Eggplant in the greenhouse: planting and care

Growing eggplant - this is not an easy task for both beginners and experienced gardeners.In this article you will learn how to properly grow this vegetable in greenhouse conditions, how to avoid potential problems and get an excellent harvest.

Remarkable on all points option greenhouse for growing eggplant is a polycarbonate design. It can protect from low temperatures, provide vegetables with sufficient sunlight, and you can easily design it yourself. In addition, the material has another advantage - it heats up well in the sun, which helps reduce heating costs.

There is no need to build a high greenhouse for growing eggplants, as these vegetables do not differ in large bushes. The best option would be a greenhouse having a height of 1.8-2.5 m.

If you live in the northern regions, the greenhouse is recommended to be installed on a foundation that goes deeper into the soil by about 20 cm. The base of the greenhouse can be either wooden or made from a metal profile. Required in the greenhouse are vents that serve for ventilation and temperature control.

Young eggplants are planted in the ground only when the night frost stops. This period begins approximately at the end of May-beginning of June, if we consider the middle lane. When growing vegetables in a greenhouse, this all happens earlier due to the presence of shelter, which negates the possibility of young shoots freezing at too low temperatures, and the sun's rays can warm the walls of the greenhouse, creating optimal conditions for the development of young plants. To plan dates for planting vegetables, it is necessary to take into account the climate of the area and the particular greenhouse.

On the scale of industrial plant growing, seedlings are planted from the 15th of February to the first decade of March. Before the moment of transplanting seedlings into the ground comes, as a rule, it takes at least 65 days, therefore, the transfer of plants should be planned in early May. With certain conditions, it is allowed to shift the dates of sowing and transplanting for 7-10 days.

In the suburbs and the Krasnodar Territory planting of eggplants in greenhouses takes place until May 10-15. In Siberia, in the Urals, this is done a little later - in the second half of May, and sometimes even in early June.

During the planting of seedlings is not allowed too close to the bushes to each other. Such planting will contribute to unpleasant consequences: lower yields and an increased risk of infection with all sorts of fungal diseases. On a square meter of garden beds, it will be right to plant 5 plants when grown in a heated greenhouse and 3 in the absence of heating. If the bed is formed by rows, then it is necessary to adhere to these intervals:

• between the rows - 60-65 cm;
• wells at a distance of 30-35 cm.

Seedlings are placed in 15-18 cm deep from the surface of the soil. To adapt young plants, it is necessary to observe the correct temperature regime. The best indicator is 18-20 °.

If competently care for these plants, to use the correct scheme of watering and feeding, then not the most experienced gardener will be able to grow eggplants.

The main care for eggplants is watering, feeding, observing optimal conditions, preventing and combating diseases and pests.

Eggplant is a southern plant. Therefore, it is imperative to maintain temperature. At too low temperatures of air and soil, bushes can die. The optimum would be 20-25 ° for growing seedlings and 17-20 ° in the future. At night, a reduction to 10-12 ° is acceptable.

For the proper development of young eggplants in a greenhouse made of polycarbonate, it is necessary to provide a 12-hour light day. In order to ensure this condition will help the installation of fluorescent lamps. Artificial lighting should be evenly distributed across all containers with seedlings.

The agrotechnology of this vegetable crop necessarily includes the use of fertilizers and supplements at all stages of growth. For the first time, fertilizing is necessary when the first shoots appear. It is necessary to competently approach the choice of fertilizer, since the further development of this vegetable crop largely depends on it.

Many for these purposes prefer to use liquid solutions, for example, potash saltpeter (used at the rate of 3 g of fertilizer per 1 liter of water). Also a good alternative is the ash solution (prepared at the rate of 200 g of ash per 7 liters of water). A good fertilizer is also Kemira Lux (prepared in proportions of 2 g of product per 1 liter of water). The most important thing when making feeding is not to get on the plants themselves, so as not to burn them.

The second time, fertilizer should be applied in 3-4 weeks. Such drugs as Biohumus, Healthy Garden, and Bioton have proven themselves well. They do an excellent job and at the same time are completely safe for vegetable crops. If eggplants do not grow well, then you can use the following tools: Agricola Forte, Signor, Ideal. The latter is used to regulate growth.

To increase the yield of eggplants pasynkovanie applied. There are 3 variations of this procedure - in one, two or three stalks. And the choice of method depends primarily on the characteristics of the cultivated variety. Pasting is the removal of excess processes that take nutrients from the bush and thus hinder the good development of the rest of the fruit.

Pruning is carried out after half a month after planting seedlings in the greenhouse. The pruning process removes ovaries that grow below the main branch. When 4-5 shoots are already formed, it is necessary to pinch the top of the bush. You can also focus on the height of the plant - it should be 25-30 cm. Eggplant of high varieties may need to be tied up, and their short-growing counterparts do not require it, since they already have a dense and even stem that can hold the plant.

Garter can be carried out in several ways.

• To the pegs. Many gardeners use this method, putting a massive and equal to the height of a peg plant to each bush.
• To the trellis. This is the easiest option.
• To the taut wire. The fastest way. To secure the bushes over a row, the wire is stretched, a rope is fixed to it by a sliding knot, which goes to the bottom of the stem. If the bush begins to form another escape, then it must also be tied up.

In order to maintain the required soil moisture, the procedure of mulching of beds has proven itself well.It, unlike loosening, does not damage the tender roots of this vegetable crop.

Eggplant is a capricious and capricious plant, and when it is grown, gardeners will face a number of difficulties: it is subject to many diseases, poorly formed and develop fruits, it is likely that pests will attack and much more. One of them may be the folding of the leaves. Depending on various factors, this can occur both throughout the day and only at specific hours. Contribute to this problem can:

• too dry or, on the contrary, too wet soil;
• missing to the normal level of illumination;
• insufficient soil enrichment with minerals;
• excessive soil salinity;
• pest action.

