How to grow a good eggplant crop in a greenhouse

Eggplant was grown in greenhouse conditions in central Russia relatively recently. Previously, this vegetable was supplied from abroad or regions of the Krasnodar Territory. Noticing the benefits of growing eggplants, many greenhouses turned their eyes to this useful crop, and after large farms, eggplant gardeners began to grow eggplants in greenhouses. Are eggplants really demanding on soil composition? How to avoid the invasion of pests? How to get the maximum yield at the lowest cost? Our and many other questions will help to answer these questions.

Eggplant - moody plant

Gardeners who have been cultivating their own crops for many years can confirm that eggplant is a surprisingly capricious plant. Just a slight relaxation in the care - all the efforts spent on seedlings, picking and planting in the greenhouse - will be in vain. If you are just a beginner gardener, we advise you to postpone growing eggplant for a while. Gather more experience and only then you can please yourself with a large crop of "blue" fruits!

It is worth noting that the cultivation of eggplant in some educational institutions where agricultural specialists are trained is a kind of exam. Not every student immediately passes the practice perfectly, but those who received eggplant of excellent shape and taste quickly become professionals in their field.

Growing eggplant in a greenhouse

Stage 1. Land preparation: The well-known proverb “Prepare the cart in the winter, and the sleigh in the summer”, is very close to growing eggplant. Indeed, if you are going to do eggplant, you should take care of the soil already in the fall, creating all the conditions for favorable plant growth next year.

In autumn, after harvesting, even before the onset of frost, it is necessary to clean the premises of the greenhouse from all debris: remove dry stems, weeds, and plant debris. If you are going to plant eggplant throughout the greenhouse, you must carefully water the soil with water using a watering can. This event will not hurt even if you are going to grow eggplants in a small area. When watering, all fertilizers will go deep into the soil, thereby the earth is better saturated with useful trace elements.

Next, take care of disinfecting the soil. Eggplants are known to be sensitive to all bacteria, fungi and other pests. Therefore, you can not skip this item in any case! There are several methods of soil cultivation, however, chemical disinfection is considered the most effective, fast and modern. This will require bleach at the rate of 100 grams per 1 sq. Km. m. of land. This substance in dry form is scattered on the surface of the soil. You can also use formalin, which is very effective against the disease "black leg". A solution is prepared from it: 250 ml. 40% formalin is diluted in a 10 liter bucket of water. Watering the ground with a watering can. Regardless of which chemical substance (bleach or formalin) you used, the soil must be covered with plastic wrap for a day to start the process of destruction of all harmful organisms.

After all the measures taken, the ground for eggplant can be dug up. It is worth noting that if your soil is loose, in the spring it will be possible to simply loosen it, but if the soil is loamy, they are also harrowed before planting.

Stage 2. Growing seedlings. Eggplant is a plant that is grown in seedlings.In order to get the eggplants on time, you need to prepare for planting seeds in February or early March.

There are a large number of seed varieties in stores - there is round eggplant “Vikar”, elongated “Arap” and even a white “Iceberg”. Of course, this is not a complete list of all varieties, each selects the varieties of eggplant at its discretion. It is worth adding that the “little blue ones” can be both late and early, so pay special attention to this when buying seeds.

For eggplant seedlings, it is advisable to purchase a ready-made substrate in the store, although you can use the land brought back in the autumn from the garden. Only in this case, the soil will need to be calcined in the oven to 100 degrees Celsius or treated with lime chloride.

If the soil is completely ready for seedling, it is necessary to start laying the seeds. In disposable or peat cups to a depth of about 1 cm, spread 3-4 seeds. Such an amount is necessary if some seeds do not sprout, but if all the seeds went to growth at the same time, it is desirable to remove the lateral, weaker sprouts. Thus, one eggplant bush should grow in one cup.

