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Eggplant is a heat-loving and rather “finicky” plant. His “capriciousness” concerns both cultivation conditions and agricultural technology. You can count on abundant harvests only if you choose the right place for the beds, carry out pre-planting tillage and seeds. It is equally important to know how to plant eggplants in open ground – with seeds and seedlings, how to care for them throughout the season.
When to plant eggplant outdoors
Eggplant is originally a southern heat-loving crop. Therefore, they are planted in open ground only when the substrate at a depth of 12-15 cm warms up to 16-18 ° C. By this time, stable warm weather is established, the probability of return frosts is minimized.
When exactly to plant seedlings in open ground is determined, taking into account local climatic nuances. In central Our Country, you can plan the procedure for the last ten days of May or the first days of June. In regions with a more severe climate, you will have to wait until the middle of this month. In the south, eggplants can be planted in open ground already at the “junction” of April-May.
Growing crops with seeds in Our Country is practiced exclusively in the southern regions. Seedlings do not differ in rapid germination and development rates: they have time to ripen in the open ground if planted already in the first decade of April. However, even in the south, by this time, the substrate has not yet had time to warm up. Therefore, the bed on which eggplants are planted must be covered with plastic wrap, turning it into a temporary “greenhouse”.
Harvesting a bountiful harvest, “missing” the timing of planting eggplant, is very difficult
How to plant eggplant outdoors
Eggplant seeds are rarely planted in open ground in Our Country. The growing season of the culture is long (100-160 days), the fruits may simply not have time to ripen. There is also a great risk of reducing the percentage of seed germination due to their planting in insufficiently warmed soil.
Site selection and soil preparation
Eggplants are very warm and photophilous. Therefore, they are planted only in open areas, providing protection from cold drafts and strong winds.
Other criteria to consider when choosing a place for the beds:
- Soil that combines looseness with fertility. The soil must provide normal air exchange. You can’t let moisture stagnate in it.
- Neutral or slightly acidic pH. This indicator must be clarified in advance, if necessary, adjusted in the process of preparing the beds.
- Groundwater at least one meter below ground level.
Bushes tolerate heat and direct sunlight easily if they are provided with sufficient watering.
The bed, where it is planned to plant eggplants in open ground, has been prepared since autumn. The substrate is dug up to a depth of approximately the bayonet of a shovel, while enriching the soil with humus (3-5 l / m²) and introducing complex fertilizer (20-25 g / m²). It is advisable to plant eggplants in open ground after feeding with specialized fertilizers for Nightshade. From folk remedies, sifted wood ash (0,5 l / m²) is used.
In the process of digging, weeds and other debris are removed from the garden.
In the spring, before planting eggplants in open ground, the site must be well loosened with a pitchfork or rake, leveled. They do this when the snow has already melted from the soil, and it dries well.
Selection and preparation of seeds
If a gardener plants an eggplant variety, seeds can be obtained from self-grown fruits. But such planting material also gradually degenerates. Every 3-4 years you need to buy new seeds. Hybrids are unsuitable for generative propagation in principle, specimens grown from seeds do not inherit the varietal characteristics of their “ancestors”.
In stores, seeds for planting in open ground are selected based on:
- fruit ripening period;
- type of cultivation;
- appearance of bushes and fruits, other varietal characteristics (yield, immunity, cold resistance);
- the possibility of cultivation in a certain region.
Before planting eggplants in open ground, the seeds are checked for germination. They are soaked in saline solution (2 tablespoons / l). After 7-10 minutes, specimens in which there are no embryos float to the surface.
The seeds that have passed the rejection are dried and heated for 12-15 days, wrapped in a cloth and placed on a battery.
To improve germination, the seeds are treated with any biostimulant. They are susceptible to many diseases, therefore, before planting them in open ground, dressing in a solution of a suitable fungicide is recommended.
As to whether it is necessary to germinate the seeds, the opinions of gardeners differ. Most are limited to soaking them in clean warm water for a day immediately before planting.
Sowing Rules
Seeds are sown in open ground in furrows previously planned on the bed, well spilled with water. Their depth is a maximum of 1,5 cm, row spacing is 30-50 cm. Seeds are laid out in 2-3 pieces with an interval of 30-40 cm, sprinkled with a mixture of humus and coarse sand, slightly compact the substrate, water the bed again.
A dense polyethylene film is stretched over the arcs. It is removed after about a month, when two true leaves form in the seedlings in the open field.
If more than one eggplant grows in the hole, obviously weak specimens are disposed of
Planting eggplant seedlings in open ground
Seeds for seedlings are planted from the end of February to the 20th of March. The procedure for growing it does not have any specific features; the process follows the algorithm standard for all horticultural crops.
How to choose seedlings
Seedlings are planted in open ground, selected according to the following criteria:
- age at least 70-75 days;
- the presence of 4-5 pairs of true leaves;
- height about 20 cm;
- the main stem is at least 5 mm thick,
- the presence of “rudiments” of lateral shoots.
Buds and flowers on seedlings are not an obstacle to planting them in open ground; on the contrary, their presence is even welcome
Transplanting seedlings into the ground
The bed in which it is planned to plant seedlings is prepared in the same way as for sowing seeds. A few hours before the procedure, holes are dug 12-15 cm deep. An approximate scheme for planting eggplants in open ground or in a greenhouse is 30-40×50-60 cm, but here it is necessary to take into account the dimensions of adult plants indicated in the varietal characteristics.
Eggplants are planted in holes well spilled with water, almost in the “dirt”. If the seeds were sown in peat cups, they are placed in a bed directly with a container, otherwise they are removed from it, trying to prevent the earthen lump from falling apart. Then the hole is covered with soil, lightly tamped and the seedlings are watered again. After the water has been absorbed, it is advisable to mulch the bed on which the eggplant is planted.
