Nowadays it is difficult to find a person who has not tried eggplants: in the winter, pickled, in the summer - on the grill, etc.
There are countless elegant and at the same time simple dishes, where the main role is assigned to eggplants.
In common people it is often possible to hear how this vegetable is also called "blue" or "demyanka".
Despite the fact that eggplant is home to warm India, today this vegetable is cultivated throughout the world.
Also, a large number of varieties.
You can grow them both in greenhouse conditions and in open ground.
In this article we will study all the main stages of growing eggplant seedlings.
Eggplant seedlings: all stages of preparation for sowing
If you have already decided to grow eggplant seedlings yourself, then you should consider the following important points in this matter:
- Before stopping your eyes on one or another desired variety of eggplants, carefully study all the nuances of cultivation, namely: soil requirements, whimsical variety, features of the growing area (greenhouse or open ground), dressings, irrigation, picks, etc.
And only after that you can select a certain variety for the existing growing conditions.
- It is advisable to choose seeds, zoned to your area, that is adapted.
- If you yourself were engaged in the preparation of planting material, then make sure that the storage conditions were met correctly. If the seeds are purchased, be sure to pay attention to the expiration dates indicated on the packages.
Selection and preparation of seeds: the initial and most important stage
The initial stage of work of experienced gardeners is a seed seed test for germination. You can do it like this:
- Pick up a cotton bag, or a piece of this type of fabric.
- Wrap the seeds in it (about ten things).
- Put this bag with planting material in water at room temperature, a maximum of one day.
- Move out of the water onto a plate for about 3 or 6 days. It is important to keep the pouch moist.
- After the emergence of nakliuvshihsya seeds, you can determine the success of further planting. If five out of ten grains sprouted - the seeds are good.
Attention should be paid to such an important stage of work as the pretreatment of most non-hybrid seeds. And this may be calibration, stimulation, disinfection, bubbling, and so on.
The most accessible, and on the basis of this and a common method of disinfecting planting seeds, is potassium permanganate:
- Soak the seeds for 20-30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Rinse with clean water.
- Move the day in the nutritional composition. The nutritional composition can be prepared in the following ways: dilute a spoonful of wood ash (with nitrophosphate or liquid sodium humate) in a liter of water.
- Remove the seeds on a saucer before germination.
Such a simple and cheap way of processing will significantly reduce the time for seed germination and planting shoots in the ground, as well as contribute to the increase and acceleration of early harvest.
Hardening is one of the less common methods of preparing planting seeds. To do this, you should follow the following stages of exposure to different temperature regimes:
- Seeds, previously treated with a nutrient solution, in the same bag, place for two days in the lower part of the refrigerator.
- Then remove and shift to a warm place (preferably with a temperature of at least 25 - 30 °).
- Again put in the fridge for two days.
- Remove the seeds from the refrigerator and immediately seed them in the prepared soil.
All this time it is necessary to ensure that the seeds were moderately moist.
This is interesting: Many experienced gardeners recommend using seed not for the first year of storage for sowing, it is considered better if it is two years old. They claim that it is the annual seeds that are characterized by a long period of germination, as well as low germination. But, the choice is always yours.
Eggplant seed planting success - properly prepared soil
We all have long known the general requirements for sowing soil: it must be fertile, loose, light, very close to neutral (beyond the level of acidity).
New did not know anything, is not it? And most gardeners are confident that if you stick to these simple truths, the success of the landing campaign is guaranteed. But it was not there. Eggplant is very demanding on soil fertility.
You can prepare a soil mixture using the following recipes:
- Mix in even proportions: humus, peat and sod land.
- 60% of top peat, 10% of sod land, 20% of humus, 5% of sand or sawdust, 5% of biohumus.
- Four parts of lowland peat, three parts of compost or humus and 1 part of river sand. Having selected a bucket of such a mixture, add a glass of ash or three matchboxes of superphosphate. Stir well.
