Contents
Eggplants appeared in Our Country in the 18th century from Central Asia. And they were grown only in the southern regions of Our Country. With the development of the greenhouse economy, it became possible to grow eggplants both in the middle lane and in areas with a harsher climate. Currently, the cultivation of eggplant has become commonplace for our summer residents, who affectionately call them “blue ones”. Although now new varieties have been bred, the color and shape of which are not at all similar to traditional eggplants.
Benefits for the body
The use of eggplant in food has a beneficial effect on the entire body. The high potassium content keeps the heart muscle in excellent working condition. Dietary fiber and fiber improve intestinal motility. Eggplant is a dietary product, improves blood composition, removes cholesterol. The use of eggplant is shown to everyone, without exception, especially the elderly for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
Seed preparation and sowing time for seedlings
Eggplant is a magical plant that helps fight serious ailments, each of us can grow it in our backyard.
Naturally, as for the vast majority of other heat-loving plants, the cultivation of eggplant begins with the preparation of seeds and their sowing for seedlings.
There is simply no single and exact answer for all conditions and circumstances to the question of when to plant eggplant seedlings in the Moscow region. This is due to the fact that the specific landing date depends on many different factors:
- Growing conditions eggplant (open or protected ground);
- Harvest periodi (distinguish varieties early, mid-early, late);
- The time it takes for seedlings to appear. Eggplant takes longer to germinate than other crops, about 10-12 days;
- Age of seedlings for planting in the ground. Eggplant seedlings are ready at the age of 55 – 65 days;
- plant growing season (time from germination to harvest). Eggplants have a long growing season of 100 to 150 days. Therefore, growing seedlings is indispensable. Otherwise, in central Our Country it will not be possible to get an eggplant crop;
- Climatic conditions. Be interested in long-range weather forecasts. In the middle lane, both early and late spring are possible, and snow also falls in April.
In the Moscow region, according to phenological terms, spring begins at the end of March – mid-April and continues until the end of May and even the beginning of June.
In the first half of March, there is a struggle between winter and spring coming into its own. Daylight hours gradually increase, frosts and warm sunny days alternate. From the second half of March, snow begins to melt in the Moscow region. The snow will go away in about 2 weeks. By the beginning of April, average daily temperatures pass through zero. The soil thaws by the 20th of April, at this time frosts are possible in the Moscow region, which will periodically return almost until May 20th. The thawed soil makes it possible to do gardening.
In May, the average daily temperatures are low + 10 + 11 degrees. Cold returns are possible.
June is a warm month, but prolonged rains and cooling are possible during this period. The average daily temperature in June in the Moscow region is +14+15 degrees.
July is the warmest month in the Moscow region. August is harvest time.
With the numbers in front of your eyes, it is enough to simply calculate the approximate time for planting seeds. Attention! Since eggplants love warmth, we will plant seedlings in a greenhouse from May 1 to May 10.
Provided that the soil has warmed up enough for the plants to adapt and grow. Perhaps you have a warm garden bed or a heated greenhouse. From the estimated date of planting eggplants in the ground according to the calendar, we count back the time for seedling growth: 65 days, and the time for germination: 12 days. We get the middle of February, approximately February 12 – 18.
It should also be taken into account that some vegetable growers recommend planting eggplant seedlings even later than the first decade of May. In this case, the timing of sowing seeds for seedlings is quite logically shifted to the end of February.
By this time, it is necessary to prepare containers for planting and soil. Buy eggplant seeds early, as seeds require preparation before planting to improve germination and protect future plants. When buying seeds, pay attention to the date of production. There is a rule that works in the vast majority of cases, namely: the fresher the seeds, the better they will sprout.
After purchasing the seeds, you need to perform simple preparatory measures. They are as follows. First, inspect the eggplant seeds at home in good light. Then sort them into small and large ones, and also discard damaged seeds and those that have dark spots.
After doing all of the above, you should plant small and large seeds separately. This will allow you to get uniform, even seedlings, strong shoots will not drown out the weak ones.
Disinfection and hardening of seeds
Before planting, eggplant seeds must be disinfected. The most popular and easiest way is to place the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for about 20 minutes.
There is another method that is also quite common for disinfecting seeds. It is as follows: stir 100 ml of hydrogen peroxide in 3 g of water (use a dosing syringe), heat the mixture to a temperature of about 40 degrees and lower the seeds there for 10 minutes.
Some gardeners carry out stratification. In fact, it is a procedure for hardening seeds, but a longer one, which makes it possible to achieve the activation of biological forces. This method is based on the fact that in nature, mature seeds fall to the ground and lie in cold conditions until spring. The meaning of stratification is an attempt to recreate conditions as close as possible to natural ones. Eggplant seeds are mixed with sand, moistened and placed in the refrigerator. Keep them on the bottom shelf from one to four months. And only after that they sow seedlings.
The seed hardening procedure increases the future yield. The seeds are placed on gauze or on a thin layer of sand, moistened and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 12 hours, then taken out and kept at room temperature for a day, then placed back in the refrigerator. So, repeat 3 times. When hardening, it is necessary to ensure that the gauze or sand is always wet.
After the selection, hardening and stratification procedures, the seeds can be planted in containers designed for this. Many planting experts recommend germinating them first. Although this is not mandatory. For germination, the seeds are placed on damp gauze and left at room temperature. As soon as white seedlings appear, the seeds can be planted in the ground. The germination procedure accelerates the emergence of seedlings.
Planting seeds for seedlings
Therefore, immediately plant the seeds in separate containers. You can use plastic cassettes, peat pots or tablets that allow you to transfer the plant, without injuring the root system, into a large container.
The earth mixture for seedlings should be fertile, light and loose in composition. You can take ordinary garden soil, while be sure to enrich it with purchased high-quality soil and add a little sand or vermiculite. The latter helps to improve the quality of the soil, allowing it to remain loose, while a crust does not form on the surface. Vermiculite is able to absorb excess minerals, and then give them to plants. In addition, it protects the roots of the plant from temperature extremes.
When planting seeds, do not bury them too much. The best option is considered to be embedding to a depth of 0,5 cm, a maximum of 1 cm. The soil must be moistened before planting, and then covered with glass or film. The next important task is to provide the seeds with a temperature of +25 degrees. It is this mode that is considered the most ideal for the early emergence of seedlings. Otherwise, the emergence of seedlings may be delayed for more than 2 weeks. How to plant eggplant seedlings, look at the video:
As soon as shoots appear, the temperature must be lowered. During the day +20 degrees, at night + 17. 2 weeks before planting in a permanent place, start hardening the seedlings. To do this, take it out to the balcony, first for 2 hours, and then for the whole day.
Strong seedlings, ready for planting in the ground, have a strong trunk, 8 leaves of rich green color and a height of up to about 30 cm.
Eggplant is a valuable vegetable crop, the cultivation of which has a number of nuances that we tried to draw your attention to.