Eggplants: growing and caring in open ground, video

Why is it beneficial to grow eggplants?

It is an annual plant with a strong root system located mostly horizontally in the top layer of soil. During drought, large roots can descend to greater depths in search of moisture. The stem is round, green-violet, with a pubescent edge, strong, and never lies on the ground until frost. The flowers are single or in clusters of 3–7 pieces, self-pollinating, which is especially valuable when grown indoors, where there are no pollinating insects. The leaves are powerful, boat-shaped or rounded, with a pubescent edge, green or violet-green in color.

Eggplant is an annual plant with powerful stems.

The shape of the fruit differs among different varieties: it can be cylindrical, round, banana-shaped or pear-shaped. The color indicates the degree of maturity. The young fruit is light purple, then becomes purple, and at the stage of seed maturity it lightens to brown-yellow or light green. Purple fruits with unripe seeds are eaten.

Due to the purple color of the fruit, eggplants received the popular name “blue”. Although today there are hybrids with white fruits.

Useful properties of eggplants

Eggplants hold the record among all crops for molybdenum content. This element helps prevent and treat joint inflammation.

Eggplants also contain:

ascorbic acid, or vitamin C. It is not produced by the body, and a person must receive it daily from food. Without it, scurvy begins, immunity decreases;
a set of B vitamins, which ensure normal metabolism, are involved in hematopoiesis and the functioning of the nervous system;
vitamin PP (nicotinic acid) strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
vitamin A (retinol) – a vitamin for good vision;
Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant, slows down the aging process, and prevents the development of malignant cells;
vitamin K is necessary in protein synthesis for the restoration and regeneration of body tissues;
macroelements: manganese, zinc, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iodine, fluorine, copper;
Eggplant fiber, like other plant foods, stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, absorbs and removes toxins and harmful substances, and reduces cholesterol.

In addition, eggplants help remove excess water from the body, relieve swelling and excess weight, facilitate kidney function, and maintain the elasticity of blood vessels.

Eggplants contain essential elements, vitamins, and nutrients for humans.

General description of eggplant

The plant has thin stems, large leaves that are covered with small spines. Most varieties have green leaves and only a few have purple leaves. The flowering period begins in July and lasts until September.

It blooms in small lilac or purple inflorescences. The fruits can be, depending on the variety of eggplant, white, yellow, red, green, lilac, but most often dark purple.

It is worth noting that eggplant can grow up to 70 cm in length and up to 20 cm in diameter.

Varieties

In the cool conditions of Russia, preference is given to early varieties of eggplant. In the description, it is worth paying attention to an important point - the timing “from germination to the beginning of technical ripeness.” For early varieties it is 85–100 days.

Negus

An early variety, it takes 50–55 days from planting seedlings to ripeness. Fruits up to 200 g, barrel-shaped, narrowed at the stalk and widening at the bottom, purple in color. The bush is 50–60 cm in height, strong, does not require garter. Suitable for fresh consumption and canning. It has a pleasant taste, is well stored and tolerates transportation, and this is a rare property for early varieties. Not a hybrid, you can harvest seeds.

The early ripening of Negus allows the seeds to ripen completely.

Eggplant Negus ripens 50–55 days after planting the seedlings

Faith

The first harvest occurs 95–110 days after germination. From 1 m2 you can collect about 10 kg of fruit. Eggplants are bright purple, pear-shaped, with thin skin and good taste, weighing about 200 g. The bush grows more in height (up to 1 m) than in width. In open ground it is stable in yield, hardy, resistant to pests and diseases.

Eggplant Vera also produces good yields in open ground

Dwarf early

The first harvest comes on the 85th day after germination, the seeds ripen on the 120–130th day. Lots of small (up to 200 g) fruits. This is a table variety with good taste.

It lives up to its name - a dwarf bush up to 45 cm in height.

Hybrid varieties

For the varieties listed above, you can leave seeds to plant them next year, unlike hybrids marked on the package with the F1 sign. They are obtained by crossing two varieties. If you collect the seeds of such plants and plant them, an eggplant will grow with the characteristics of one of the “parents”.

Hybrid seeds need to be purchased every year, but most often this is justified: the yield of such eggplants is approximately 50% higher, they are noticeably more hardy and stronger.

