The topic of our article today is eggplants: planting seedlings. We will find out how to properly plant eggplant seedlings, the nuances of planting eggplant seeds for seedlings.
How to plant eggplant seedlings and when?
The ideal time to plant seedlings depends on the region and weather. Where the vegetables will grow is also important.: in a greenhouse, hotbed or open garden.
Plants are thermophilic, when transferring to permanent place During residence, the soil must warm up completely.
REFERENCE! Plants are moved to the greenhouse closer to mid-May; it is better to plant them under film no earlier than the first ten days of June.
By determining the time for transplanting grown seedlings, you can find out the exact date of sowing the seeds. Eggplants grow for a long time, the growing season takes from 100 to 150 days, depending on the variety.
Seedlings are moved to the beds at the age of 45-60 days. Early ripening varieties are sown in the second half of March, late ripening varieties should be planted in the second ten days of February.
Many gardeners prefer to play it safe and shift the timing of sowing and transplanting to the beds. Heat-loving eggplants can hardly tolerate frosts; young plants can stop growing or even die. At the same time, it is undesirable to keep seedlings in cups; overgrown seedlings form ovaries worse.
For year-round heated greenhouses, the seed sowing process can be uninterrupted. To obtain fresh vegetables at the beginning of winter, seedlings should be planted in early autumn or at the very end of summer.
What is needed for planting?
Before you start planting, it is important to prepare everything you need. To successfully plant eggplants you will need:
Planting material. For sowing you need high-quality, not too old seeds.
ADVICE! It is preferable to use material that is 2-3 years old.
For better germination, they are treated with growth stimulants or germinated in damp tissue.
For old seeds, the bubbling method is used; material collected independently should be disinfected using an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. The seeds are soaked for half an hour, washed clean water and dry on a towel.
soil mixture. Purchased soil is not suitable for growing quality seedlings.
It is better to make your own substrate by mixing calcined garden or turf soil with humus. You can try another option by mixing garden soil with purchased soil or peat.
Some varieties require lighter mixtures, for more airiness, it is recommended to add vermicult or washed river sand. Ideal soil must be nutritious and neutral in acidity; a large amount of peat is undesirable. You can add wood ash or complex mineral fertilizers to the mixture.
Containers for seedlings. Eggplant convenient to grow in small plastic cassettes. After the seedlings grow up, they are transferred to larger containers, and frail and weak shoots are discarded. It is possible to use small containers made of non-soaking paper or self-rolled film.
Peat cups are not suitable, the roots of eggplants are weak; when transplanted into the ground, they will not be able to break through the strong peat walls. Large general containers are not very convenient, seedlings can intertwine their roots, and it will be difficult to separate them without injury.
Drain pan. It should be the same size as the seedling container. It is convenient to use a tray with high sides or a large box made of cardboard or plastic.
Tools for work. You need small shovels and pegs to mark the holes.
If you don’t have special tools, you can get by with a large spoon; it’s convenient to pour soil into small containers.
You will also need a spray bottle to moisten the soil.
Soft water, preferably melted water, rain water or boiled water. Cannot seeds hard and cold tap water, germination will slow down greatly.
Film or glass to create a greenhouse effect. The size corresponds to containers for seedlings.
Now that we have everything we need, let's look at how to plant eggplant seedlings?
How to properly sow eggplants for seedlings: step-by-step instructions
In containers for seedlings, use an awl or a thick needle to make drainage holes. Cups or cassettes are filled with prepared soil so that there is some free space at the surface.
It is worth considering that light soil may sag over time and will require backfilling.
How to sow eggplant seedlings? Using a peg or the handle of a spoon, make a hole 0.5 cm deep on the surface of the ground. Lay out a dry seed and sprinkle it thin layer soil. The soil is lightly pressed down with your fingers, no need to compact it. Filled cups are placed on a tray. If containers tip over, you can install them on drainage made of expanded clay or pebbles.
Sprouted seeds must be planted very carefully. To sow them, the cups are filled with an indentation of 1 cm. The seeds are carefully laid out on the surface of the soil and sprinkled with soil so that it covers the seed by 0.5 cm. The surface of the soil is very carefully pressed down with your fingers. Do not press on the seeds; fragile sprouts break off easily.
