Eggplant albatross - characteristics and description of the variety

Updated: March 9, 2019

The birthplace of vegetables is India. In its homeland, the plant is considered a perennial. Until recently, eggplant deliveries across Russia were carried out from the Caucasus and Ukraine.

Modern breeding geniuses have developed varieties that can be grown in more severe climatic zones. Due to their taste, eggplants are widely used in cooking. Therefore, many gardeners are trying to grow vegetables in their gardens.

Eggplant albatross: characteristics and description of the variety

The variety is valued for its suitability for rare harvests. The 'Albatross' variety is represented by compact plants, 40–58 cm in height. The leaves are green, medium-sized, oval-pointed. The petiole is green. The calyx is spinous and green. The corolla is purple.

The fruit is abbreviated pear-shaped, length (at technical ripeness) 9–14 cm, width 7–12 cm, weighing 252–352 g. The color at technical ripeness is light purple, at biological ripeness it is brownish-brown.

Since eggplants love warmth, the most optimal way to grow them is in a greenhouse. At the same time, it is still necessary to know the agrotechnical features of growing crops.

the correct choice of variety properly influences a good harvest;
the greenhouse space must be equipped with windows for air circulation;
when growing crops in the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia, the greenhouse must be equipped with a heating system to maintain a favorable temperature;
the light regime for the crop is 12 hours, if necessary, daylight lamps are installed;
the plant is watered with water at least 24 degrees;
planting is carried out in fertile and loose soil;
regulation of fruiting - during flowering, excess buds are removed;
feeding the plant with fertilizers.

Short description

Eggplant "Albatross" has the following positive qualities compared to other varieties:

rapid germination of seeds;
disease resistance;
beautiful pear-shaped fruit (see photo);
rich yield.

The eggplant fruits themselves are dark purple in color, they are quite large and heavy. Below is a table of the main characteristics of the variety. With its help, you can easily determine whether this variety can be grown in the conditions of your region.

Characteristic name	Description
Ripening period	Mid-season variety, 135 days from the appearance of the first shoots to maturity.
Taste and commercial qualities	Excellent, keeps for a long time.
Resistance to viruses and diseases	Resistant to most diseases, including cucumber and tobacco mosaic viruses.
Fruit size	The average length is 20 centimeters, the weight of the fetus ranges from 200 to 250 grams.
Fruit and pulp color	The fruit is dark purple, the flesh is slightly greenish.
Description of the bush	Tall, closed, height up to 70 centimeters.
Care requirements	Weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing is required.
Description of sowing scheme	60x25, wider possible; There are 4 plants per 1 square meter.
Features of growing the variety	They are most often grown in greenhouses, since the ripening period is quite long; they can be planted in open ground only in the south of Russia, where cold snaps are excluded.
Productivity per 1 sq. meters	6-8 kilograms.

Important! Albatross eggplant is a varietal plant; you can re-harvest it by collecting seeds from ripe large fruits.

Growing seedlings

Eggplants begin to be sown from January to March, in small boxes. Cover the container with film and place it on the windowsill for germination. Eggplant sprouts are planted if there are 2 main leaves. Each plant has its own container. The sprout is removed carefully, along with a lump of earth, so as not to damage the root system.

Important: Large seedlings take root best!

Approximately 6–7 days before the intended planting, seedlings should begin to harden. To do this, they take it out onto the balcony for the day and bring it into the apartment in the evening.

Planting a crop

Vegetable crops are grown in a checkerboard pattern so that per 1 sq. m. there were no more than 4 bushes. The best time to plant is evening. To ensure that the plant is easily removed from the container, 1 hour before planting, it is spilled with water.

A handful of humus and ash are added to the prepared depressions. Pour in a slightly pinkish solution of manganese. The plant is lowered along with the ground, covered with soil and compacted. Then it is watered again.

Planting eggplants after tomatoes and peppers is not allowed. Eggplants are a very finicky crop and do not like nearby neighbors. If there is very little space, then you can plant greens and onions along the edge.

Eggplants need feeding throughout the entire growth period. If fertilized incorrectly, few fruits appear and they grow small. To obtain a rich harvest, you need to add nutrients that you can buy or prepare yourself according to folk recipes.

Causes of stunting . Eggplants can grow poorly for many reasons. To ensure that the harvest does not disappoint, gardeners should not make the following mistakes:

Care

If you read the description of the variety on the packaging, it turns out that it is resistant to diseases and temperature changes. Yes, “Albatross” is quite resistant to cold, but do not forget that eggplant is a southern crop. The variety is demanding to the following conditions:

the soil should be loose (it needs to be weeded and loosened often), moderately moist;
You cannot keep eggplants in a completely wet environment, this will lead to rotting;
there should be a lot of sun (he also doesn’t really like partial shade, as well as cramped conditions when planting);
Eggplant loves fertilized soil, so fertilization should be done several times a season (3-4 times).

The video below talks about crop care in general, about pinching and common mistakes gardeners make.

