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Many gardeners, once faced with breeding eggplant seedlings and having a bad experience, abandon this plant forever. All this may be due to a lack of information. It is not difficult to grow eggplants on your own, you need to understand well what requirements this unique culture places on us. Let’s look at this issue in more detail.
Eggplant as a culture. Peculiarities
India is the birthplace of this culture. There, this vegetable grows wild and, of course, is grown in the fields. That is why climatically eggplant prefers warmth, an abundance of bright sunlight and watering.
Eggplant seeds are hard and have a rounded shape. They are collected from fruits not in technical ripeness, which we are accustomed to using, but in overripe form. At this point, the eggplant fruits become soft. Like cucumbers, the seeds of this crop are initially placed in a special film that prevents them from germinating in warm autumn and winter. Months later, the shell is completely decomposed, and the first shoots appear in the spring. But this happens in the wild, while gardeners prefer to grow eggplants on their own in seedlings. Not everyone knows how to properly grow seedlings.
The seedling method of growing is extremely popular in our country, because:
- the growing season of eggplant is quite long (from 110 to 150 days);
- climatic conditions in Our Country do not allow sowing eggplant seeds in the ground;
- often have to illuminate the seedlings.
Let’s talk in more detail about how to grow eggplant seedlings on your own and achieve a rich harvest.
Sowing eggplant for seedlings
Every year in winter, gardeners go to the shops for seeds. When purchasing eggplant seeds, you must carefully select a variety or hybrid. Read the information on the label carefully. It is important how long it takes to wait for ripening, productivity is also important, and the quality of eggplant resistance to viruses and diseases is no less valuable.
Gardeners will plant eggplant seedlings in 2018. Pay attention to such popular varieties and hybrids as:
- Diamond;
- Helios;
- Epic;
- sailor;
- Robin Hood;
- Bourgeois;
- Leader and others.
Therefore, it is best for beginners to choose a popular variety, and not one that they like the color of the peel.
Seeds from trusted producers usually do not require processing. Eggplant is sown directly into the prepared soil, sometimes without prior germination. This information must be indicated on the packaging.
Seed pretreatment
If the seeds are collected on their own, they can be stored and planted for the first four years, after which the collected material can be thrown away, since it will not be expected to yield. Such seeds should be processed. It is also recommended to carry out pre-sowing treatment of seeds purchased from the hands and on the market.
The process includes three steps:
- disinfection;
- growth indicator treatment;
- germination.
There are companies that guarantee 100% germination.
As a disinfectant solution, you can use:
- 0,01% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes (should be washed with water after the procedure);
- 0,4% hydrogen peroxide for 12 hours (seeds should be washed after the procedure);
- hot water (+50-52 degrees), where the eggplant seeds are kept for half an hour, and then they are kept in cold water for 2 minutes.
When growing eggplant for the first time, it is best to soak the seeds briefly in a solution that promotes growth. On sale you can always find:
- sodium humate;
- potassium humate;
- agate-25K;
- epin.
It is necessary to place the seeds in the solution in gauze or fabric bags at the rate of 1:1 to the finished solution.
As for the germination of eggplant seeds, they should be placed in a damp gauze or cloth. The first sprout from the seed does not appear immediately, sometimes it takes a week or two. Only proven eggplant seeds can be planted directly in the ground.
Terms of sowing seeds
It is necessary to plant eggplants for seedlings in winter or early spring, not later. Some beginners make the mistake of deciding that February is too early. Their flowering period of the crop may coincide with the end of summer, which will affect the fruiting of the plant.
At the same time, it makes no sense to determine very specific dates for sowing eggplant for seedlings in 2018, since Our Country is a huge country, it is customary to plant seed in each region based on the fact that finished seedlings can be transplanted into the ground at the age of 60-80 days ( depends on the maturity of the particular variety). At this moment, it should be warm outside the window or in the greenhouse. As a rule, this period occurs in February, towards the end of the month or in March.
Soil Composition
Sowing eggplant seeds for seedlings requires the preparation of not only the soil, the seeds themselves, but also the soil. It’s easy to prepare. For this you will need:
- soil for seedlings of good quality (if there is no specialized for eggplant, the one intended for pepper will do) – 2 parts;
- humus or compost – 1 part;
- peat – 1 part.