Stage 3. Fertilizer application. In the spring, preparing the ground for eggplant in the greenhouse, you need to properly fertilize the ground. Some people think that “you won’t spoil the porridge with oil” - the more fertilize the soil, the more abundant the crop. This approach is completely unprofessional! Everywhere you need to know the measure. For example, for eggplant, organic fertilizers are most suitable - manure or humus. If you chose manure, you should pay attention that only completely rotted manure is suitable - over time it becomes very similar to ordinary land. This fertilizer is best for eggplant. For 1 square. m. approximately 1 bucket of manure is required. It must necessarily be distributed over the entire surface of the earth with a rake. Do not immediately fertilize the soil with manure ash. Some people think that the beneficial effect will increase. On the contrary, the nitrogen that has just arrived with manure is completely volatilized, and the earth again remains without this substance. It is advisable to fertilize the soil with wood ash about 2 or 3 weeks after planting the eggplant in the greenhouse.

Stage 4. Planting eggplant in a greenhouse. Around the beginning of May, the time comes for transplanting eggplant from cups to its permanent place. The greenhouse should already have a temperature of more than 16 degrees Celsius, since eggplants are very fond of heat and can even stop growing if the temperature drops to 14 degrees.

Eggplant seedlings are planted on prepared soil according to this scheme: 60 cm between rows and 30 cm between bushes. Some might think that such a large space is completely unnecessary for such a plant. However, this markup was obtained experimentally - it is with this arrangement of bushes that you can get a large crop of even, smooth eggplants.

Having pre-marked the places under the seedlings with a stick, it is necessary to dig holes, with a depth of about 12-15 cm and pour into each two liters of water stained with potassium permanganate. Too deep a plant should not be buried in the ground - it is enough that the soil level is slightly higher than in a glass.

The first watering should be carried out exactly 5 days after the eggplant has moved to its permanent place. Water until the earth absorbs moisture. The next day, be sure to plow the soil! Otherwise, the top layer of the earth will harden and with further watering, all the water will flow to the sides, and not go to the roots.

Since eggplant is very painful for transplants, it is necessary to create the most comfortable conditions for growth. In the first 20 days you can’t open the doors in the greenhouse! The greenhouse effect helps speedy adaptation to new conditions.

Eggplant Care

Temperature. Earlier it was noted that eggplant does not tolerate temperatures below 14 degrees Celsius, but excessive heat is also detrimental to them. The most optimal temperature that should be kept in the greenhouse is 23-27 ° C. If the summer day is too hot, open windows or doors will help to cope with the heat, that is, there should be a draft in the greenhouse. Additionally, you can water the tracks with water - this will also lower the temperature in the greenhouse. Do not open doors in cold weather. In the summer, in any case, the windows and doors should be closed. Correctly maintaining the temperature, it is possible to promote not only growth, but also the fruit set.

The formation of the bush. After the height of the plant is more than 25 cm, it is necessary to pinch or remove the top. This is necessary so that the bush does not grow more upward, but lateral stems begin to form, which will be fruitful. You should also pay attention to the fact that a large number of side shoots can reduce the presentation of eggplant. The fruits will grow in cramped conditions, and due to the large number of eggplants on the bush, none will reach normal size. The most optimal number of side shoots on one bush is 6 pieces. Also, timely need to remove yellowed leaves and barren flowers from the bush.

The stability of the bush. If you choose varieties of eggplant that grow up and give elongated fruits, you need to tie the main stem to the support, otherwise it will simply break under the weight of the eggplant. For this event, ribbons from old materials are most suitable. They tie the main stem to the stick, and then to the ceiling of the greenhouse.

Watering. Watering eggplant should be regular, moderately plentiful. The soil should always remain moist, but in this case it is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse. Watering is carried out in the morning, before the sun begins to bake, until 9.00. Remember that insufficient watering will make your eggplants bitter and tasteless, and excessive watering will contribute to the development of fungal diseases. Find a middle ground for yourself and adhere strictly to this rule!

Mulching. It is advisable to mulch the soil with old newspapers, needles or straw, so that there is no "hard crust" on the surface of the earth.

Harvest

Eggplants are not stored for a long time, so they are immediately sorted and made either for preservation, or sold, or eaten in processed form.

Eggplant is an incredibly tasty vegetable that requires a lot of attention. Following our advice, you can definitely grow a large eggplant crop in your greenhouse and proudly tell all your neighbors about all the tricks that were used to produce such a plentiful harvest.

Video: tips for growing eggplant in a greenhouse