Contents
Eggplant is a wonderful vegetable, tasty, healthy and surprisingly beautiful. The variety of taste, shape, color and aromas is striking in its diversity. But many summer residents refuse to grow eggplants themselves, preferring to buy them on the market. This is explained by some “difficulties” in growing crops. In fact, the cultivation of “blue” has its own rules. If you follow the recommendations, then the gratitude of eggplant will justify all efforts.
Experienced gardeners believe that only the seedling method of growing eggplant provides a decent harvest. Many people buy ready-made seedlings, but the majority of vegetable lovers grow their own.
After all, it is not always possible to find the variety that attracted your attention. Therefore, we will consider the main nuances of the technology for growing eggplant seedlings.
Stage one – choose eggplant seeds for seedlings
The choice of seeds is not only exciting, but also a very important activity for eggplant lovers. You need to determine what type of eggplant you prefer – varietal or hybrid. If you are not going to harvest seeds for next year from your garden, then hybrids are quite suitable. And when you want to save the vegetable you like from the garden, it is better to buy the usual varietal eggplant for seedlings.
Hybrid seeds are of higher quality, but do not have the ability to maintain their parameters for the next planting year. But ordinary seeds will pass on all the signs to offspring. The choice is yours.
The abundance of varieties pleases, but you should follow the basic rules for choosing seed material. You need to pay attention to the following parameters:
- Productivity. High-yielding species are usually more demanding on growing conditions. Therefore, clearly find out what conditions the variety and its seedlings need. If you can always provide watering, mulching or nutrition, then you will not be able to radically change the composition of the soil. A low-yielding variety is less demanding, it is easier to care for, and in the end it may turn out to be more productive than a high-yielding counterpart.
- Endurance. This parameter refers to the resistance of the plant to climatic changes, diseases, pests and violations of the requirements of agricultural technology. We will have to take this into account also because in recent years anomalous weather phenomena and climate change in the regions have become more frequent. Choose resistant varieties with fewer benefits. They will be more fit.
- keeping quality. Also not the last criterion for eggplant grown through seedlings. Some species are able to persist for a long time without losing their nutritional qualities.
Another important criterion that must be taken into account when choosing an eggplant variety for seedlings is compliance with the cultivation zone or zoning. Such eggplant seeds planted on seedlings will give a guaranteed harvest.
In conclusion, carefully read the description of the variety, the name of the manufacturer, read the reviews of summer residents well.
Stage two – determine the date of sowing
The question “When to plant eggplant for seedlings?” Is not at all idle. Many indicators depend on the chosen time, including the yield of eggplant. Summer residents use simple calculations and recommendations of the lunar sowing calendar. The countdown is made from the date of planting seedlings to a permanent place of residence.
We are counting on when to plant eggplants in 2022 for seedlings. The lunar calendar allows you to find out when planting eggplant seedlings will be the most successful.
Eggplants are heat-loving vegetables, the cold is unpleasant for them. Therefore, we will take May 10, 2022 as the calculation date. We continue to count. Seedlings are planted at the age of 65-70 days. We subtract this number from the date of May 10, we get the beginning of March (from 1 to 6). It is also necessary to subtract the period for which the first shoots appear (from 5 to 10) and we will get the February days from 19 to 24.
If in the region where you live, the threat of frost passes later, then the calculation is made taking into account this indicator. Choose the desired date of disembarkation and count back all the listed dates.
Let’s start sowing seeds
First of all, we will prepare the container and the soil mixture so that the seeds have a place to plant.
Soil requirements for eggplant seedlings are:
- fertility;
- ease;
- looseness;
- acid neutrality.
To provide the soil with all these parameters, we prepare the mixture as a percentage:
- peat – 60;
- sod land – 10;
- humus – 20;
- sawdust or sand – 5;
- biohumus — 5.
Another suitable option for summer residents with black soil on the site is equal parts of the land from the garden, purchased soil for seedlings, sand. By adding vermiculite, ensure yourself an excellent result.
The next step will be the preparation of landing tanks. Here the fantasies of gardeners have no limits. In addition to ordinary cups and pots, peat tablets, cassettes, laminate substrate, and toilet paper are used. Each method is good in its own way, but they all have disadvantages.
Preparing eggplant seeds for sowing. If you have processed seed material, then there is no need for preparation. Ordinary seeds need to be processed independently:
- soak in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes;
- rinse with water;
- place in a nutrient solution for a day (for 1 liter of water, 1 tablespoon of wood ash and mineral fertilizer);
- transfer eggplant seeds for germination.