It is better to use only specialized soil for seedlings. If not, then you can prepare the following mixture:
- garden soil (preferably calcined in the oven) – 2 parts;
- humus – 1 part;
- small sawdust – 1 part.
The mixture is placed in molds and eggplant seeds are sown. Planting is carried out in recesses or grooves to the depth that is optimal for the selected variety. You can add superphosphate to the soil. Eggplants love it.
It is better to sow eggplants in already moist soil, then cover the cells with glass or film and put them in a warm, sunny place.
Growing seedlings
Eggplants are very popular in our country. Growing seedlings for them should be a joy, so it is better to understand in advance what rules must be followed. When seedlings are just about to appear, the seeds need a certain thermal regime, good watering and sunlight. The same conditions will require eggplant seedlings.
Temperature conditions
As a rule, the temperature regime is observed in accordance with the recommendations of the seed manufacturer, but, in general, it should be as follows:
- during the day, the temperature in the room should be within the range from +23 to +28 degrees Celsius;
- at night, it is better to lower the temperature to + 15-19 degrees.
There can be no talk of any drafts and temperature drops to +10 degrees. Seedlings do not like this and may die.
Light regime for seedlings
Eggplant seedlings are very demanding on light. If it is not enough, the sprouts will stretch out, become thin, and you will not have to dream of any harvest. The optimal light regime is 12 hours of plenty of sunlight. But how to achieve this by growing eggplant for seedlings in the Urals or Siberia, for example? In this case, a phytolamp is required. The sprouts simply light up.
You should not be zealous in this matter, lighting up the seedlings for more than 12 hours. This will not only not give a result, but can also have a negative effect on the plants.
The night mode should be strictly different from the daytime mode, because it will also be after planting plants directly in open ground or a greenhouse. Eggplants will have to get used to both light and temperature conditions.
Watering of seedlings
Another important nuance concerns watering seedlings. Water for this purpose should be at least room temperature or 1-2 degrees warmer. Eggplants have a very sensitive root system; at the slightest cold, bacteria or viruses can develop in the soil, which is very dangerous.
Those who live in regions with variable summer temperatures are often advised to choose hybrid seeds that can survive slight fluctuations. Even after transplanting seedlings into the ground, they always defend the water in a barrel and try to keep it as warm as possible.
Excessive watering and drying out of the soil are very harmful to seedlings. When planting seeds in peat tablets, make sure that they do not dry out, which happens very often.
We recommend watching a detailed video about growing eggplant in your area, which will be especially useful for beginners among gardeners:
If everything is done correctly, the first shoots will soon begin to appear. Eggplant seedlings often sprout heterogeneously, do not be afraid of this. Soon some plants will catch up with others both in growth and development.
Transplant into the ground
As soon as half of the growing season has passed, it will be possible to transplant seedlings into a greenhouse or open ground. Please note that the method of cultivation is always indicated on the packaging and is very important.
The root system of eggplant is quite fragile, so after picking, the plants get sick for a very long time. We advise you to transplant without picking. It is also very good if each plant is in a separate cup or cell.
Before transplanting, beds are formed in accordance with the planting scheme (if it is not there, we will take the 60×40 scheme by default). The height of the beds is approximately 30 centimeters. You can add organic matter to the bottom of the hole, this will additionally add warmth to the plant. However, the roots should not come into contact with this organic matter.
The seedling soil is well moistened and the seedlings are carefully moved to a new hole. It is not necessary to press the roots strongly, because the plant loves loose and light soil. After transplanting, you can pour a little eggplant with warm water.
The principles and basic rules of cultivation are very similar between sweet pepper crops and eggplant. Fertilization during transplantation and during the flowering period is recommended. This crop responds well to mineral components in the soil. The flowering period is special, the plant becomes vulnerable and can get sick. It is imperative to inspect eggplants for spots, mites and other little things that are sometimes invisible.
Harvesting can take place only during the technical ripeness of the plant. Carefully follow the growing season, which is indicated on the package. Overripe vegetables are not tasty, they become soft.
Of course, eggplants are more capricious than peppers and tomatoes, there are many nuances regarding their cultivation, but one cannot say that it is impossible to grow this crop in seedlings on your own. If you have a small plot, greenhouses or a small farm, then you can master everything yourself. The harvest of “blue ones” is rich, it will be a real gift for the whole family at the end of summer.