Contents
Eggplants in domestic gardens are not so common: this culture is very thermophilic and has a long growing season. Not all regions of Our Country can boast of a climate suitable for growing eggplant, because this vegetable from the nightshade family needs a long and warm summer. The way out of the situation was greenhouses, greenhouses, selection of early ripening blue varieties and, of course, intensive plant nutrition – all this contributes to the early ripening of fruits and an increase in yield.
You can learn about how to feed eggplants in the open field, what fertilizers to use for this, from this article.
What do the blue ones feed
Fertilizers for eggplant should be complex, this crop loves the combination of mineral supplements with organic. It is necessary to fertilize the little blue ones often and plentifully; on poor soils, top dressing is applied almost every week.
The most important trace elements for eggplant, as well as for other nightshade vegetables, are the following substances:
- Nitrogen, which is necessary for the growth of green mass, the rapid growth of eggplant, the ripening of fruits;
- Phosphorus blue ones are needed for better adaptation, because it promotes the development of the root system, improves the suction ability of roots, and also stimulates the formation of ovaries and the ripening of blue ones;
- potassium increases the immunity of plants, thanks to it, eggplants can better tolerate temperature fluctuations, staunchly resist diseases and viruses, it is also needed for the growth and development of bushes;
- Boron, manganese and iron necessary blue for the emergence of new inflorescences, the formation of ovaries, improving the taste and appearance of the fruit.
You need to make up for the deficiency of these microelements regularly by feeding eggplants with purchased mineral supplements or organic compounds.. But in order to correctly draw up an eggplant feeding scheme, you need to know which fertilizers contain the substances needed at this stage of development.
So, You can find trace elements in such mineral supplements:
- Superphosphate is able to simultaneously compensate for the deficiency of three components: phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.
- Nitrophos or nitroammophos have almost the same composition as superphosphate, only the dosage of certain components (potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus) may differ.
- Ammonium sulfate consists of nitrogen and sulfur. This fertilizer should not be used by those whose plot is located on soils with high acidity, since sulfur acidifies the soil even more.
- Potassium saltpeter consists of potassium and nitrogen.
It is quite possible to replace chemical fertilizers with organic matter, but it is much more difficult to calculate the dose of substances needed by eggplants, but organic dressings are better absorbed by plants and are safer for humans.
Eggplants can be fed with the following organic compounds:
- cow dung;
- bird droppings;
- humus;
- compost
It is absolutely impossible to use fresh manure or chicken manure, since the nitrogen content in such fertilizers is extremely high – eggplants will grow strongly, instead of forming ovaries and fruits, plants will begin to increase green mass.
In order not to burn the roots of eggplant, organic fertilizers are pre-infused and diluted with water. They are brought in together with watering or immediately after irrigation of blue ones.
Ways to feed eggplant
As a rule, blue ones are fertilized only with root dressings, that is, they bring the necessary components directly into the soil. This method contributes to the rapid absorption of trace elements by the eggplant root system, while there is no danger of burning leaves or fruits with concentrated fertilizers.
It is necessary to prepare top dressing strictly following the instructions. It is recommended to dilute trace elements with water at room temperature – about 22-24 degrees. If fertilizer gets on the stems or leaves of eggplant, it should be washed off with clean water as soon as possible.
Foliar top dressing for eggplant is rarely used, basically, plants have enough conventional fertilizers applied to the soil. But on poor soils, additional plant fertilizer may be needed, it is performed by spraying a nutrient solution on blue bushes.
It is necessary to prepare a solution for foliar dressings correctly: the amount of water should be several times greater than when preparing a concentrate for root fertilizer. Each plant needs about a liter of diluted fertilizer.
With insufficient flowering and poor formation of ovaries, you can irrigate eggplant bushes with a solution of boric acid, dissolving 1 gram of the substance in a liter of water. The blue ones are processed twice with an interval of 10 days.
With a weak increase in green mass, eggplant bushes can be treated with a solution of urea, if, on the contrary, there is too much greenery, blue ones are irrigated with a preparation containing potassium.
It is important to understand that all foliar top dressing of blue ones must be carried out with solutions with a much lower concentration than root ones. Otherwise, you can just burn the plants.
Eggplant feeding scheme
For the entire growing season, blue ones will have to be fertilized at least four times. BUT, if the land on the site is depleted, then the amount of top dressing increases – Eggplants need to be fertilized every 10-14 days.
Feeding blue seedlings
While the plants are in the seedling state, they need to be fed at least twice:
- The first time fertilizers are applied under the blue ones when the first pair of true leaves is formed on the seedlings. As a rule, this period falls on the dive stage of the blue ones. This means that plants are in dire need of nitrogen and potassium, those trace elements that contribute to the growth of seedlings and its better acclimatization in a new environment. Even when seedlings are grown in individual containers, and there is no dive stage, eggplants with two leaves must be fed with the same compositions.
- The second time, “support” for the blue ones is needed 10-12 days before the intended transplantation into open ground or into a greenhouse. In addition to nitrogen and potassium, phosphorus should now also be present in the fertilizer. Phosphorus promotes the development of the root system, which is very important at the stage of planting seedlings, because heat-loving blue ones often stop growing after transplanting into the ground due to damage to the roots. Thanks to timely fertilizers, eggplants will be ready for planting – their roots will become strong and healthy.
Top dressing eggplant after planting in the ground
After the seedlings have been taken out into the ground, eggplants are fed at least three to four more times.
The scheme of these dressings looks like this:
- Plants are fertilized for the first time no earlier than two weeks after planting in the ground. Only after 10-14 days the roots of the plant will get stronger enough to be able to take in nutrients. At this stage, eggplants need nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, that is, superphosphate can again be used.
- When the first flowers begin to appear, the bushes need to be fed a second time. At this stage, plants still need nitrogen, but they will need twice as much potassium and phosphorus than in the previous top dressing. As a fertilizer, you can use humate or tuks containing only one mineral component.
- The third top dressing is needed for eggplants at the stage of formation of ovaries and fruits. They now need only phosphorus and potassium. Additionally, you can treat the bushes with ashes or use other folk remedies, such as herbal infusion or yeast.
- The last time the blue ones are fertilized at the stage of mass ripening of fruits, this top dressing is aimed at prolonging fruiting. You need to use the same potassium and phosphorus.
Results
Fertilizing eggplant is practically no different from feeding tomatoes, these related crops are supported by the same microelements, the use of organics is also acceptable (whereas, for example, bell pepper does not tolerate manure).
In order for the plants to be healthy and the harvest to be large, you should choose sunny areas with nutritious and breathable soils for eggplants, do not plant this crop after potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, protect it from diseases and feed it in time.
