Eggplant "Mix of colours"

* When should eggplants be sown?
Due to the slow growth in the initial period, eggplants are best grown through seedlings. It takes 45 to 60 days to grow eggplant seedlings, depending on conditions. The optimal time for sowing eggplant is the end of February (for mid-season hybrids) - the middle of March (for early-ripening varieties and F1 hybrids).
What varieties are better to choose?
It is necessary to choose released varieties and hybrids, or those with ecological plasticity - i.e. giving stable yields in various climatic conditions.
How to sow eggplant?
Eggplant should be sown to a depth of about 1 cm, preferably in 8 x 8 cm cassettes or individual cups, since eggplant does not tolerate picking very well. If picking is still necessary, then you need to make sure that the roots are not exposed, otherwise, the eggplant does not take root well and gets sick for a long time. The temperature before germination should be at +25°C. When single shoots appear, the film is removed, and the temperature should be lowered to + 16 ° C for 5-10 days to stimulate the development of the root system. In the future, the temperature should be at the level of + 20 + 26 ° С.
How to grow eggplant seedlings?
During the seedling period, eggplant needs watering - plentiful, but infrequent, once every 5-7 days. 10-14 days after picking (or from the moment of germination) and then every 10-14 days, the eggplant should be fed with a complex mineral fertilizer with a high content of phosphorus and potassium. Before planting, seedlings should have 8-9 leaves and formed buds.
When should eggplant be planted?
As a rule, planting in open ground falls on the first decade of June, in the protected ground - 3-4 decades of May, since eggplant is very thermophilic, and before planting, the soil should warm up to a temperature of at least + 20 ° C.
The eggplant planting scheme is approximately 60-70 X 30-40 cm. Before planting, the holes must be well shed, and the seedlings should be carefully removed from the container, planted without deepening. Do I need to tie eggplants? Eggplant has a strong stem, which makes it possible not to tie it up when grown in open ground, and in a greenhouse, eggplant is tied up.
How to form eggplant?
When growing eggplant, you should monitor the root shoots and remove them regularly. It is better to form eggplants in a greenhouse in 2 stems, remove all stepchildren to the first fork and then in the axils of all leaves. If the stepchildren have outgrown, then they are pinched, leaving one fruit and two leaves above it. When grown in open ground, you can limit yourself to the removal of root shoots and lower side shoots.
How to properly water eggplant?
The root system of eggplant at a young age is weak, but in an adult plant, unlike pepper, it is powerful, developed, but located in the upper soil layer. Due to the superficial location of the roots, eggplant is very sensitive to moisture, therefore, sufficient soil moisture should be monitored and waterlogging should be avoided. The lack of moisture leads to the formation of small, deformed fruits, fruiting can completely stop, bitterness accumulates in the fruits. Water for irrigation should not be cold - not lower than + 20 ° C. You can water the eggplant only at the root, and after watering, be sure to loosen the soil shallowly so that a soil crust does not form. Watering should be done once every 6-9 days.
What should be the temperature when growing eggplant?
When growing eggplant, a temperature of at least + 20 ° C should be maintained. At lower temperatures, eggplant stops growing, flowers and ovaries fall off. The optimum temperature for eggplant growth and development is +25+28°C. Too high temperatures - above + 35 ° C also lead to the abscission of flowers and fruits. Air humidity below 40%, even at favourable temperatures, enhances the fall of flowers, especially with a sharp change in temperature from low to high.
Why do purple eggplant plants have light-coloured fruits?
It happens that plants produce much lighter fruits than they should be. This phenomenon is called albino, such fruits should be removed, as they do not allow other fruits to develop.
Why do flowers, buds and ovaries fall off?
Eggplant is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Both a sharp increase and a decrease cause the fall of not only buds and flowers, but also ovaries. Flowers also fall off with insufficient pollination, which can be caused by both too high a temperature (above + 30 ° C - pollen becomes sterile, unsuitable for pollination, and an outflow of nutrients occurs), and too high humidity (pollen sticks together).
Another cause of subsidence is dense and cold, waterlogged soil both in its structure and in cloudy and cold weather.
Overdrying of the soil and irregular watering also lead to the abscission of flowers due to the superficial root system of the eggplant.
Another reason is too deep loosening of the soil, which damages the root system of the eggplant, and worsens the supply of nutrients and water.