Promising early hybrids for open ground:

Bourgeois F1. Remarkable for its large fruits weighing up to 500 g. They ripen on the 105th day after germination, round in shape, with tender pulp and without bitterness. It bears fruit throughout the warm period, is hardy, resistant to adverse conditions, diseases and pests. Forms a powerful bush;
Eggplant Bourgeois F1 has round fruits
King of the North F1. An ideal variety for cold regions. It has a unique ability to withstand light frosts without damaging the crop, which is completely uncharacteristic for eggplant. The hybrid is productive, you can harvest about 14 kg of fruits per 1 m2. Also suitable for warm regions. The bush does not require garter, is not tall, up to 45–50 cm. The fruits are large, long, banana-shaped, without bitterness. Seed germination is almost 100%. The downside is that long fruits on a low bush often touch the ground. This is undesirable - the color of the fruit changes at the tip and rotting may begin. Therefore, it may be necessary to lay non-woven material or mulch under the bush.
The King of the North F1 eggplant fruits are long, so you need to make sure that they do not come into contact with the ground

Eggplant varieties

There are many varieties bred by breeders on the market. They have both traditional and exotic colors. In addition to dark purple, orange, red, striped and green fruits are offered to humans. They have some differences in taste. Among the large number of varieties, vegetable growers give preference to those eggplants that are suitable for growing in different agroclimatic zones.

Diamond

Most gardeners like it. Those who tried it once will definitely grow it every season. The fruits are cylindrical in shape, about 20 cm long. Weight - from 90 to 200 g. They have a traditional purple color.

Black handsome

It bears fruit best in regions where it is very hot in the summer. The weight of one vegetable reaches 200 g. It has a delicate taste, devoid of bitterness. Eggplant is rarely affected by diseases and is suitable for long-term winter storage.

Epic

A hybrid variety suitable for growing in regions with different climates. The fruits ripen early. The yield level is high. Resistant to attack by pests.

Albatross

Another representative from the Solanaceae family. Blue-violet fruits are covered with shiny skin. The taste is soft and devoid of bitterness. The shape resembles a pear, as it has a shortened length. One eggplant fruit weighs 500 g.

A rich assortment of colors allows you to create dishes on the festive table that resemble a multi-colored palette.

Growing seedlings

Even the earliest varieties of eggplant have a relatively long period from germination to the start of fruiting, so they are grown in seedlings in warm regions, and even more so in central Russia and the North-West.

Seedlings can be grown:

in an apartment if there are windows to the south, southeast and southwest or with artificial lighting with special lamps. Plants simply do not see the light spectrum of ordinary household lighting;
in a heated greenhouse, where there is enough light.

Eggplant is a short-day plant; it needs 12–14 hours of light throughout its growth period.

Eggplant seeds for seedlings are sown in February

When planting, you need to take into account the temperature of the soil and the room where the seedlings will grow:

at a soil temperature of 20–25°C, the seeds will sprout faster, on the 8–10th day, so they can be planted on February 20–25;
at a soil temperature of 13–15°C, the seeds will sprout on the 20–25th day, so it is necessary to plant them early, on February 10–15.

Seedlings are grown in two ways - with and without picking. The first method is suitable when you need to get a large number of seedlings when there is a lack of warm space in early spring.

Growing seedlings with picking

For picking, seeds are often sown in boxes. Leave 3–5 cm between rows, 2–3 cm between seeds in a row. When the seedlings have 2–3 true leaves, they are planted (transplanted) to larger areas with an interval of at least 5–6 cm. By this time it may be warm enough even in unheated greenhouses. The disadvantage of this method is that eggplants do not tolerate transplantation well and will be delayed in growth while they take root in a new place.

After picking, the seedlings are planted in larger containers

Growing seedlings without picking

When you can limit yourself to a small number of seedlings, it is best to plant the seeds immediately in a separate container with a capacity of at least 0.5 liters. When planted in the ground, the plant will hardly hurt and will immediately begin to grow, because it is transplanted with an intact root system and a clod of soil. The disadvantage of this method is that such seedlings take up quite a lot of warm and bright space, which is scarce in February - March.

When growing eggplants in separate containers, they can be transplanted together with a lump of earth

Preparing seedlings for planting

Before planting in the ground, any seedlings must be taken out of warm rooms to the street for hardening. It begins at least 3-4 days before disembarkation. It can be done much earlier if the weather permits and the temperature outside is 12–15°C.