The soil in the containers is generously sprayed with warm water from a spray bottle. The soil surface should be evenly moist, but not excessively wet. The containers are covered with film or glass and then placed in heat.
INTERESTING TO KNOW! Germinating seeds do not need light and oxygen; stability is much more important. heat.
The ideal place is next to the battery. You cannot place boxes on heating appliances, as this can destroy the plants. Most suitable temperature regime– from 25 to 28 degrees. Eggplants take a long time to germinate. Shoots appear on the surface 8-10 days after sowing.
After the sprouts appear, the containers are exposed to bright light; after a few days, the film can be removed. As the top layer of soil dries, the seedlings are sprayed with warm water. In the first days, the room temperature drops to 16 degrees, then it can be raised to 25-27.
At night it is advisable to provide greater coolness, the ideal temperature is 14-16 degrees. Daily changes strengthen young shoots, the seedlings do not stretch, accumulating strength to lay flower buds.
Let's give step by step photo sowing eggplants for seedlings:
Little tricks for eggplant seedlings
Suitable for growing strong seedlings with good immunity unusual way. Dry seeds are sown in the ground according to the scheme described above. Then the soil surface is leveled, lightly crushed and sprinkled with a thick layer of snow.
You can only use perfectly clean snow collected from lawns or beds.
At room temperature it melts, moistening the soil well. After this, the container with the seedlings is placed in a warm place for germination.
Pre-soaked seeds are not planted under snow. They'll be better suited greenhouse conditions without sudden temperature changes. Before planting, the soil is heated in the oven or microwave oven, ground temperature is about 26 degrees. After placing the seeds and spraying the soil, the containers will be kept warm until sprouts appear.
If plants of several varieties are planted, it is recommended to sow them in different cassettes or place them in separate trays. Individual pots can be signed with a permanent marker. This will help to properly place the seedlings in the greenhouse.
In addition, some varieties have special agrotechnical requirements. They need more moisture, germinate earlier or, conversely, are delayed in growth.
Exist alternative ways germination. Seeds can be planted in a snail - a structure made of film or a substrate under the laminate, laid wet toilet paper. The seeds are evenly laid out on the paper, after which the workpiece is rolled into a roll and laid out on a pallet.
After a week, the first shoots will appear from the roll. After unfolding the cotyledon leaves, the snail is unfolded and soil is added. When real leaves appear on the seedlings, the plants are planted in separate pots. The method is ideal for germinating capricious late-ripening varieties characterized by slow growth and reduced germination.
Timely planted seeds are the key to healthy plants and a bountiful harvest. By experimenting with containers, soil composition and sowing method, you can find the ideal method suitable for germinating the most capricious varieties of eggplant.
in the Urals, and.
Useful video
Master class on sowing eggplants:
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B eggplants, unlike most cultivated plants from family Solanaceae , originate from the tropics of the Old World. There are several subspecies of eggplant; in our culture we use two: East Asian and West Asian. Of all known related plants: tomato , pepper ,potato and eggplant, the latter is the most heat-loving and demanding. IN open ground In temperate climates, growing eggplants is possible only through seedlings.
When to plant eggplant seedlings depends on the climatic conditions of the region. The colder the climate, the longer the seedlings cannot be planted in open ground. On the other hand, keeping eggplant seedlings for a long time is also bad. Seedlings that have already thrown out buds do not take root well, usually drop their flowers and more often die.
The timing of when you can plant eggplant seedlings is indicated on the packet of seeds; they may differ for each variety. It is important to consider that the variety is zoned for your area.
Depending on the variety (early or late) and the growing method (greenhouse or open ground), seedlings are planted 9-11 weeks after sowing the seeds. In central Russia, you can plant eggplant seedlings according to the following scheme:
- if it is planned to grow eggplants in open ground without shelter, seedlings are planted after the threat of frost in early June, therefore, eggplant seedlings should be planted in mid-to-late March;
- growing eggplants in a home greenhouse or under temporary shelter requires early sowing in February; plants are planted in the ground in mid-May.
