You still do not grow eggplant in your country? Why? Perhaps you do not know when to plant eggplant for seedlings? Read our article in which we will share useful tips and give many recommendations.
One of the most famous representatives of the Solanaceae family , eggplant, is considered unique in its taste qualities, as well as in the content of vitamins and microelements. In addition to the traditionally purple vegetable, modern breeders have bred many new, more disease-resistant varieties that do not contain bitterness, such as white eggplant.
But despite the huge variety of species, the agricultural technology of growing this vegetable is similar - it is most efficient to grow it in seedlings.
When to plant eggplant for seedlings
Traditionally, the start of planting is focused on February, mainly in its first weeks. For many, such planting of eggplant seeds for seedlings may seem very early. However, many years of experience working with these vegetables proved the validity of this approach, because in order for the plant to grow and go into the fruiting stage, at least three months must pass. More specific dates for when to plant eggplant for seedlings can be found by looking at the gardener's sowing calendar for the current year. They determined the maximum acceptable time for planting seeds in accordance with the presence of the moon in a certain phase and zodiac sign.
Preparatory Activities
The time when planting eggplant for seedlings is preceded by a certain period during which a number of preparatory measures are necessary. First of all, you should decide on the choice of seeds. In order to be able to enjoy the taste of this magnificent vegetable, it is advisable to provide for the purchase of both early and medium varieties, they are more suitable for climatic conditions of the middle lane. But growing late varieties is not recommended due to the fact that this plant from overseas countries does not have time to ripen.
Seed packages purchased at the store are checked for expiration date. In the event that the seeds are collected in the fall on their own, they must be sorted out, removing small specimens deformed.
Then the seeds are disinfected by immersing them for 15-20 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate. The solution is prepared sufficiently saturated color. Seeds prepared in this way can be checked for germination. It is extremely simple to do. Seeds for a day are immersed in warm water, and then neatly laid out on a soft, damp cloth. Those that hatch on the second or third day can be planted.
For guaranteed seedlings, strong and healthy, it is recommended to treat the seeds with special solutions that stimulate plant growth. It can be "Ideal", a solution of sodium or wood ash.
Soil preparation
Eggplant is very demanding on the fertility and composition of the soil, so the soil prepared in advance must meet these requirements and be sufficiently loose. For convenience, modern stores specializing in the sale of seeds, offer ready-to-use soil directly for growing various crops of vegetables, including suitable for holding sowing eggplant seeds for seedlings. However, it is not difficult to cook it yourself. In equal quantities, sod land, sand, humus are taken.
Sowing eggplant seeds for seedlings carried out in containers are not very deep, but wide. Such a container will allow more efficient care for hatched seedlings. Its life is short, as eggplant requires such a technique as a dive.
How to plant eggplant on seedlings
The technology of seed sowing involves observing the distance between future seedlings to about 2 cm. The degree of penetration of seeds into the soil is not more than 5 mm. The best option is to organize the grooves, in which the eggplant is sown for seedlings. Properly placed seeds are sprinkled with soil and watered. For irrigation, either boiled water cooled to room temperature is used, or simply settled, slightly warm.
It is necessary to irrigate all subsequent seedlings growing regularly, it is extremely important that the soil always remains slightly moist.
The location of the boxes with seedlings
In order for seedlings to form high-quality seedlings that have the correct root system, containers with planted seeds are placed in places that are in the shade. The optimum temperature for the growth and development of plants in the room should correspond to the level of 22-25 o C.
It should not be forgotten that a decrease in the temperature corridor to 10 ° C can become fatal for seedlings, and at 15 ° C the plants stop growing, their development slows down sharply.
The first shoots of greenery
If all the conditions of the soil, temperature, and light conditions are met, the soil moisture is maintained at the proper level, the first seedlings can be expected to appear in two weeks. As soon as they appear, the containers are transferred to a lighter room. It is desirable that the lighting is natural, diffused. The direct rays of the sun act extremely negatively on the tender shoots of plants, this must be taken into account when disposing containers.
You need to remember that good lighting should be present throughout the entire daylight hours. If this cannot be organized naturally, it is allowed to use artificial lamps, mainly daylight, as an additional light source.
How to ensure seed germination
In order to ensure friendly and one hundred percent shoots, it is recommended to cover the boxes with foil, thus creating greenhouse conditions. The film can be replaced with glass. In this case, watering should be limited to once every ten days, since moisture from under the film and glass will evaporate more slowly.
One can recommend this method: the soil mixture covering the seeds is slightly tamped, moistened and covered with a small layer of pure snow, after which the boxes are covered with glass or film.
Seedling care
So, the time to plant eggplant for seedlings, is defined. The seeds you planted, the first seedlings appeared, it's time to think about their fertilizer. You can use special dressings of an industrial design, although it is quite possible to do with ordinary nitrate. For this, a tablespoon of it is bred in ten liters of water.
The frequency of feeding should not exceed once a week. It is advisable to combine them with the irrigation process.
Transfer
As soon as the first two full leaves of the plant are formed, the seedling must be transplanted into an individual container. As a rule, this happens no earlier than a month after the seeds have been planted in the ground. This must be done very carefully, because the plants are very fragile and delicate.
Now you know how and when to plant eggplant for seedlings. We wish you success in gardening activities. Larger yields, good weather and fewer pests. Let your garden always makes you happy!