First, the seedlings are kept outside for 1–2 hours, monitoring their condition. It may suffer from strong winds and direct sun. Then it is immediately removed indoors, and hardening continues the next day. The time spent in the fresh air is gradually increased, and just before planting, when it has become warm enough, the plants can be left outside. It must be remembered that 5°C for heat-loving eggplant is almost freezing.

Seedlings are planted in open ground at different times, depending on the climate of the region and temperature conditions. As a rule, in the central zone and in the northwest from May 10, the soil and air are quite warm for eggplant.

Before planting, eggplant seedlings must be hardened off

Video: how to grow eggplant seedlings

Planting in open ground

Growing eggplants is possible only in regions with warm summers long enough for the fruits to ripen.

Eggplants grow well after cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, onions, zucchini, garlic, beans or peas. After potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and physalis, it is not recommended to plant this crop.

Optimal timing

Eggplant seedlings are planted in open ground when the weather is consistently warm outside.

Conditions for planting seedlings:

the soil warmed up to +18 °C;
stable warm air temperature and the exclusion of recurrent frosts.

The optimal time for planting seedlings in open ground is for regions with a temperate climate, early June.

Soil selection and preparation

The most suitable soils for growing eggplants are sandy loam and loamy soils. They can grow on heavier soils, but only after appropriate preparation.

Preparing heavy soils for planting eggplants:

For each square meter of land, add a bucket of humus and peat.
To improve the structure of the soil, add coarse river sand to it (3 buckets per 1 sq. m).

Preparing the soil for planting:

In the fall, dig up the area using a spade.
Apply fertilizers when digging. In autumn, you can use fresh manure - 1 bucket per 1 square meter. m, in the spring - only rotted.
When the snow melts and the soil dries well, loosen it with a rake and level it.
You can add additional mineral fertilizers to poor soils. For 1 sq. m - 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and potassium sulfate, 1 tsp. urea, 2 cups wood ash.

The area for planting eggplants is usually prepared in the fall. But if this was not possible, all preparatory activities are postponed until spring - they are carried out 2-3 weeks before planting the seedlings.

How to choose seeds?

Eggplant seeds are bought in specialized stores or collected independently. The second case is only suitable for varieties; hybrids cannot be propagated in this way.

How to choose seeds in the store:

According to the ripening period. In a climate favorable for eggplants, varieties with any ripening period can be grown - from early to late ripening. But the further north you go, the shorter the ripening period should be. In the northern regions, only early ripening varieties are grown.
By type of cultivation. In unfavorable climates, eggplants are grown only in greenhouses and greenhouses. When buying seeds, pay attention to the information about the method of cultivation - seeds for open ground or indoors.
By appearance. The weight, shape, color and size of the fruit can be judged from the photographs on the seed bags. There are varieties on sale with round and oblong fruits, with white, purple, brown and even orange.
According to the number of seeds in the package. Different manufacturers package seeds differently. It happens that only 10 seeds are placed in one bag.
By germination. Before planting, be sure to check the seeds for germination. Wrap a few seeds in wet gauze and keep in warm water for a day. Place the seeds on a cloth and wet them regularly. If more than 50% of the seeds hatch in 5 days, the material is suitable for planting.

How to choose seedlings?

It is very difficult to choose high-quality eggplant seedlings that are healthy and strong. This culture tolerates transplantation worse than others. This is why eggplants must be grown in separate glasses.

Gardeners who do not trust purchased seedlings grow them themselves. This takes about 70 days, but you can get guaranteed high-quality planting material.

Signs of quality seedlings:

thick stem - from 0.5 cm in diameter;
height – about 20 cm;
number of leaves – 7-8 pieces;
nascent adventitious shoots are visible;
The presence of flowers is welcome.

Planting eggplant seedlings in open ground

When the seedlings reach the required vegetative stage and temperature conditions become favorable, they can be planted in the ground.

Transfer order:

Dig holes in the prepared beds. The distance between the holes depends on the type of eggplant - for spreading bushes, larger intervals are left. On average, the distance between neighboring plants should be 30-40 cm, and between rows - 60 cm.
Water the holes thoroughly. Pour 1 to 3 liters of water into each.
Place the seedling in the hole along with a lump of earth. Try not to damage the roots during replanting.
Deepen the seedling and cover it with soil up to the first leaves. Compact the soil with your hands and mulch. You can use peat, dry grass, straw.