5 rules for growing eggplant seedlings
To get healthy, viable seedlings, follow 5 basic rules:
Rule 1: Seeds need to be stimulated before planting for better germination
Eggplant seeds are classified as difficult to germinate. To improve germination and to reduce the period of seedling development, it is necessary to carry out pre-planting treatment of the seed material: bubbling, stimulation, calibration (sorting by size), preventive disinfection.
The use of bubbling will speed up the germination of eggplant seeds by 2-2.5 times. At home, treat the seeds with a solution of 
Oxygen can be added to the water using an aquarium compressor. The water temperature should be +19 - 21 °. The duration of the procedure is 24-30 hours (depending on the size of the seeds). Soluble microelements, as well as disinfectant substances, can be added to the water. This will allow you to combine sparging and disinfection.
Can be used as stimulation scarification
– damage to the seed coat. To do this, the seeds are mixed with coarse sand.
Soaking is another way when you can plant eggplant seedlings with prepared seeds. There are several options for soaking:
- for 2-3 days in a damp, warm cloth;
- for 15 minutes in hydrogen peroxide t+37-40 ° C, then rinse with warm water;
- in warm water until they settle to the bottom, then - in a weak warm solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then - rinse with warm water;
- overnight in aloe juice, diluted half with water;
- in a warm infusion of onion peels and ash for 6 hours, combine two infusions: (a handful of husks per 1 liter of boiling water, leave until cool) + (2 tablespoons of ash per liter of water).
Effective modern way pre-sowing treatment - use of preparations Zircon, Baikal EM-1, Reacom, Kendal, Rost concentrate, MS cream, Ivin, Emistim S, Succinic acid, etc. according to the instructions.
Important! Seeds can be already prepared for sowing by the manufacturer (primed, encrusted, coated, processed). Such seeds are not soaked.
Rule 2: The substrate must be rich in organic components
Eggplants are not plants whose seedlings will develop well on sawdust or perlite. The composition of the substrate, in addition to peat, must include compost
or humus, you can add perlite or sand. The percentage of sand should be no more than 13%.
For growing eggplant seedlings, commercial soil with an acidity of 6.0-7.0 (that is, from slightly acidic to neutral) is suitable.
At self-cooking substrate, you can use lowland peat (about 50%) and compost (37-40%). Microelements are added to the prepared soil; for this you can use ash
(200 g per 8-9 l of substrate).
Rule 3: Seed germination and seedling growth require high temperatures.
Eggplant seeds germinate at a temperature of +22-26° 7-15 days after sowing. After this, they are transferred for a week to a cool (+17°) and bright place (for example, closer to the window frame) so that the sprouts do not stretch, but roots form. After a week, the seedlings will again require a high temperature of +25-30°. During the entire period of growing seedlings at night, it is advisable to provide a temperature of +13 °C. Cool temperatures prevent the appearance of blackleg, stretching of seedlings, promote their hardening, and increase the stress resistance of plants.
Rule 4: Sprouts love good lighting
When seeds germinate in February, you can use additional lighting. In March, provided that the seedlings grow at sunny side near a window, additional lighting is not required.
Eggplants are light-loving plants short daylight hours. Lighting for more than 12-14 hours a day does not benefit the plants, nor does growing eggplant seedlings in a north-facing window or in the shade.
Rule 5: Avoid overfilling soil
Seeds are planted in a moist, but not wet substrate. To avoid waterlogging, water the soil well and leave for several hours. Experts say that it is better to moisten the substrate with rain or snow water.
Before planting, you need to check the soil for excess moisture. To do this, you need to take a handful of earth and squeeze it tightly in your fist. If the substrate sticks together into a dense lump from which water does not flow, the soil is ready for planting. And if, when squeezed, water begins to drip from it, then such soil should be given time to dry out more.
Saplings don't like high humidity air, especially when the temperature drops. Various fungal infections (rot, powdery mildew) immediately appear on them. The soil should not be allowed to dry out; eggplant is a moisture-loving plant. For irrigation, use warm, settled water t+20-22 °.
How to plant eggplant seedlings
Seeds are sown in trays or boxes with soil. If several varieties of eggplant are planted, the crops are labeled, or each variety is sown in different containers. When the first true, rather than cotyledon, leaves appear, the seedlings are transplanted into separate containers.
