by pests that infect a crop. Below are the indicated eggplant diseases and photos of the affected plants.
1. Nematodes. Very small worms, up to 1 mm in length, penetrating through contaminated soil. They cannot tolerate increased temperatures (they die at 40 degrees), so it is necessary to calcinate the soil before planting the seeds. Also, nematode eggs can be found in seeds, so it is better to carry out thermal disinfection of the seeds.
Nematodes can be of three types:
1) Leaf nematode, when it appears, dry, chaotically scattered spots appear on the leaves; in addition, the leaf nematode is a carrier of some viruses.
2) Stem nematode, affecting the entire plant. The nematode enters the plant through the roots. It releases toxins that clog the channels. The plant may eventually die.
3) Root-knot nematode. It is considered the most dangerous nematode, as it spreads not only through contaminated soil, but also through garden tools and planting containers. In its habitat, on the roots of the plant, swellings with a yellow and then brown color form. Due to these swellings, the roots do not function normally and the plant does not receive nutrients. It is useless to treat nematodes; the only way to get rid of these pests is to dispose of the plant.
2. Whitefly.
This harmful insect looks like a small (up to 1.5 mm) white butterfly. This pest reproduces very quickly, laying tubs of eggs on the inside of the plant leaf. It indicates its presence as follows: the leaves of the crop lose color and shape, a black coating appears on the lower leaves, and eventually fall off, along with the flowers. To combat whiteflies, use insecticides, more than once.
3. Aphids.
A small insect with wings. It feeds on plant sap. It is a carrier of viral diseases. When infected with aphids, the tops of the crop and leaves curl and turn yellow. To combat, just like with whiteflies, use an insecticide.
4. Spider mite.
A very small insect, up to 0.5 mm, loves dry weather. You can find it on the back of the sheet. If an eggplant is attacked by a spider mite, it looks like this: small dark dots appear on the leaves, then the leaves turn yellow and dry out. If infected, damaged leaves must be torn off and the crop treated with insecticides. For prevention, in dry weather, spray eggplants with warm water up to twice a week, but do this so that the leaves have time to dry before the cool night.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Advantages of the Black Opal variety : high commercial quality, fleshy pulp, lack of bitterness. The variety is resistant to crop diseases and tolerates frost and rain. Black opal shows stable productivity and is unpretentious in care. The fruits are used in cooking; they make tasty and healthy winter preparations and vegetable salads.
However, eggplants should not be kept in the garden , otherwise they will lose their taste, become bitter and hazardous to health. Gardeners carefully monitor the sowing time and harvest at a certain time.
Growing eggplant seedlings Black Opal
Even the most successful variety can be ruined by incorrect actions. If you skip important steps in care, the harvest will be bitter and unsightly in appearance, or the plants will die before summer. Therefore, it is worth carefully remembering all the rules for growing this eggplant.
First you need to grow seedlings at home. During this stage, you need to monitor the temperature, lighting, and also moderately moisten the soil. Also, do not forget about feeding the plants so that they are resistant to external factors.
Features of sowing seeds
Nutritious moist soil should be scattered into small cups. Place the seeds at a depth of two centimeters from the surface, 3 seeds per container. When the stems appear, you need to leave only the strongest one and remove the other two. All sprouts should sprout two weeks after sowing.
After another week, you can start feeding the seedlings with special mineral fertilizers.
Lighting
For plants to have bright colors and large leaves, they need a lot of light. A short day with cloudy skies in early spring will not be enough. Therefore, artificial daylight should be used with fluorescent or phytolamps. They should be placed half a meter from the cups, including for 10-12 hours every day
This is especially important for dark apartments with small windows
Watering
Not only the durability, but also the life of the ascending stems depends on soil moisture. You need to be very careful with water, since dry soil will not be nutritious, and seedlings can rot in a swamp
In addition, it is important to pour water into the cups correctly. To avoid the formation of a hard crust, it is better to use a sprayer or watering can with small holes.
Please note! Watering can only be done with settled water at room temperature. The frequency and abundance of watering should be determined by the condition of the soil: it should always be slightly moist, but not wet.
Reviews from gardeners
Black opal is grown by gardeners all over the country.
Here are a few reviews. Dmitry, Volgograd : “Black opal is an excellent variety!
I like its compact size and non-bitter pulp. I harvest at the end of August, make caviar and salads from it. I’ve been using this variety for 5 years now.” Olga, Ufa : “I planted Black Opal in a greenhouse. The bushes grew poorly for the first two weeks, but then they quickly bloomed and the first eggplants appeared. It does not require much time to care for, which is a big plus. And the yield is excellent, 5-7 fruits ripen on one bush.”
Sergey, Novosibirsk : “I planted Black Opal using seedlings. I fertilized the beds and dug them up before planting. Two weeks later I noticed the Colorado potato beetle. We managed to get rid of him. By autumn I got beautiful shiny fruits. There was enough harvest to eat right away and to store for the winter.”
Diseases and pests
The Black Opal variety has excellent immunity, however, due to frequent rains, late blight may appear. Late blight is a fungal disease; the ideal environment for its development is dampness. The fungi first infect the foliage, gradually spreading throughout the plant right down to the fruit. The bush is simply rotting.
The biological agents “Baktofit” and “Fitosporin-M” are effective against fungi. The preparations are used by spraying, diluting with water according to the instructions. If necessary, re-process.
The main pests of eggplants and methods of controlling them:
- Aphids - spray with a solution of the drug "Aktara" 8 g/10 l, the mixture is enough for 10 m², sprayed in calm weather. Traditional methods include garlic infusion, tansy infusion, wormwood and wood ash.
- Colorado potato beetle - if there are a small number of insects, they are removed manually, the treatment is carried out with the preparation “Tanrek”, dilute 1 ml/1 l of water and bring the volume to 10 l.
- Slugs are removed from the area manually; if there is a large concentration of gastropods, the area is sprinkled with metaldehyde, 3 g of the product is used per m². To prevent their appearance, after weeding and loosening, the area can be mulched with pine needles. The prickly material will make it difficult for the mollusk to move, and fragments of nut shells will also be scattered between the rows.