The less the roots suffer during transplantation, the faster and more actively the bushes will start to grow.
Outdoor eggplant care
Of all the nightshade eggplant, it is the most demanding to care for. Without having studied in advance the general rules and important nuances of agricultural technology, it is impossible to reap a good harvest. Beginning gardeners will help to get acquainted with the cultivation of eggplant in the open field video:
Watering
Agrotechnics for growing eggplants in the open field provides for a constant moderate humidity of the substrate. The first time the seedlings are watered immediately after they are planted. Then the soil is moistened, after waiting 5-6 days.
Water is always used only settled (or otherwise softened) and heated to 28-30 ° C. Any method of watering is suitable, excluding the ingress of drops of water on the plant. The soil needs to be wetted 20-25 cm deep – the root system of bushes, when they are planted in open ground or in a greenhouse, begins to grow actively, as a result it turns out to be quite powerful.
The approximate interval between watering eggplants after the seedlings are planted in open ground is 5-7 days. In extreme heat and in the absence of precipitation, as well as from the moment fruiting begins, it is reduced to 2-3 days. If the substrate dries out, eggplants that are planted in open ground quickly react to this, dropping flowers, buds and fruit ovaries.
The best option for eggplant is drip irrigation
Feeding
The crop has a fairly high yield, especially in comparison with the dimensions of the bushes. Therefore, it is impossible to grow eggplants in open ground without fertilizers. They need feeding every 2-3 weeks. The first is carried out 10-12 days after the bushes are planted in open ground.
Eggplants respond well to both store-bought fertilizers and folk remedies. But still, it is recommended to give preference to the first, choosing special preparations for Solanaceae – they are distinguished by a balanced composition, take into account the needs of the culture in macro- and microelements. You can also alternate different types of dressings.
The same fertilizers are suitable for eggplants as for other Solanaceae
Weeding and loosening
Ideally, the soil in the beds where eggplant is planted should be loosened after each watering. If not, at least 2-3 times a month. Otherwise, it “sinters” onto the soil surface into a crust that prevents oxygen from reaching the roots. The approximate depth of loosening is 5-7 cm, otherwise their mechanical damage is possible.
Weeding is carried out at the same time. The culture reacts very negatively to the “neighborhood” of weeds, they also become “intermediate hosts” for pathogenic microflora and pests.
Mulching for eggplant is an optional, but very useful agrotechnical measure.
Shrub formation
Many gardeners plant low-growing varieties and hybrids that do not need their “help” to form bushes. The technology for growing medium-sized and tall eggplants in the open field provides for their structuring. It starts from the moment when they grow up to 25-30 cm, and takes place taking into account the following principles:
- Be sure to pinch the top once for more intense branching.
- Cut off all the “stepchildren” at the bottom of the stem.
- On plants that form a lot of buds, cut off one of 3-5 pieces, choosing the least well-located ones. Otherwise, the fruits are very small.
- Mid-season and late varieties of eggplant, as a rule, form tall, intensively branching bushes. It is recommended to “lead” them into 2-3 stems – stepchildren located immediately above the first flower turn into additional shoots. A maximum of 1-2 ovaries are left on them, other flowers are cut off.
“Stepchildren” grow on eggplants not very actively, it is enough to cut them off twice a month
Garter
Only tall varieties and eggplant hybrids need a garter. It is needed by plants both in the open field and in the greenhouse. The latter are more “tall”.
It is most convenient to tie them to trellises of several horizontal rows of twine, the beginning and end of which are fixed by vertical supports. This method prevents mutual shading, all plants receive enough heat and sunlight.
Eggplant bushes are quite fragile, so each branch must be fixed on the trellis. Otherwise, they will simply break under the weight of the fruit.
Fighting diseases and pests
Eggplants, whether they are planted in the open field or in a greenhouse, are prone to diseases, they are often attacked by pests. To reduce the risk of planting infection, the seeds are treated with a fungicide solution. The same preparations are recommended to be used for tillage before planting. To get rid of eggs and insect larvae, deep digging of the beds and its cleaning of plant debris will help.
Eggplants are inspected every 5-7 days during the season for characteristic signs to identify the problem. It is much easier to deal with a disease and an attack of pests at an early stage of development, sometimes it is even possible to get by with folk remedies. In more severe cases, suitable fungicides, insecticides or acaricides are used.
The dosage of drugs, the frequency and method of treatments are determined according to the instructions.
Secrets of growing eggplant in the open field
It is not enough to know how to properly grow eggplant in the open field. To increase the yield and improve the quality of fruits, knowledge of some secrets and important nuances of agricultural technology is required:
- Along the perimeter of the beds and between the rows, it is recommended to plant herbs and other plants with a sharp specific smell. They scare off many pests that are dangerous for them from eggplants.
- If you equip warm beds, eggplants can be planted in open ground 15-20 days earlier than usual. The “service life” of such beds is three seasons.
- It is undesirable to use needles and sawdust of coniferous trees, peat as mulch. This provokes acidification of the soil, eggplants are not able to “pull” nutrients from such soil in the right amount.
- When planting together, eggplants are planted on the south side of taller plants so that they receive enough sunlight and heat.
In spring, the soil on a warm bed warms up faster due to the conversion of organic matter into compost.
Conclusion
Before planting eggplants in open ground (whether with seeds or seedlings), it is necessary to study in advance all the important nuances of agricultural technology. This is a fairly demanding horticultural crop, its yield directly depends on many factors. The most important of them are the choice of a place for a garden bed, pre-planting preparation of soil and seeds, general rules and individual nuances of agricultural technology, prevention of diseases and pest attacks.