Eggplant seedlings have very tender root system, so they are sensitive to transplants. In order to avoid injury, seeds can be planted immediately in separate containers. In this case, the time frame for planting eggplant seedlings is shifted by one to two weeks, since the plants will not need time to take root after picking. For growing eggplant seedlings, special peat or paper cups are suitable - in this case, the plants are not removed, but planted directly into the ground.
Special tablets for seedlings with cells - too a good option, plants can be easily removed from them without damaging the roots. You can use medium or large plastic glasses (0.3 and 0.5 l). Before pouring soil into them, you need to make a couple of holes in the bottom to avoid stagnation of water.
Seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm and moistened with a sprayer. With its help, crops and young seedlings are carefully watered in the future so as not to erode the soil. The crops are covered with cellophane to create a greenhouse effect. Ventilate daily for 10 minutes, moisten if necessary. After the shoots emerge, the cellophane is removed.
If there are a lot of seeds (or inexpensive), sowing 3 seeds in 1 cup is practiced. The strongest seedling is left, and weak shoots are pinched off at the base, without disturbing the roots.
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How to care for seedlings
When growing eggplant seedlings, fertilizing is carried out. The signal for this will be leaves losing their brightness of color. Feed the plant with soluble fertilizer for seedlings after watering so as not to burn the roots. The worse the soil for planting was prepared, the more often fertilizers are applied, but no more than once every ten days.
As eggplants grow, they may need to be transferred to pots. bigger size. It is believed that for 25-centimeter seedlings with a stem half a centimeter in diameter and seven leaves (this is exactly what is planted in the ground), a container measuring 5x5 cm is sufficient. In this case, the containers must be placed at a sufficient distance from each other so that the seedlings do not stretch out. If conditions permit, last stage It is possible to grow seedlings in larger containers.
Before planting in the ground, seedlings are hardened off. With the coming warm days in April they are moved to glass balcony or taken outside for a short time.
Planting seedlings in the ground
Planting in the ground is carried out when it is established warm weather. The air temperature should be at least +20° during the day, the soil should be warmed up to at least +12°. At air temperatures below +12°, eggplant will stop growing.
In central Russia, seedlings are planted in film greenhouses
or tunnels in mid-May, in open ground - in early June. Often eggplant grown in greenhouses
. Depending on the variety, a distance is maintained when planting, usually 30 cm between plants and 70 cm between rows.
Planting is carried out without disturbing the earthen coma, so as not to damage the roots, in well-seasoned soil and in holes spilled with warm water, preferably in the evening or in cloudy weather.
When planting, seedlings are buried so that the soil level in the ground is 3 cm higher than the soil level in the container. After watering, the plantings are mulched (compost, humus, dry grass or black spunbond
), seedlings are temporarily shaded. If there is a threat of frost, non-woven covering material is additionally used. Growing eggplants in greenhouses and greenhouses
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Eggplant is a heat-loving vegetable, to obtain good harvests it must be planted in the garden as early as possible, but in the middle zone this is only possible at the beginning of summer. In order to have time to enjoy the fruits, by the time they are planted in the garden, the seedlings must already be a completely viable bush. This means that you should start growing it at the end of winter - beginning of spring.
What soil is needed for eggplant seedlings?
Currently, stores sell a variety of ready-made mixtures for growing seedlings of both flowers and flowers at home vegetable crops. True, this pleasure is not the cheapest, so many gardeners make soil mixtures from what is at hand, which is more accessible. The mixture for eggplant seedlings usually includes fertile soil, peat and sand (in an approximate ratio of 4: 5: 1). Since eggplants have to grow in it for at least two months, fertilizers are added to the mixture, for example, ammonium sulfate (10–12 g per 10 kg of soil), superphosphate and potassium sulfate - 30–40 g each.
If you don’t have time to tinker yourself, you can buy ready-made soil for seedlings in the store
Other compositions of mixtures for seedlings are also possible; their choice depends on the specific area: for example, in the middle zone it is usually not a problem to get good peat, but in the arid Volga region it is rather exotic. If you have peat, you can mix it with humus and sawdust from wood species (2: 2: 1), or even just do without sawdust. It’s a good idea to add 2-3 tablespoons of ash to a bucket of any of the recommended mixtures and mix thoroughly. The prepared mixture is placed in a box in a layer of 8–10 cm and compacted slightly.
Seed preparation
In central Russia, eggplants are almost always cultivated in greenhouses, albeit unheated ones. Planting eggplant seedlings in them can be done no earlier than the beginning of May, when the soil has warmed up sufficiently. The optimal age of eggplant seedlings when transplanting to a permanent place of residence is about two months. Thus, you should begin preparing seeds for sowing in boxes at home as early as February.
If the seeds were purchased a long time ago or the year of their origin is unknown, then their suitability should be checked two weeks before sowing. To do this, soak a few seeds (8–10 pieces) in warm water for a day, then lay them out on a wet cloth and place them in a warm place (about 30 °C). If after a week half of the seeds have sprouted, there is no need to worry. Before sowing, the seeds are disinfected using a half-hour bath in a purple solution of potassium permanganate. Then the seeds should be rinsed well with water. In addition, seeds can be hardened by alternating their stay in warm and refrigerator conditions for a week, placing them in a wet cloth.
Eggplant seeds are quite large and easy to handle.
Immediately before sowing, you can treat the seeds with a growth stimulant. These may be Epin-Extra, Zircon and other similar drugs. The solution is prepared according to the instructions on the package; at a temperature of about 25 ° C, the seeds are placed in this solution for a day. These preparations promote both seed germination and further development of eggplant seedlings, and consequently, obtaining a stable harvest.
Timing for sowing eggplant seedlings
Seeds germinate slowly: the first shoots appear from dry seeds only after two weeks, from prepared ones - a little earlier. The optimal seedlings for planting in the garden should be two months old, and for most varieties almost 4 months should pass from the moment of sowing until the flowers bloom. Taking these circumstances into account in conditions middle zone For example, sowing eggplant seeds for seedlings should begin after February 15. In the south, where the summer heat comes earlier, seedlings can be started in early February. You can sow seeds in March, but then the harvest will only be ready by the end of summer, when there will already be a lot of inexpensive vegetable products in retail chains and markets, that is, the hassle of growing eggplants in summer cottage won't make much sense.
How to plant eggplant seeds at home
So, the seeds are prepared, and the boxes in which even layer fertile is poured soil mixture. How to sow seeds in a box correctly? There is nothing unusual about this operation. Eggplant seeds are quite large, they can be taken with your fingers or tweezers one at a time, so you can’t expect excessive seed consumption, and there won’t be any need for subsequent thinning, which takes a lot of time in the case of very small seeds, such as, for example, some flower crops (like snapdragon). You need to sow according to a 5x5 cm pattern to a depth of about 1.5 cm. You can pre-dig grooves, or separate holes - whichever is more convenient. If there are a lot of seeds and you don’t mind them, you can put them in the grooves every 2 cm to guarantee; then the excess shoots can be removed.
Immediately after sowing, carefully water the soil, cover the box with glass or plastic film and transferred to heat: for successful seed germination, a temperature of 25–28 °C is required. If the surface of the earth nevertheless dries out, it can be sprayed periodically warm water from a spray bottle. After a week or a week and a half, individual shoots can already be expected from the prepared seeds. When they appear, the box is moved to a bright place, and the temperature is temporarily lowered to 14–16 °C so that the roots branch better and the sprouts do not stretch. This cool mode is needed for a short time (about a week). Then the temperature is gradually increased. Its values are adjusted to 23–25 °C during the day (if the weather is cloudy, 18–22 °C is sufficient), and at night - slightly lower.
After emergence of seedlings, the temperature must be lowered so that the seedlings do not stretch
Nuances of caring for seedlings
The main concerns in caring for seedlings are maintaining temperature and humidity conditions, sufficient lighting, and sometimes feeding. The seedlings stay in the box for about a month and a half after sowing the seeds. All this time they are watered only once a week. Only warm, settled water should be used for irrigation. There is absolutely no need for excess water: overwatering increases the risk of seedlings getting sick with blackleg and ultimately dying. Feeding is given once this month. Use any nitrogen fertilizer(1 tablespoon of fertilizer per 10 liters of water). The box is periodically turned over one side or another towards the light source so that all seedlings receive the sun equally.
