Eggplants are capricious plants, they do not tolerate transplantation. But you can still grow them in a greenhouse. The main thing - to choose the right variety, plant their seedlings and properly care for her.
The choice of varieties for greenhouse cultivation
For greenhouse cultivation is necessary, first of all, select the desired variety. Eggplant is short, medium tall and tall. High growth predominantly hybrids, they bring a good harvest, but are not suitable for collecting seeds.
According to the ripening period, eggplants are divided into three groups:
- Early - harvest harvested after 3.5 months after planting.
- Mid-season - from 4 months.
- Late - more than 130 days.
Did you know? Residents of the city of Palermo in the summer season organize a festival for cooks who prepare eggplant dishes. If it is not enough for you to amuse only the taste buds - welcome to the seminar dedicated to this boar.
When choosing an eggplant variety for your greenhouse, consider a few more factors:
- Weather conditions of the area and greenhouses;
- Type of greenhouse (heated or not)
- What amount of harvest you expect;
- Variety immunity against diseases.
How to prepare the ground for planting eggplant
Long before planting eggplants in a greenhouse, or rather in the fall, it is necessary to clean the soil from the dry residues of plants. Be sure to do twice a good watering. All fertilizers used for previous plantings will settle with water.
Fertilizer addition
Purified soil needs to be fertilized. It is recommended to add humus to the topsoil. Decomposing with time, it will saturate the soil with oxygen, make its structure looser and remove excess acidity. Some gardeners simultaneously with humus make ash. This should not be done, ash is good as an independent fertilizer, and because of this combination of soil nitrogen disappears.
Interesting! Students of the Air Force University from Turkey found an oil absorbent. Flour made from eggplants turned out to be a substance capable of purifying water from oil stains.
Land disinfection
For the prevention of disease in eggplant soil in the greenhouse must be disinfected. Today there are 3 methods of disinfection: thermal, biological and chemical. The thermal method is to treat the topsoil with boiling water or hot steam. Soil for boxes with seedlings is heated in a furnace on a metal sheet, but there is a danger of overheating, then beneficial bacteria will die in the soil.
The biological method takes time and labor, but it is very effective. The upper layer of soil that has worked for several years is removed and sandwiched with a slurry. Sour soil is treated with lime. For two years, such stacked layers are shoveled once every six months. Sprouted weeds must be removed.
When the chemical method for each 20-cm layer of soil make dry bleach, leveling rake. You can use formalin. Per square meter 250 ml of 40% drug per 10 liters of water. The treated soil is covered with a film for a day. After drying, dig in.
How to plant eggplant seeds, growing seedlings
Eggplants do not like transplantation, for growing and caring without any problems, germinate seedlings from seeds on their own. Sow seeds preferably 70 days before planting seedlings in the soil. This is the second half of April or the beginning of May, be guided by the weather in your region and the type of greenhouse. The main condition is that the air in the greenhouse should be heated to + 17-19 ° С, and the soil should be up to + 15 ° С.
Seeds are soaked in a solution of manganese for 20 minutes, then dried. Prepare the soil: mix the turf soil, sand and humus in a ratio of 6: 1: 4. You can add fertilizers from nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. 5 days before planting the soil should be well moistened. In order not to torment you later with a transplant, plant seeds in peat cups. If the size of the cup allows, sow a few seeds, leave the strongest sprout.
How to plant seedlings in the greenhouse
Flatten the ground before planting, make holes about 20 cm deep. Pour 2 liters of water tinted with manganese into each well. In the hole, lower the glass with the seedlings, sprinkle with earth, compact and pour with warm water. The landing scheme is as follows: width between rows - 60 cm, between bushes - 30 cm. In the case when the seedlings did not grow in the cup, remove them from the container as carefully as possible. Try not to damage the delicate roots, do not dig deep into the ground, 1 cm is enough. Sprinkle with a slide, gently seal.
How to care for eggplant
The question of how to care for eggplants in the greenhouse is quite complicated. These plants love moisture in the soil, but do not tolerate too humid air; they are comfortable at high temperatures, but when they are exceeded - they die.
How often to water the seedlings
To achieve the effect of a well-moist soil with low air humidity, it is recommended to water the plant in the morning, mulching the soil (straw) and winding the greenhouse. The first watering is carried out on day 5 after planting. You need to moisturize about 20 cm of the top layer of soil, water under the root, moisture should not fall on the leaves. After half a day, make 3-5 cm so that there is no crust. Next, watch then, so as not to overwet the soil, otherwise the fruits will be small and tasteless.
What should be the air temperature
The temperature regime in the greenhouse is set in the range from 25 to 28 ° C. The temperature below 14 ° C will stop the growth and development of eggplants, above 34 ° C - will burn the crop. To control the temperature, acquire two thermometers for the greenhouse: one for the level of the top of the plant, the other set closer to the roots. To reduce heat, ventilate more often, water the tracks in the greenhouse with water.
Basics of feeding eggplants
The first feeding eggplant is carried out 2 weeks after transplanting. For feeding, take 3 tbsp. l "Azofoski" in 10 liters of water. Pour half a liter under each bush. After the fruit ovary, feed a mulleed infusion (1:10) or an infusion of weeds (1: 5). During the development of the fruit can be sprayed with eggplants solutions "Ovary" or "Bud."
Important! Perekorom organics will give a violent development of leaves and stems, and the growth of fruits slow down. If you notice that the green mass has gone up, go to potash fertilizers.
Forming a bush and tying
Eggplants are coming to the final stage of cultivation, and care for them in the greenhouse is to help the overgrown shoots. It is necessary to form a bush for more yield.
Plants pinch the upper part to better develop lateral shoots. Leave the strongest of these shoots, pin the rest too. Next, observe the development of the plant. Shoots without fruit ovaries, remove the same with dry or yellowed leaves and deformed fruits. For the free development of the plant is tied to the supports.
For the care of eggplants in a polycarbonate greenhouse, it is advisable to use medium grown varieties or hybrids. They are more productive and less susceptible to disease. The stems of individual varieties of hybrids (variety Begemot F1) are 2 m tall and cannot be tied without a garter. For them they put the stakes and tie them up with cloth tapes. Each escape separately to prevent thickening.
Attention! The branches of the eggplant are very fragile, when tying to the support, be careful and careful.
Collection of greenhouse eggplants and their storage
In addition, how to grow eggplants in the greenhouse, you need to know when to collect them. 30-40 days after flowering, the peel becomes glossy, and eggplants can be harvested. Cut the fruit with shears, leaving 2 cm of the stem. You can store about a month, wrapped in paper or straw with ash and folded in boxes, put in a cool dry place. But it is best to prepare them for the winter. There are lots of options here. Cut into pieces and dry, make caviar and preserve. You can pickle, pickle or preserve in the form of salads or adjika. For some time you can keep the eggplants in the refrigerator, but they quickly wither and deteriorate.
Observing simple rules of sowing and care, you can fully enjoy the excellent harvest of eggplants grown independently.