- If you took the purchased soil, then be sure to add calcined sand and vermicost (two parts to ten parts of the soil). Thus, you will increase the level of phosphorus.
The main thing is to mix everything so that the end result meets the general requirements for sowing soil. Choose a recipe that suits your taste, taking into account your own preferences and the realities of further cultivation.
If you plan to grow eggplant seedlings on the site, then it is advisable to start preparing this place in the fall. With the onset of deep autumn, before digging, add approximately one square meter: humus - 3 to 4 kg, superphosphate - 400 - 500 g, potassium chloride - 100 - 150 g
The main thing is to follow so that the pH of the soil does not exceed the level of 6.0 - 6.7. If the soil is more acidic, do not forget to chill every three to four years.
You can place eggplants after any vegetable crops, except for the family of nightshade. And it is not recommended to return to the previous place earlier than two or three years later.
Selection of tanks for planting eggplant seeds
To date, the capacity for growing at home eggplant seedlings, a huge set. They can be very different. The main rule in the selection of dishes - is the choice of this type of containers, so that in the future it was possible to avoid the process of picking seedlings, replacing it with transshipment.
As picking is the cause of damage to weak roots, and the inevitable growth lag.
And so, we proceed to the right tanks. You can buy them in the store, or make yourself from scrap materials.
The most popular purchase options are peat cups. They are well breathable and do not stagnate moisture. Plants grown in such a container are not removed from the cup, but rolled over either into a large container or directly into the ground. The roots do not wind and are not damaged, which is secretly "not a retarder, but a growth stimulator."
Convenient container for seedlings, for many years now, are ordinary disposable plastic cups. A variety of shapes and sizes has always been a bonus of this type of seedling containers.
Option for sowing seedlings, you can choose and special tapes. Thus, you will place each plant separately. The moisture from them evaporates slowly, and the shape of the dishes facilitates safe transportation. All plants are in the same conditions, which helps to simplify the care.
It is also interesting to read about the cultivation of sweet pepper.
Planting seedlings and transplanting: basic and most valuable information
If you have already decided on a variety of seeds, you have carried out the necessary operations with them, picked up the necessary containers, filled them with soil, then the process of sowing seeds of eggplants follows. There is also a fairly large number of nuances that relate to both the time of sowing and the scheme.
Terms of sowing eggplant seeds - is it important to observe them? And how to define them?
On the question of when it is necessary to plant the seeds of eggplants, most gardeners will answer that it is better to do this in February or in early March. In fact, this answer is somewhat two-digit, since the region and time of the planned landing in the ground should always be taken into account (which again depends on the regional meteorological conditions).
Eggplant seedlings grown prematurely at the time of planting, will be greatly overgrown, which in the future is directly proportional to its survival. Late sowing - promises omission of favorable time for adaptation after disembarkation.
Based on the above information, the conclusion is the following: the specific dates for sowing eggplant seeds must be calculated independently, since everyone has different conditions and the landing site (soil, greenhouse, greenhouse).
But the general formula is this: sow the seeds should be 2.5 - 3 months before planting the seedlings in a permanent place. It is necessary to calculate that the earth by this time was heated to a temperature of at least + 18 °.
By this time, the plant has developed a strong root system, there are 6-8 leaves, a strong stalk, and the presence of buds with flowers is also possible. By adhering to the above tips on eggplant sowing time, you will reduce the risk of losing a crop or exposing plants to disease contamination to a minimum.
High yield of eggplants and planting scheme: what are the features and connection?
Growing eggplant seedlings is easier if it is done under a special film for greenhouses, or in a greenhouse, because this plant is very warm and sun-loving. Seeds should be sown in rows to a depth of 1 -1.5 centimeters.
Rows must be slightly ground with soil and slightly compacted. It is possible to prevent the evaporation of moisture Covering seeding with plastic wrap. Should be monitored and the temperature, it should not be below 26 degrees.