With the growth of the first pair of true leaves, the strongest and healthiest seedlings dive into separate containers. Bad specimens are rejected. On the day of picking, they are watered well so that when digging out of the box, the soil does not fall off from the still tender roots.
Seedlings can be planted in special containers, for example, peat pots, and in any available containers of a suitable size. These can be paper or milk bags, juice boxes, etc. The most suitable size of such containers is approximately 10x10 cm. The same nutrient mixture is poured into them as is in the box. Water with warm water, optionally with an additive mineral fertilizers or ash infusion (1–2 tablespoons of fertilizer per bucket of water).
A small depression is made in the middle of the cup, for example, with a pencil or other similar object, and a seedling dug out of the box along with a lump of earth is carefully transplanted into it.
The question of whether it is necessary to pinch the tip of the main root is controversial. When such pinching is done to tomato seedlings, it is clearly beneficial: the roots begin to branch better. Some gardeners believe that in the case of peppers or eggplants, violating the integrity of the root system only harms the further development of the seedlings. Most likely, the truth is somewhere in the middle. A little pinching, of course, won’t do any harm: after all, without some disruption of the roots, replanting will still not be possible! But this operation also does not provide such obvious benefits as in the case of tomato seedlings. Therefore, you shouldn’t specifically pinch, but you shouldn’t be panicky that the roots will tear when picking.
After transferring the seedling to a separate container, gently squeeze the soil around it with your fingers, and then water it with warm water, but without fanaticism. You should always remember about the danger of blackleg! To overcome the stress of transplanting, seedlings require a not very high temperature for several days: about 20 °C during the day, about 14 °C at night.
Then the optimal temperature on a sunny day is 23–25 °C, and at night no higher than 20 °C. Seedlings in pots are shaded from the sun with paper for a couple of days until the plants take root. The main concerns in the future are watering, fertilizing and maintaining optimal temperature
. Water the seedlings once every few days, soaking all the soil in the container. To prevent excess water from accumulating in the root zone, small holes are made in advance in the bottom of the containers.
Seedlings picked up in separate cups will feel free until planted in the garden Feeding, if necessary, is carried out simultaneously with watering. You don’t need to just pour fertilizer solutions into cups according to the calendar. After all, we poured quite a lot into them fertile soil
! But if the bushes grow slowly and the leaves have a light green color, you need to feed them: dilute 1 tablespoon of complex fertilizer (azophoska, nitrophoska, etc.) in a bucket of water and use this solution for watering. It’s a good idea to add ash from the fire to containers with seedlings 1-2 times over the remaining month. A spoonful of ash should be distributed over 2-3 bushes. It is advisable to pour it carefully so that it does not spill onto the still tender leaves. To ensure that the eggplant stems grow evenly, we continue to periodically turn the containers with seedlings towards the sun. A month before planting seedlings in the garden, they are hardened off.
The optimal eggplant seedlings for planting in the garden should have a height of 20–25 cm, have 6–8 strong green leaves and a good root lobe. If the seedlings were grown for a greenhouse, then they are planted from the beginning of May, but in open ground - only at the beginning of summer, and they must be covered with non-woven materials for the first time.
Plant eggplants vertically in prepared holes, a little deeper than they grew at home. The distance between bushes in a row is maintained at 35–40 cm, between rows - 60–70 cm.
Video: growing eggplant seedlings
Growing eggplant seedlings at home is almost no different from growing pepper or tomato seedlings, only it starts a little earlier. Therefore, if you decide to plant this crop at your summer cottage, it is quite possible to prepare the seedlings yourself.
Eggplants are very valuable vegetables; they contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and microelements that are essential for the human body. It’s impossible to imagine without eggplant snacks festive table, eggplant caviar has long been competing with squash caviar for leadership, and in vegetable ratatouille it is the main ingredient. Growing this purple beauty yourself is also an economically profitable activity, because even in season the price per kilogram of eggplants is not less than 200 rubles, and in order to enjoy the southern vegetable in winter, you can pay the seller up to 600 rubles per kilogram. Therefore, growing eggplant seedlings yourself will help to significantly reduce the cost of purchasing it in the future.
Despite the fact that eggplant is a heat-loving vegetable and quite capricious to temperature changes, breeders have managed to develop a number of weather-resistant varieties, so certain eggplant seedlings at home, even in unfavorable conditions weather conditions, will feel more than comfortable.