Improve germination and frost resistance of seeds for seedlings by hardening. To do this, the seed material is moved several times after the nutrient mixture to the refrigerator and back to the room. At this time, the seeds should be moderately moist and then immediately planted in the soil mixture.
In each container filled with moistened soil, place one seed. There are recommendations to moisten the soil mixture for eggplant seedlings with melted snow.
The results justify the expectations of gardeners.
Raising healthy seedlings
Caring for seedlings is simple, but requires the implementation of all points. The most important of them:
Temperature conditions
After the seeds fall into the ground, the container must be covered with polyethylene. But as soon as sprouts appear, it is important to lower the air temperature so that the root system of eggplant seedlings develops well.
It is optimal to keep + 17 ° in the daytime at + 14 ° at night. After the appearance of the first leaves, the temperature is increased. The daytime indicator is + 25 °, at night we leave the same. This is necessary to prepare seedlings for open ground conditions.
Lighting
Seedlings need light, although eggplant is considered a short-day plant. If you provide artificial lighting for 12 hours, this will be enough for the first three weeks. Then they make additional lighting so that the sprouts do not stretch out and the eggplant budding phase begins earlier.
Watering
Water for irrigation is taken at room temperature. It is better to use a humidifier sprayer. So, you will avoid washing out the eggplant seeds and do not damage the roots of the seedlings. Drying out of the soil is highly undesirable for eggplant seedlings, so keep an eye on its moisture content. Water is used rain or settled during the day.
Feeding
Not all summer residents feed eggplant seedlings. But if this is necessary, then the nutrition schedule will be as follows:
- First. Without diving seedlings a week after the appearance of sprouts. With a pick 12 days after planting. Use compositions with a high percentage of phosphorus (Yellow Crystal) in a ratio of 1 tbsp. a spoonful of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.
- Follow-up. They are done at intervals of a week to stimulate the vegetation (Special Crystal).
Seedling of seedlings
Let’s move on to a process that seems complicated for beginners. Eggplant seedlings do not like transplants. These are delicate plants that are hard to tolerate stress and damage to the root system. Therefore, at this stage, care and caution are required. We perform a series of actions:
- 3 hours before picking, we water the seedlings;
- fill a larger container with nutrient soil;
- we moisten the soil;
- we place the seedlings in the recesses, immersing them to the first leaves.
Caring for pickled eggplant seedlings will include:
- combination of fertilizing with watering;
- monthly sprinkling of wood ash;
- watering at a certain time – in the morning;
- seedling hardening.
Before planting, eggplant seedlings should have up to 12 true leaves, be healthy and strong up to 25 cm high.
We plant seedlings for permanent residence
In our case, it can be a greenhouse or a vegetable garden. For one square meter of a greenhouse landing site, a mixture of magnesium sulfate (15 g), humus (4 kg), potassium sulfate and ammonium nitrate (30 g each), superphosphate (60 g) is prepared. The components are mixed, and the mixture is applied to the soil. Before planting, holes are prepared and eggplant seedlings with a clod of earth are transplanted into them. The planting depth of the seedling is 8 cm. If the lump crumbles, then it is strengthened with a mullein and clay mash. The distance between the eggplants is 50 cm, the aisles can withstand up to 1 m.
Planting density – three eggplants per 1 sq. m area. The soil is sprayed, a shadow is created for the seedlings. This must be maintained until the eggplant seedlings get used to sunlight.
Planting in open ground is carried out in the evening, then the sprouts are covered with a film or paper caps.
Care for planted eggplant seedlings consists in timely:
- top dressing;
- watering;
- hilling.
Some gardeners in greenhouses form eggplant bushes.
Extraordinary ways to grow eggplant seedlings
Recently, gardeners have been using new methods of growing vegetable seedlings. A new technology has gained popularity, when eggplant seedlings are sown in a snail.
In this method, the seeds are placed on a laminate substrate strip. The optimal dimensions of the strip are 10 cm x 1,5 m. The strip is laid out, the earth is poured and the seeds are placed at a distance of 2 cm.
The strip is twisted, fastened with an elastic band and placed in a plastic container. Water and cover immediately to maintain optimal humidity. A video with detailed explanations will help you get acquainted with the technology:
Growing eggplant seedlings is within the power of every gardener. In order for the whole process to occur without errors, try to think over your actions in advance. Write it down if necessary. This will facilitate and speed up the cultivation of eggplant seedlings.
Video on sowing seeds for seedlings:
