Eggplant is a popular vegetable crop, but it is demanding on the conditions of detention. If you follow the 6 important rules for caring for eggplants growing in a greenhouse, you can always get a rich harvest.
Please put your likes and subscribe to the channel "About Fasenda". This will allow us to publish more interesting garden articles.
Watering, loosening and temperature conditions
For the normal development of the bush and the rapid filling of the fruits, this vegetable crop requires a sufficient amount of moisture. With its lack, flowers and ovaries quickly fall off. Therefore, correct and timely watering is the key to success.
The main rule is to use lukewarm (+ 25... + 28 ° С), settled rainwater. Too cold moisture can stress the delicate root system of the eggplant and slow down flowering.
It is necessary to moisten the beds in the morning, before the onset of heat. Care must be taken to ensure that water flows to the roots, stems and foliage must remain dry.
The frequency of watering a vegetable is directly dependent on the weather. On cloudy days, when the soil remains moist for a long time, the bushes should be watered once a week or ten days. And in dry and hot weather, watering should be increased up to 1 time in 3-5 days.
However, it is impossible to overmoisten the soil, there should not be an excess of water in the soil - this can lead to a poor harvest or plant diseases.
It is important to ventilate the greenhouse after watering so that high air humidity is not created inside under the film.
Still wet soil must be immediately loosened to provide air access to the roots. Around the seedlings, the soil should be loosened to a depth of 4-5 cm, during the period of budding and the appearance of flowers - by 5-6 cm, and after the fruits are tied up - by 7-8 cm. It is undesirable to loosen deeper, since the fragile roots of this culture are located too close to the surface of the earth.
Each time after loosening, the bushes should be earthed up, creating a mound 5-7 cm high with a small hoe. Thanks to this, the roots receive more air, moisture is retained longer in the soil, and the growth of weeds is much slowed down.
Eggplants are sensitive to temperature changes, therefore, for full development, they should be provided with comfortable conditions. It is believed that the optimum air temperature for good growth and fruiting is + 28... + 35 ° С. But if the thermometer drops below + 13 ° C, the plants stop developing and the ovaries fall off.
For constant monitoring of the temperature regime, experts recommend installing 2 thermometers in the greenhouse. The first should be placed under the roof, and the second should be located directly at the surface of the ground. Their performance should not differ by more than 3 ° C.
If the temperature rises too high, ventilate the greenhouse.
Shrub formation, feeding and disease control
Since the fragile branches of eggplant can easily break under the weight of the fruit, they must be tied to pegs dug in next to them. It is advisable to do this immediately after the seedlings are planted in the ground.
This culture does not need pinching, however, the condition of each bush should be closely monitored. Yellowed and dried leaves and branches should be promptly removed, as well as deformed or diseased fruits. It is important not to break off too many shoots that are at the bottom of the bush, as in dry weather they will help the earth retain moisture.
For better fruiting, eggplants should be fed regularly. For the first time, this should be done 2 weeks after planting in the ground. You can use any complex mineral fertilizer (Kemiru-Lux, Solution).
During the budding period, the vegetable needs phosphorus and potassium. To fill the deficiency of 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate and 1.5 tbsp. l. ammonium nitrate must be dissolved in 10 liters of water, and water the plants with the resulting liquid.
After the first fruits appear, the plants need to be fed with a solution of 1.5 tbsp. l. amofoski for 10 liters of water. In addition, at a time when the culture is blooming and bearing fruit, organic matter can be used for feeding: mullein, bird droppings and ash, dissolved in water.
To protect against diseases, eggplants must be treated with fungicides in a timely manner. If late blight has appeared on the leaves, you can use Antrakol and Quadris preparations, Horus will quickly relieve gray rot.
Original articleand many other materials, you can find on ourwebsite.
Please put your likes and subscribe to the channel "About Fasenda". This will allow us to publish more interesting garden articles.
Read more:The best planters for bulbous plants - an overview and recommendations for choosing