The following types of eggplants are suitable for residents not only of the southern, but also of the northern regions:
- Japanese dwarf;
- Robin Hood;
- Amethyst;
- Cotillion;
- Diamond;
- Epic;
- Dwarf early 921;
- Early ripening 148.
In warm climates, planting eggplant seedlings of absolutely any variety is possible; the vegetable will feel comfortable in its native growing conditions. If you plan to further breed them, you can stock up on seeds for future use. For those who have experience in growing a crop such as eggplant, planting seedlings of this vegetable is a common thing, because the seeds can be easily collected independently.
How to get your seeds?
Only the first, fully ripened fruits are suitable for obtaining seeds. After harvesting, it is important to allow the vegetables to ripen for about a week at home. Then the eggplants are chopped, wiped and the seeds are washed out in a bowl of water. Collected seeds it must be thoroughly dried and wrapped in a fabric bag or paper bag; it is very important that no moisture gets on it during the storage period.
Also, the resulting seeds can be tested for germination. It is necessary to put a dozen seeds in a fabric bag and immerse them in warm water for a day, then the bag is removed and placed on a plate, for five days it is necessary to maintain moisture in it, if after five days at least half of the ten seeds germinate, they are suitable for planting. Thereby simple way Planting eggplant seeds for seedlings next season will cost no money.
A good time to plant seedlings
Many people are interested in when to plant eggplant seedlings intended for the greenhouse. We can answer with confidence - three weeks earlier than seedlings intended for open ground, therefore, the optimal date will be February 11. In any case, the given dates are advisory in nature, the time when to plant eggplant seedlings should be chosen from the total availability, a few days is not the worst deviation from the rules, and the future harvest will depend on the correct sowing process.
How to plant eggplant seeds correctly?
In order for planting eggplant seedlings to be successful, you need to stock up on separate cups for seedlings or a large box with many cells in advance, this is necessary so that each seed can be planted separately. You can read in detail about how to choose the right pots for seedlings. The answer to the question of how to plant eggplant seedlings is quite simple - you should take a seed and plant it in soil previously treated with potassium nitrate to a depth of half a centimeter - maximum one centimeter. Then all the resulting seedlings are covered with polycarbonate or glass and taken to a previously prepared warm place with a temperature of 23 degrees above zero. If you follow all the rules, the first shoots will appear within a week.
The following mistakes should be avoided by gardeners who do not know how to plant eggplant seedlings:
- You cannot plant purchased seeds if you are not sure of their proper storage and freshness. Beginner gardeners should take note - before planting eggplant seedlings, all seeds are pre-germinated using any growth stimulant (HB-101, sodium humate and others). This is done in order to immediately discard non-viable seeds.
- Seeds cannot be planted deeper than one centimeter.
- Do not use gauze to sprout eggplants, as weak sprouts can get tangled in the threads and break when removed.
- Ready seedlings should not be placed on the windowsill, otherwise they will freeze.
- Water the seedlings cold water Absolutely not, the seeds can rot in damp and cold soil.
So, there is nothing complicated in the question of how to plant eggplant seedlings, but how to grow eggplant seedlings so that they turn out strong and fruitful is not something everyone can do experienced gardener will be able to answer. Growing eggplant seedlings is a labor-intensive process that requires patience and knowledge.
Maintaining the required temperature during cultivation
Before sowing eggplant seedlings, you need to carefully consider the place in which young eggplants will grow. In the room where the seedlings are located, a constant temperature of 22-25 degrees above zero must be maintained. As soon as the first shoots appear, you need to remove the glass or polycarbonate with which the seeds were covered and move the seedlings to a place with a temperature of +18 degrees. These measures are necessary to ensure that the seedlings stop growing until their root system is completely strengthened. As the first leaves peck, the eggplants again need increased heat. It is supposed to maintain a regime of +24 during the day and +19 at night until the time when eggplant seedlings can be planted directly into the ground.