This crop is demanding, rather capricious, and residents of regions north of the Black Earth Region face a lot of problems when growing both seedlings and adult plants.

How to fertilize?

It is recommended to feed eggplants that are transplanted into the garden 4 times with mineral fertilizers, even in the absence of a lack of nutrients. You can feed eggplants more often (every 12 days) if the soil is very poor.

Fertile soil needs to be fertilized less often so as not to overdo it. The first fertilizing after transplantation is required when the root system is completely strengthened. The plants need to be fertilized a second time after the ovary appears, using potassium and phosphorus. The following composition helps well: superphosphate - 60 g; potassium chloride - 30 g.

The ingredients are dissolved in a bucket of warm water. The third time potassium sulfate is used. Organic fertilizers are also suitable. The fourth feeding is necessary to extend the fruiting period. It is necessary to increase the application of potassium fertilizers. It is advisable to carry out all fertilizing before the beginning of the fruiting period.

At the beginning of fruiting, eggplants grown in greenhouse conditions require nitrogen and potassium. If the development of vegetables is delayed, then you can make 2 more mineral supplements. If the greenhouse has drip irrigation, then it is advisable to add a weakly concentrated solution every week.

Manufacturers produce a huge line of special mineral fertilizers that are quite effective.

Organic fertilizers

Fertilizers with an organic composition are very useful to apply during the flowering phase. They are found in ash, horse and bird manure.

Chicken droppings

Chicken manure is diluted in water (1:20). Apply it under the bushes once every 15 days. The action is comparable to complex mineral fertilizers. Contains potassium, nitrogen, bacteriophages, which allow simultaneously disinfecting the soil.

Mullein is dissolved in the same way as chicken droppings. After fertilizing, the soil is mulched with compost and straw. Both types of organics are combined with other components. The ash is used independently. It is enough to infuse 1 glass of fertilizer in 8 liters of water for at least 3 days. The solution is suitable for root feeding and irrigation of plant foliage. It is an active soil deoxidizer.

Yeast

Yeast is used when growing seedlings. They should be used in the third week after planting the plant on the ridge. To prepare the fertilizer, 30 g of dry product per bucket of warm water is enough. Can be used after 2 hours. The composition contains nitrogen, phosphorus and B vitamins.

It is useful to use green plants as fertilizers. They contain a lot of potassium and nitrogen. During the entire period of growing fruits, you can additionally make yeast supplements, but there should not be more than four of them. It is useful to alternate organic fertilizers with mineral ones.

Eggplant is a plant that requires regular feeding . Untimely and insufficient application of fertilizers can instantly cause harm to a delicate vegetable. It is not recommended to plant them on beds where tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers previously grew. The soil recovers from these plants within three years.

Diseases and pests

Unfortunately, the Albatross is not immune to the following diseases:

Blackleg may appear on vegetables due to overwatering. The soil and air become too wet and this causes fungal infection on the shoots. The root collar of the plant darkens and the roots themselves may be affected. The seedlings wither and die. Prevent this disease by maintaining regular watering schedules and monitoring soil moisture levels.
Late blight is also a fungal disease and is spread by fungal strains living in the soil. The appearance of this infection, as in the case of blackleg, is promoted by excessive humidity. In conditions of dry air and sunny warm weather, late blight does not develop. When eggplants suffer from this fungus, the lower leaves are covered in brown spots. Depending on weather conditions, the infection spreads faster or slower to all other plant organs, including fruits.

Late blight

Gray rot . As its name suggests, it is a greyish-like coating on the leaves, stems and fruits of eggplants. It arises from the remains of contaminated plants in the soil and is activated at a temperature of 20 degrees and high humidity. Gray rot first affects the root part of the vegetable, gradually rising up the stem towards the fruit. The fruits become covered with brown spots and begin to rot. If the fungus infects the ovary, it turns black and dies.
with mosaic during diving. This disease manifests itself as uneven, mottled leaf color. After some time, the leaves shrink and die completely. Fruits affected by mosaic virus are irregular in shape and very small. This infection is also spread from the remains of infected plants that remain in the soil or are carried by insects, particularly aphids.
Stolbur is more typical for field conditions than for growing greenhouse eggplant. The leaves of infected vegetables acquire an unusual shade for them and wrinkle, as if they are corrugated. There are cracks on the stems, the internal tissues of the plant harden, and the emerging flowers do not form ovaries and fall off. If the fruit grows on bushes, it is malformed and not suitable for consumption. The source of the disease is phytoplasma organisms, which are carried by lichen insects. The peak probability of plant infection is summer and early autumn, the hot period.

Stolbur

Slugs that appear in the garden beds can simply be collected. But if there are too many of them, after loosening the soil, scatter the following mixture between the rows: lime + ash + tobacco dust in proportions 1:2:1.

You can fight insects that harm vegetables with the help of insecticides. It is advisable to choose substances that decompose quickly and cause minimal damage to plants and soil.