If you transferred the whole process of seedling to cup home conditions, each eggplant seed or two seeds should be planted in a separate cassette or a small pot-pot, with subsequent transfer to a larger container (as the seedlings grow).
It is important to know: you can not sow different varieties of eggplants into one small container. Terms of germination they are different. A situation may arise: some seeds have germinated and must be removed from under the film, while seeds of another variety are still in the process of germination. Correct - each grade sow separately.
Moisturize the soil with the help of melt water. Since it is precisely at this water that the crystal lattice is correct, and the short-term exposure to cold is a stimulator of growth and vitality.
In regions with cooler temperature regimes, it is also hardening and reduced susceptibility to diseases. If at the time of sowing there is really real snow, you can use it.
Important! This method of moistening is relevant for not yet germinated seeds, but if the pre-sowing germination was carried out, then the ground should be heated.
Then you can start picking seedlings. It sounds as if it were standard, but in reality this process is very complicated with respect to eggplant seedlings, since eggplant seedlings have a damaged root system that is difficult to repair.
But, if you nevertheless chose the method of cultivation with a pick, then it should be carried out as soon as the cotyledons unfold, so the plant will be injured minimally.
Not to damage the root system, it is possible, initially growing seedlings in separate containers, and later, as needed, transfer larger containers (for example, first 200, then 600 ml).
Basic basics of caring for eggplant seedlings
The first week after germination, the temperature should balance on the verge of +16 ° C. It is this temperature will not contribute to the stretching of the seedlings. With the advent of the first leaves, the temperature in the room can be increased to +24 ° C during the day, and slightly lower at night.
It is advisable 10 to 12 days before planting the seedlings on the garden bed, to begin to slaughter it, gradually reducing the night (up to 14 °) and day (up to 18 °) temperature. After this procedure, the eggplant will be easier to take root in a new place.
The ideal irrigation system, or all the nuances of moisture
Eggplant seedlings are important to water properly. The lack of moisture will lead to premature lignification of the plant stems, and further - to a significant reduction in yield. If the soil is too wet, then various fungal diseases and root rot are possible. Watering, as well as dressing, is carried out in the morning time of the day.
The ideal scheme for watering eggplant seedlings is approximately as follows:
- Before the appearance of the first true leaflet, 1-2 waterings are carried out (3-4 liters per m2).
- After the appearance of the first real leaf - 2-3 watering (14-16 liters per m2).
In a residential environment should be monitored to ensure that the humidity was about 60-65%. To do this, you can use an ordinary air humidifier or the old-fashioned method - a bucket of water near the radiator.
For prevention, after the emergence of seedlings of eggplants can pour over her pink manganese solution.
During watering, avoid water on the leaves. You should also make sure that the water in the pan does not stagnate, because it will cause root rot. Airing the room is also an important element in the care of seedlings, but drafts should be avoided.
Slow system of root system development in eggplants, initially requires watering exclusively under the root, and only after two or three weeks can it be watered in a pan. The soil should always be in a slightly wet state, but should not be wet.
Is top dressing a necessity?
The initially well-prepared seedling mixture is fully nourished with nutrients. And already with the growth required additional feeding.
Before picking the seedlings, you can feed in one-time with complex fertilizer: for 10 liters of water - 25 grams of complex fertilizer of any type. Watering should be under the root, in small doses.
Is there a lot or a little light for eggplant seedlings?
With the emergence of seedlings sprouts can provide additional lighting. The distance between the seedlings and the lamp should not be less than 20 cm. As it grows, the lamp should be raised.
It is desirable to expand the tanks every 2-4 days to 180 ° to the window, thus, the illumination of the seedlings will be even. If the care is correct, the plants will not be stretched, they will be compact, with a green color and strong roots.
If you adhere to the basic rules of growing eggplant seedlings and caring for it, you will certainly be able to achieve high yields.