It is recommended to plant eggplants in a checkerboard pattern - this pattern allows the bushes to grow without shading each other.

Planting eggplants in open ground with seeds

The main problem when growing eggplants in most regions of Russia is their requirement for heat and a long growing season. The culture needs from 100 to 160 days to ripen. Therefore, eggplants are grown by planting in the ground mainly in the south of the country.

Eggplant seeds are sown in open ground when the weather is consistently warm. Such conditions usually develop no earlier than May 20-30.

Seeds that will be sown in open ground are calibrated, disinfected, and soaked in a growth stimulator. Immediately before sowing, the seeds are kept for a day in purified water.

Having prepared the seeds, sow them in the ground:

In the bed, loosened and prepared for sowing according to all the rules, make furrows 4-5 cm deep.
Place seeds in the furrows. Place 2-3 seeds together at intervals of 20 cm or more - the distance between neighboring bushes depends on the variety.
Fill the furrows with soil and water them using a sprinkler.
After a week, when the sprouts appear, pinch off the weak ones and leave the strong ones.

Eggplant care

Eggplants require care.

Watering and mulching

In dry weather, eggplants should be watered with warm, settled water. Cold watering causes the roots to “go into a stupor” for a long time and the eggplants stop growing for 7–10 days.

Mulching the plantation when growing eggplants in open ground will save you from drying out and will greatly reduce the need for watering. But the mulch should be dark in color, especially at the beginning of growth, because the earth will not be able to warm up under the light material.

Mulch in the eggplant bed will retain moisture in the soil for a longer period and will prevent the growth of weeds

In mid-summer, the soil is warmed to a greater depth throughout the entire space and light mulch may be more useful than dark mulch. It will protect the surface roots from burning out in hot weather and increase the illumination of the lower tiers of the bushes.

The soil moisture is checked every 5–7 days, and if it dries out, water it (10 liters per 1 m2). Moisturizing is especially important during the period of ovary and fruiting, this directly affects the yield.

Watering can be organized in different ways: manually from a watering can or with a jar from a bucket, drip irrigation. Watering with “spinners” is undesirable. Eggplant, like all nightshades, has a “wet leaf is a diseased leaf.”

When watering eggplants, you do not need to pour water on the leaves.

Top dressing

In cold regions, eggplant needs to be grown “accelerated”, which requires more intensive feeding.

The main elements that eggplant requires:

nitrogen in moderate quantities at the beginning of growth to increase sufficient green mass and ensure rapid growth and ripening of fruits;
phosphorus for better survival of seedlings, development of the root system, and ovary formation;
potassium to increase plant endurance, resistance to temperature fluctuations and cold.

Manganese, boron and iron must be in abundance, so it is advisable to add these elements additionally.

Diagnostics:

Stepping and bush formation

This operation can be divided into two components - mandatory and optional:

Be sure to remove all shoots and leaves below the first ovary when the bush grows to 25–30 cm;
Be sure to pinch the growth points of the bushes a month before the approximate onset of cold weather, cut off the side shoots and tear off the entire small ovary. It will not have time to ripen, but will only waste the plant’s strength.

In open ground, there is no need to form a bush into one stem, letting it grow tall to save space, as in greenhouses. You can let the plant develop naturally without injuring it or leaving open wounds through which infection can enter. Only damaged, unpromising July and later shoots that do not have time to produce a harvest are removed.

With proper pinching, the plant is not overly stripped, but without unnecessary shoots

Next you can:

get 6-7 large fruits from the bush, then all the remaining ovaries and some of the shoots need to be removed;
leave all the ovaries and shoots, getting 15–20 smaller fruits.

The total weight of the crop in both cases will be approximately the same.

Garter

Gartering is rarely required in open ground. Eggplant forms a strong bush and holds its stems and fruits well. But there are certain varieties that require garter when the eggplants touch the ground and can rot. In this case, sometimes it is enough to spread mulch under the bush. If necessary, the bushes should be given additional support.

Eggplant shoots and fruits sometimes require additional support

Video: eggplants in open ground

Properties of eggplant

Eggplant is very widely used in cooking. The most significant beneficial properties of eggplant:

have natural antioxidants;
low calorie content, which is very good for people who are on a diet;
contain a large amount of fiber;
have a positive effect on kidney function;
have a diuretic effect;
do not increase blood sugar levels.