Proper care of seedlings
If eggplant seeds were planted for seedlings in February, young eggplants will need additional light after the first three weeks of life. You can place it near the seedlings desk lamp, but it is recommended to turn them off at night. With the first shoots, you can treat the eggplants by watering them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
In general, young seedlings should be watered once in the first week of life, gradually increasing the number of waterings to once every two to three days. They don't like eggplants humid air, so they must be kept in a dry place. It is undesirable to forget about transplanting seedlings as they grow into freer containers; you need to ensure that the eggplants do not interfere with each other and do not touch the leaves.
Before planting in the ground, the seedlings must be thoroughly watered and fed once (twenty-five grams of any suitable fertilizer per ten liters of water).
Choosing a landing site
For eggplants, choose a cleaned area, windless, on the sunny side, you should pay attention so that garden trees did not create a shadow for them. Beds on which potatoes, tomatoes or peppers grew last season are not suitable for this crop; ideally, these crops should grow at a sufficient distance from the future bed with eggplants. The predecessors of the southern vegetable can be onions, pumpkin, cucumbers, legumes, carrots and cabbage. The next time eggplants can be planted in the chosen place only after three years. You can learn more about the compatibility of vegetables in garden beds.
The soil for eggplants should retain moisture well, but swampy soil will not suit them either.
For the future garden bed, you should make fertilizer: a tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium sulphide, a glass wood ash, teaspoon of urea per 1 square meter beds. The soil is dug up half a meter deep. The desired height of the bed is 30 centimeters, width about a meter.
The process of planting finished seedlings in the ground
Before getting serious about planting, the seedlings need to be hardened off. First you need to take the seedlings to Fresh air just for a couple of hours, gradually increasing the time, and by the tenth day of this procedure the plant can be left for the whole day and night. Thus, young eggplants must become accustomed to their environment.
Before planting eggplant seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground, it is necessary to water the seedlings well one day before and repeat the procedure immediately before planting, and also thoroughly water each hole in which the seedlings will be planted. Disembarkation takes place in the evening. It is important to comply correct distance between plants - in open ground it should be about 50 centimeters, and in a greenhouse at least 60 centimeters, a checkerboard order is observed.
Many people wonder how to plant eggplant seedlings - in a greenhouse or in open ground. The answer here cannot be clear. If the weather is warm and you are confident that there will be no drastic changes, you can safely plant in an open space, but in case of changeable weather and the possibility of cold weather, it is better to play it safe and use a greenhouse. At first after planting, the eggplants will grow very slowly; you need to help them by loosening (shallow) so that air gets to the roots, but you should not rush with watering.
The process of growing eggplants is quite labor-intensive, but interesting, and with systematic care for this southern vegetable, it will delight you with a large harvest. Happy gardening season!
Eggplants are very heat-loving and demanding on conditions, so in our latitudes they are grown exclusively through seedlings. In this regard, the relevant question for all gardeners and summer residents is when to sow eggplant seedlings and how to do it correctly? It should be noted that planting itself is not difficult, but in order for the seedlings to form and strengthen before planting in the ground, the seeds must be sown at a strictly defined time for each variety.
When to plant
To make it easier to decide when to plant eggplant seedlings, read varietal characteristics plants. The timing of planting eggplants depends on many factors: the ripening period, climatic conditions, the desired time of planting in the ground, therefore the most in a simple way figuring out how and when to plant seed to produce seedlings is a simple mathematical calculation.
At the time of transplantation, seedlings should be 60-70 days old. If we add 10 days to this period for seedling germination, it turns out that eggplants need to be sown 70-80 days in advance. So, in order to grow seedlings by the end of May - beginning of June (by this time the soil will have already warmed up), sowing should be done in early or mid-March. Vegetables are grown in heated greenhouses all year round, however for eggplant best time early spring is considered (early April) - in this case we sow seedlings at the end of January. 
Planting according to the lunar calendar
Many gardeners plant seedlings according to lunar calendar, so let’s consider when to plant eggplants in 2019 in accordance with his recommendations. So, in February of this year, according to the calendar, the most suitable days for sowing are considered to be from 17 to 28, and the most favorable in this month are 21-22, 25-26. In March there are more such days - these are 18-30, the most suitable are 20-21, 24-26. Do not forget that any planting work cannot be carried out on the days of the Full Moon and New Moon.
Video “How to grow eggplants?”
From the video you will learn how to properly grow eggplants.
