Eggplant is a thermophilic vegetable. For comfortable growth, he needs high temperature and calm weather. This is a moody plant that requires a competent approach to growing. One of the important agricultural activities is the formation of eggplants, thanks to which you can achieve high yields. How this process is carried out in a greenhouse and open ground, read the article.
Historical reference
Eggplant is a herbaceous perennial culture, belongs to the genus Solanaceae. It came from East India, where for a long time it grew as a wild-growing vegetable. Cultivated 15 centuries ago, after which they began to cultivate it in various regions of Central Asia, as well as China.
Eggplant was brought into the Mediterranean regions of Europe and Africa by Arab traders. In our country, the vegetable became known only in the 17-18 century. Here he quickly gained popularity and the popular name "blue."
The formation of the bush: what is it done for?
The high yield of eggplant depends on the correctness of their planting and care for them. If you do not carry out these agricultural activities, few tasteless fruits will grow. Care consists not only in watering and top dressing, but also in the formation of eggplants in open ground and a greenhouse.
During the formation of bushes, excess ovaries are removed so that they do not suck out nutrients from plants. Weak or diseased bushes should not be formed, since a good harvest cannot be obtained from them. Low-growing eggplant varieties do not need this either, as they do it on their own. They do not even need to be tied.
Eggplant is a sun-loving cultivated plant. This feature is necessarily taken into account in their formation. A lot of sun should fall on all parts of the plant, then the fruits will ripen better.
When to form?
The dates for this procedure do not have exact dates. Their determination is influenced by the climatic conditions of the region where the eggplant is cultivated, and varieties.
Growing in a greenhouse, eggplants undergo a formation procedure when they are reached a height of 30 cm. Eggplants are formed in open ground 10-15 days after the seedlings are planted at a constant place of growth.
You need to wait until the weather is hot and humid. For the formation of eggplant, choose a calm evening or a quiet morning. This agricultural event is carried out regularly throughout the entire vegetative period with a frequency of once every seven days.
Eggplant formation in a greenhouse
To grow this crop in closed ground conditions, tall varieties of eggplant are chosen, as they occupy a smaller area than sprawling bushes of other varieties. For year-round growth of vegetables, the greenhouse is most suitable, in which heat will be retained, condensate will not accumulate. It is important that the structure withstands temperature extremes and has a high level of air exchange. A polycarbonate greenhouse meets all these requirements. During the construction of this facility, artificial heating and lighting, built-in ventilation for ventilating the room, an irrigation system, as well as monitoring the temperature regime are provided.
The formation of eggplant in a polycarbonate greenhouse is carried out in one or two stems, depending on the condition of the plants. First, all the bushes are inspected. In weak plants, one stem is left, and in strong - two. Read about the procedure for this event in the article below.
The formation of eggplant in a greenhouse is a necessary phase in the development of plants. However, it can be avoided when growing undersized varieties of vegetables that do not need to be formed. But, as a rule, they are rarely grown in greenhouses.
Leave one stalk
The formation of an eggplant bush can be performed in one or more main stems. The reasons for leaving one stem on a plant are as follows:
- If the bush is weakened, undeveloped or transplanting seedlings failed. In this case, the supply of nutrients is carried out in a single stalk and the fruits formed on it.
- Not enough space in the greenhouse. This formation eliminates the shortage of space.
The procedure for this event is as follows: you need to leave the only shoot, and the strongest one. After removing excess growth, the bush is immediately tied up with a rope. Some gardeners consider this an unnecessary waste of time, although this is the wrong opinion. A garter is definitely needed, since in the process of growth the fruits gain mass, the stem may not withstand such a load and break, as a result, the plant will die.
During the formation of the ovaries, the bush needs to be thinned out. For this, small fruits break off, only large ones are left. In order for the ovaries to develop well, pinch the top of the shoot, and the newly formed stems and buds are removed. This is done so that large fruits have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather. Whenever you remove any parts of the plant (ovaries, flowers, leaves, shoots), you should get rid of the dried corollas. In greenhouse conditions, where there is always high humidity, this can cause a fungal disease.
Multiple Stalk Formation
This method is more effective when growing eggplants in a greenhouse, where each meter counts the square area of the beds. It is clear that from several stems of one bush you can collect more fruits than from one. The formation of eggplant in several stems is similar to the previous scheme, only you need to leave not one, but two or more of the strongest shoots. The rest is the same:
- When the height of the bush reaches 30 cm or more, the top of the main stem is pinched, that is, the growth point is removed. The plant will begin to branch.
- Emerging young shoots are removed. Only the upper ones, the most viable, remain in the amount of 2-5 pieces, which are the main stems.
- The plant is thinned out, for which newly formed small ovaries are removed from all the stems that were left during the formation of the eggplant. About 20 fruits are left on the bush. As they mature, they should be plucked before the mass harvest.
- At the end of the season, when the eggplants gain a sufficiently large mass, 6-7 fruits are left on the bush. Otherwise, the stem will not sustain their weight and will break.
Regardless of the way in which the eggplant bush was formed, you should always monitor the condition of the plant. When damp and yellow leaves appear, they should be cut off. Young shoots, barren stems, as well as deformed fruits, ovaries and flowers are subject to removal.
Trellis shaping
This method is convenient for high greenhouses with film and glass coating. So you can form eggplants in one stalk, two or more. Twine is fixed on the trellis, its stem is tied at its lower end at the level of the first fork. A spacious loop is made, since the stem will thicken during growth. Several more developed stems are selected (depending on desire or conditions). They are also tied to a trellis. Gradually, as the plants develop, the stem will increase in size. It should be wrapped in twine. Usually, two or three main shoots are left, since the formation of eggplant into one main stalk is a laborious procedure, and the yield will be much lower.
Stake formation
This method is acceptable for growing crops in the open field. The area of the plot is marked in squares, at the corners of which plants are planted. A two-meter-high stake is driven into the center of each geometric figure. The film is attached to it, and the lower ends to small pegs dug in the ground.
It turns out something like a tent. To air the plants, the film rises along the edges. You can use not one, but four stake, the upper ends of which are easily connected together.
Garter
The formation of eggplant in the open ground and the greenhouse includes a procedure such as garter stalks. Especially need plants of tall varieties. However, the following points should be considered:
- Since the stems of eggplant are fragile, a soft but strong enough material is used for garter.
- When carrying out garter in different places, the change in illumination is taken into account. Do not shade the plant, as this can cause it to rot.
- If the bush is highly branched, each stem is tied separately.
- The loop supporting the plant should be wider than its stem, since in the process of growth the stem will thicken.
Growing Eggplant: General Rules
Regardless of the place of plant growth - in open ground or a greenhouse - only the seedling method is used. The age of the seedlings should not exceed 60-70 days. When growing eggplant, the following rules should be followed:
- For normal growth, the duration of daylight hours should be 12-14 hours per day.
- Eggplant is a warm and moisture-loving culture. For their growth, an air temperature of 25-30 ° C is required, and humidity is 65-70%.
- One of the main requirements is the timely formation of eggplant.
Growing greenhouses allows you to create such conditions. But in private households, vegetables are grown in garden beds, using temporarily installed shelters from the film, which are called greenhouses. When eggplant is planted, the formation of bushes is carried out after rooting the plants, regardless of where they grow.