Unusual growing methods

Sometimes eggplants are grown in separate containers - bags, containers, barrels with a volume of at least 5-10 liters. This allows you to keep the plants in greenhouses until the onset of stable heat, and then take them out into the open air, freeing up space for other crops. With such a volume of soil, the eggplant will not exhaust the soil while waiting for warmth. And it can be grown until the end of the season without replanting, and, if desired, replanted by digging planting holes according to the size of the soil and roots in bags. In this case, the plant does not get sick and continues to grow calmly.

Eggplants can be grown in separate large containers

The advantage of this method is that the soil in the container will warm up much faster than in the garden and greenhouse after winter, and this is important for eggplants.

Minuses:

the method is more labor-intensive and expensive than conventional cultivation;
the soil dries out much faster than in the massif, so constant watering is required.

Preparing for sowing

The growing season of the plant lasts 85 - 140 days, but in short summer conditions in many regions it is impossible to wait for mature fruits to appear from seeds, so this crop is best grown from seedlings.

Sowing of seedlings is carried out in loose soil, which includes:

2 parts humus;
1 part lowland peat;
½ part of seasoned sawdust or sand;

Reference! The stage of planting eggplant in prepared soil is an important point, which further determines the yield and the degree of resistance to diseases.

The shoots must not be planted in soil that contains:

Fresh organic matter, since such soil can have an unpleasant effect on the roots of the plant;
Fresh sawdust, since the substances contained in the composition increase the acidity of the soil and add resinous substances to it. Before use, sawdust must be kept until it acquires a dark color, or watered several times with boiling water;
Earth and humus not treated with potassium permanganate, because they may contain pests and pathogens.

You can improve the nutritional properties of the soil with the help of ash, dolomite flour and a complex of mineral fertilizers, which must be added in the amount of 110-155 grams per 10.5 kg of prepared soil.

Planting material must be sorted and soaked for half an hour in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate in order to protect the plants from infections and insects in the future.

After this, the seeds are placed in a solution of boric acid, infusion of manure, wood ash or ready-made growth regulators for 4 or 5 hours. The procedure helps the seeds germinate faster.

Eggplants in a greenhouse

Even in a simple greenhouse without heating, eggplants grow and bear fruit 2–3 times better than in open ground in the most favorable year. Due to the accumulation of solar heat, the soil warms up to a depth 30–45 days earlier than on the street, the enclosed space protects against returning cold, there are no outdoor pests, acid precipitation and cold dew, hail and strong winds cannot harm. At night without sun, the air temperature in greenhouses drops sharply, but the soil cools slightly.

Eggplant seedlings can be planted in unheated greenhouses as early as mid-April, and they can grow until mid-September. The greenhouse provides 150 days of growing season at favorable temperatures even in the North-West, the Far East, the Central region, Ukraine and Belarus.

The care requirements in open ground and greenhouses are almost the same, with the exception of watering. Moisturizing is 100% artificial. Do not forget that in a greenhouse in clear weather in the summer without ventilation, overheating of plants is possible.

A greenhouse is a relatively expensive structure, but good crops can ripen even under the simplest cover

Preliminary basics for getting a good eggplant harvest

Eggplants are superior to other types of nightshades in their love for warmth. Growing this type of plant in the southern regions in open ground conditions is most often carried out by seedlings. It will be productive only when the plants growing in open ground are not damaged by frost. This type of vegetable has a long growing season. Due to this feature, the cultivation of fruits of early ripening varieties takes 2.5-3 months. Eggplants of late varieties are suitable for consumption 4-5 months after germination. It will take about a month for eggplants to ripen to biological ripeness.

Requirements for the site and soil

Eggplants are fertile only in soils that are well lit throughout the day. The dacha plot for this vegetable should warm up perfectly. To increase yields, eggplants are often cultivated under the protection of walls facing south.

Eggplant prefers soil rich in organic matter. Moreover, it does not tolerate stagnant moisture. Cultivation of highly productive specimens in open ground is possible only on light soils. For such plants, you should not allocate areas with dense clay soil or salt licks. This crop cannot be planted in soil with a high groundwater level. Eggplant is a plant with strong roots. Sometimes they grow up to 1.5 m deep into the ground, which will negatively affect it if groundwater is nearby.

