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“Vegetable of centenarians”, as eggplant is respectfully called in the East. Those who have been to Turkey and the Caucasus know that eggplants are an obligatory meal on the tables in these countries. The national cuisine of the East has more than a dozen eggplant dishes in its arsenal. Variety cooked vegetable has a wonderful taste. The benefits for the body are simply huge, thanks to the rich composition of vitamins, trace elements, and fiber. Vegetables can be consumed without restrictions on age and health status. Of particular benefit to the elderly and pregnant women.
Variety of varieties and hybrids
The work of breeders brings gardeners a result in the form of an unprecedented number of varieties and hybrids of vegetables, diverse in properties, appearance, color and shape of fruits. And many are lost in a sea of varieties and hybrids. Choose vegetables that are suitable for growing in your climate zone and with the properties that you want to get, read carefully the descriptions of the varieties from the producers. There are varieties and hybrids that are completely uncharacteristic of the eggplant shape and color of the fruit, and they have excellent taste. For example, white eggplant fruits are not bitter at all, as they have a low solanine content and do not have seeds. All of these properties are possessed by eggplant Delicate F1. The fruits of the plant are of an elongated cylindrical shape, more than 20 cm long. Which is convenient in cooking. The dense pulp of the fruits of the Gentlest variety has a pleasant delicate taste.
Cultivation
Eggplant Delicate – a hybrid. Hybrids do not produce seeds, but are more resistant to diseases and adverse conditions. The plant is suitable for growing in greenhouses, greenhouses, in the open field, if only you take measures for additional protection from temperature extremes. To do this, it is necessary to put arcs and pull covering material over them: agrofiber or plastic film. Otherwise, during the cooling period, the Gentlest eggplant will freeze in growth, and it will become extremely difficult to wait for the fruits.
Selection and germination of seeds
Growing eggplants Gentle begins with the selection of seeds. Manufacturers claim that eggplant seeds remain viable for up to 8 years. The statement is not entirely true, each year of storage reduces the percentage of germination. Therefore, when buying seeds, check the date of their production.
Calibrate the seeds before planting. Divide them, during visual inspection, into large and small. Or place in a saline solution (1 tablespoon of salt per 0,5 liters of water). Those seeds that sink to the bottom, sow, and those that have surfaced, no, we do not throw them away, but sow them separately. What do these manipulations give you? And the fact that your seedlings will turn out to be even, taller plants will not drown out the lower ones.
And one more step in the pre-sowing preparation of seeds: their germination.
Place the seeds on moistened gauze, cotton pads, or other non-woven material. Wait until seedlings appear, then the seeds can be planted in the ground. Don’t let the seeds dry out. All pre-planting actions reduce the time of emergence of seedlings. Eggplants have a very long growing season, respectively, and the seedling period is also long. The older the seedlings of the Gentle eggplant, the higher the yield of plants. If the seedlings are 80 days old, then the yield will be 50% higher than that of eggplants, the seedlings of which were planted at 60 days of age.
Planting and caring for seedlings
Eggplants The most tender do not like to be disturbed. Therefore, it is better to do without picking seedlings. Plant the seeds immediately in separate containers, for example, in peat cups. Place the germinated seeds of the Gentlest in the soil to a depth of 0,5 cm. 2 seeds in one recess. Then, remove the least viable plant.
Seedling care is to provide lighting and regular watering of plants. Seedlings of the Gentle hybrid develop correctly if the daylight hours are 10 – 12 hours. With more illumination, the green mass of seedlings develops violently to the detriment of the future harvest; with less illumination, the seedlings do not grow. If necessary, illuminate the plants with lamps. The lack of regular watering acts on plants as stress, which again will not be reflected in the best way on the crop of the Gentlest variety. Water for irrigation take warm +24 degrees.
Landing in the ground
Before planting in the ground, prepare the plants for changing temperature conditions. Start hardening seedlings 2 weeks in advance. You can treat plants with growth stimulants: “Bud”, “Epin”, “Etamon”, “Kornevin” and others. Observe crop rotation. Eggplant grows best after: carrots, onions and cabbage. Bad harvest after: potatoes and tomatoes.
It is possible to plant the Gentlest variety in the ground when the soil warms up to +20 degrees, and when the threat of frost has passed. Usually this is the period of late May – early June. Too late planting of seedlings leads to the fact that the seedlings of the Gentlest variety outgrow and immediately fall into extreme conditions of high temperatures. Which again does not work well. Seedlings adapt for a long time, which significantly delays the timing of the harvest.
The most tender eggplant hybrid has a bush height of 40 to 140 cm. In the open field, plants are always lower than their counterparts grown in greenhouses. Follow the planting pattern 40×50 cm. So that the plants have enough space for development and do not obscure each other. The development and fruiting of eggplant depends on the level of illumination. Tips for growing eggplant, see the video:
Watering and feeding
Other factors for obtaining a rich crop of the Gentle hybrid are regular watering and top dressing. Don’t let the soil dry out. To reduce the frequency of watering, it is recommended to cover the topsoil with mulch: straw, peat, sawdust or modern materials: black agrofiber or vermiculite.
Pay due attention to plant nutrition. Every 2 – 3 weeks, feed eggplants with the most delicate mineral and organic fertilizers alternately. The first dressing of the planted seedlings should take place in 2 weeks. Before fruit set, do not feed the plants with organic fertilizers that cause rapid growth of green mass to the detriment of fruit formation.
Harvesting
The tenderest eggplants are harvested half-ripe. In eggplants of white color, ripeness is determined by the size of the fruit and the presence of a glossy sheen. Eggplants are best eaten freshly picked, as the fruits are not stored for a long time and some of the useful properties are lost during storage.
Try new eggplant hybrids and varieties. Most often they have the best nutritional properties and are less capricious when grown.