We prepare the soil for this vegetable in the fall. Having removed the remains of cultivated and weed plants, we dig up the earth (on the bayonet of a shovel). In the spring we dig up the soil again or at least loosen it deeply. On dry spring days, we moisten the soil as much as possible (50 liters of water/sq. m).

Don't forget about crop rotation

This plant is often grown together with peppers or tomatoes. It is placed only in those places where legumes, cruciferous crops (daikon, radish, cabbage, radish, turnip) or melons grew before it. Good predecessors for eggplants are carrots and onions. Summer residents often forget about the requirements of crop rotation, which is why they do not achieve large yields. But after growing representatives of the nightshade family, the cultivation of eggplants in this place will be unproductive for 2-3 years. During the period of many years of cultivation of this vegetable in those same beds, not only does the yield decrease, but also the risk of diseases caused by fungi and viruses increases.

Pests and diseases

Eggplants have virtually no pests or diseases unique to them. Misfortunes that threaten the crop can also appear on other plants:

blackleg. Fungal disease. The first symptoms are the appearance of a black belt at the bottom of the stem, near the ground. Then the fungus occupies the entire plant, and a gray coating appears on the leaves. And if the fungus completely infects the plant, it dies;
Blackleg can destroy the plant
gray rot. It begins to appear as spots of an unnatural watery color for the leaf, then they become gray-white, the leaf tissue begins to rot and the plant may die.

These fungal diseases develop during prolonged, damp, cold weather. In the sun, the spores and tissues of the fungus dry out. When hot sunny weather sets in, the development of the disease in the first stages may stop.

To combat fungal diseases, there is a group of special preparations - fungicides recommended for use in small gardening:

Topaz;
Zircon;
Fitosporin;
Prestige.

Folk remedies are also used:

dusting with wood ash, which dries the sheet;
spraying with a solution of 1 liter of fermented milk products (kefir, whey, fermented baked milk), 1 tbsp. l. pharmacy tincture of iodine per 10 liters of water. The same remedy can stop late blight and prevent the development of mosaic.

An effective preventive measure is soaking the seeds before planting in a pink solution of manganese and other disinfecting compounds. This ensures that pathogenic flora is not transmitted to the plant with the seeds.

But the most dangerous carriers of diseases are insects. By damaging the plant, they leave open wounds - a “gate” for infection, weaken the plant and reduce its immunity. The main pests of eggplants in open ground are the Colorado potato beetle, spider mites, aphids, ants, and slugs.

The Colorado potato beetle is a real scourge of eggplants at a time when potatoes in neighboring gardens are just beginning to sprout, and eggplant seedlings have already been planted. Then the beetles gather on bushes from all over the area and can quickly destroy them. If the number of seedlings is small, they are protected in the following way:

The bottom and neck of a 1.5-liter plastic bottle are cut off.
The resulting cylinder is cut into two parts.
The cylinder is placed on top of the planted seedlings and slightly deeper into the ground. The eggplant grows behind a round plastic “fence” that no crawling pest can climb.
Eggplants can be saved from Colorado potato beetles using plastic bottles

It is possible to treat eggplants with insecticidal preparations against the Colorado potato beetle, but only in open ground and once per season.

The Colorado potato beetle is the worst enemy of eggplant.

To prevent aphids, it is necessary to destroy all anthills located nearby. Ants spread aphids over plants and then use their waste products as food, so ant aphids will have to be removed repeatedly, unlike other types of aphids. In addition, an anthill under the roots can completely destroy the bush.

Feeding

Organic fertilizers

Today, specialized gardening stores have a large number of different fertilizers in dry and liquid form, but you can make your own manure-herbal fertilizer from finely chopped nettle, dandelion leaves, coltsfoot, and plantain.

You need to collect about 6 kilograms of green mass, adding 10 tbsp. spoons of wood ash and 1 bucket of mullein.

Place the prepared ingredients in a hundred-liter container, add water and mix thoroughly, and then leave the solution alone for a week.

Before use, the healing fertilizer for eggplants must be mixed and the plants being grown should be fed with it, pouring 1 liter of fertilizer under the bush.

Application of mineral fertilizers

For normal growth and fruiting, eggplants need microelements: boron, molybdenum and copper salts.

If there is a lack of phosphorus in the soil, the growth of eggplant slows down - the buds fall off and the ovaries do not develop.

With a nitrogen deficiency in the soil, the growth of vegetative organs slows down.

A lack of potassium inhibits the growth of eggplants and leads to the appearance of brown spots.

The first feeding after planting eggplant seedlings in unprotected soil is carried out 2-3 weeks later.

At the beginning of the growing season, to feed eggplants, take 20 g of urea, 15 g of superphosphate and potassium chloride per 10 liters of water.

After the start of fruiting, the above doses for feeding are increased by 2 times.

Mistakes when growing eggplants

Sometimes eggplants grow clearly poorly:

the bush does not grow green mass, the color of the foliage is pale, with a yellowish tint;
flowers fall;
a small ovary appears, but then falls off;
There are few fruits and they are small.

It is necessary to look for reasons in violation of the rules of care, soil quality, symptoms of diseases and the presence of pests. We must also remember that cold weather can cause problems. The normal temperature for eggplant development is 25–30°C. At night temperatures of 8–10°C and daytime temperatures of 14–16°C, it will not be possible to squeeze a harvest out of a chilly eggplant.

You should also avoid the following mistakes:

planting in the shade, dense planting, more than 4–5 bushes per 1 m2. The bush is poorly lit and not ventilated, the shaded foliage turns yellow, the fruits do not turn purple, they rot, there is a high risk of fungal diseases and mold;
uneven watering. Abundant moisture after significant drying out of the soil will lead to cracks appearing on the fruits, they will stop growing and begin to deteriorate. Watering with cold water is unacceptable;
excess nitrogen in the soil (manure, nitrogen fertilizers). At the time of planting seedlings, this will lead to the fact that the plant will drive away the green mass (fatten) with a small harvest;
unsuitable land. Eggplant needs loose, fertile soil; it grows poorly on heavy, dense loams and scanty sandstones.

Disease Prevention

It is important to treat the plant and soil with fungicidal preparations to avoid the appearance of fungus. The main causes of problems with growing eggplants are bacterial and viral diseases:

mosaics (cucumber, tobacco, ordinary);
stolbur;
spotting;
necrosis;
rot (white and gray);
blackleg;
late blight

This is a list of the main diseases of eggplants that appear as a result of violation of the rules of agricultural technology. Preventive actions will help make caring for plants easier. It all starts with preparing the seeds for sowing (hardening is described above). Immediately before sowing, the material must be treated. To do this, it is immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate (pale color) for 20-25 minutes. Additionally, the mail should be processed (warming in the oven and treating with drugs).

Harvest and storage

The first ripe fruits may appear within 25–40 days after flowering. Then the next part of the harvest can come every 4-7 days.

The fruit has a strong stalk; it is cut with pruning shears, large scissors or a knife; in extreme cases, it is twisted by hand, rotating around its axis until the stalk breaks off. The leg is left 3–5 cm long.

Eggplants are cut with a knife or scissors

Dry fruits are stored well in cool and shade because they have a hard peel. Lay them out in 1-2 layers. After 2–3 weeks of such storage, the eggplants can be sorted out, discarding spoiled and soft ones, the rest can be spread on a layer of dry straw or shavings in a cool place, perhaps in a dry basement. This way, fresh eggplants can be stored for another 2-3 months.

During storage, eggplants should always be protected from light with a dry cloth, because in the light they produce harmful solanine, the same as in green potatoes. But at high humidity and temperature, the fruits cannot be stored for a long time, and they need to be processed within 2-3 weeks after collection.

Sowing eggplant seeds and growing seedlings in a snail

Planting seeds in a snail is an easy way to grow eggplant seedlings at home, which allows you to save space in your apartment.

Step by step sowing process:

On a substrate (for example: polyisol), measuring 12-15 mm wide, the length depends on the number of seeds, roll out a roll of 4-layer toilet paper;
Next, the prepared soil is poured without going beyond the dimensions of the substrate;
The soil is well shed with warm (50 °C) water with a solution of potassium permanganate;
The roll is then carefully wrapped without compressing too much;
The resulting snail is secured with an elastic band, tape or any fastener;
The soil is trimmed so that approximately 1.5 cm remains to the end of the substrate;
Using a damp toothpick, the seeds are laid out in a circle and sprinkled with 0.5 cm of soil;
Spill liberally with the same solution;
The snail is placed in a plastic bag, which is tied, but so that air remains there;
Place in a warm, dark place;
After the sprouts appear, the bag with the snail is opened and placed in a bright place.