If the eggplant bushes grown in the greenhouse curl leaves, then pay attention to the light mode. This vegetable crop is demanding to respect the change of light during the day and at night. During the day, use a fairly bright, but not direct light source. Direct rays can damage the plant, so it's best to use soft, diffused light. Since this vegetable is a heat-loving plant, do not forget to follow the temperature regime. Try to keep the temperature inside the greenhouse at least 25 degrees.

Excessive salinization of the soil may occur due to its insufficient moisture. Watering should be carried out 2 times a week and 4 times in hot weather. Due to the excessive salinity of the soil, the leaves of this vegetable crop can curl up into a tube during the daytime and return to normal appearance some time after watering. This is because, due to the evaporation of water, the concentration in the soil of salts and potassium increases. Another reason for this phenomenon may be the abuse of fertilizers, especially those containing salts of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium.

Flushing the soil with a sufficient volume of water can help in solving this problem. As well as an excessive amount, a lack of minerals can lead to folded leaves. Vital minerals for this plant are nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. With a phosphorus deficiency, the leaves are sent up, pressed against the stem. With an insufficient amount of potassium, eggplant leaves take the form of a boat, and a rim of brownish tinge forms from the edges.

If the plant does not get the right amount of nitrogen, then the leaves become lighter in color. Phosphorus deficiency affects not only the foliage, but also the process of fruit ripening. Early signs of a lack of potassium are wrinkled young leaves and brown spots on old ones, which can later lead to complete loss of leaves. The fruits in this case will not be able to ripen evenly.

Prophylactic measures against mites include regular watering and spraying eggplants with plain water. But if the pests did appear, then all sorts of chemicals or folk remedies are already taking place. Of the latter, a decoction of tops of potatoes, tobacco waste, and tincture of garlic has proven itself well. If you stay idle and let everything go by itself, then the plant can wither and then completely die because of the lack of vital substances.

Sometimes it happens that the solanaceous flowers fall off. This is often due to a lack of boron. However, this problem is easily solved by spraying the plants with boron solution. It is prepared in proportion to 5 grams of money per bucket of water. Boric acid is a boron-based fertilizer - an essential element for the harmonious development of plants.

You can also apply the application of boron fertilizers in the ground, but this is done no more than once in 3 years. Flowers can also fall due to violations of the irrigation regime, the introduction of fertilizing and short daylight hours.

Harvesting eggplants comes at a time of ripening. If you are guided by days, then this vegetable is considered to be ripe 25-40 days after the completion of the flowering stage.

Coloring the fruit - not the most reliable way to determine the level of maturity, because it takes a characteristic color long before the end of ripening of vegetables. And the method of pressing on the fruit will help to check the level of ripeness: after pressing on the skin with your finger, a small depression should remain, which soon soon becomes smooth.

It is imperative not to allow eggplants to linger over. When overriding peel brighten, lose elasticity, and the vegetable itself will be too hard and get a bitter taste. Unripe fruits also do not need to be removed; they, unlike other crops from the family of solanaceous tomatoes and peppers, cannot ripen on the window sill, but only wither and dry.

Bitterness in the pulp of an eggplant harvested in time may indicate that the plant was not provided with the necessary amount of liquid and accumulated in it a toxic substance (when consumed in large quantities) for humans - solanine (glycoalkaloid).

The fruits on one bush reach maturity at different times, so the harvest is carried out selectively. It will be optimal to check every 2-3 days. To cut the eggplant is convenient to use a well-sharpened knife or pruner. When cutting the fruit do not forget to leave part of the stem about 3-5 cm long.

Eggplants are not stored as well as, for example, potatoes, but under proper conditions they can easily remain suitable for use for a couple of months.

Before sending the eggplants to storage, wipe each vegetable with a dry cloth. It is not recommended to wash them, as the protective cover is washed off and such fruits will remain fresh for a very short time. Then they are placed in a dark room with a temperature of 0 to +2 degrees. The first time you just need to decompose the eggplant in 1-2 layers, and then carry out the selection of the best preserved fruits. They are further wrapped in paper, laid out on the straw and covered with a dense breathable fabric. Similarly, eggplants can maintain their freshness for 60-90 days.

It is important to know the following.

• Do not miss the right time for planting seedlings, you can not be late with this case. It is best to plant plants that have reached the age of 2 months, if you are late with this for 15-20 days, then the yield from such bushes decreases to 25%.
• Because of the tender root system, which can be easily damaged, this vegetable crop does not tolerate picks. To prevent damage to the roots, you can plant eggplants in peat pots. In this case, there will be no need to transplant young plants and will not have a detrimental effect on the root system.
• Growing eggplants and tomatoes together is unacceptable. Despite the fact that they all belong to the same family (like peppers, potatoes and other vegetable crops), the neighborhood is undesirable with tomatoes. Despite the relationship, eggplants grow in the same greenhouse with tomatoes too bad. It is also associated with common diseases and pests. It is recommended to place these cultures away from each other. This applies not only to adult plants, but also seedlings.

• As mentioned above, for proper growth and good yields for eggplants, competent watering and adding supplements are of prime importance.
• Good effect on the growth and development of eggplant soil loosening. The most important thing is to loosen the upper layers of the soil in order not to damage the delicate roots of these plants. This procedure promotes the penetration of oxygen into the earth and improves the microcirculation of air in it.
• To increase the yield, it is necessary to remove excess eggplant branches, because instead of being sent to the fruit, nutrients are distributed along the shoots. The best option would be to leave 3-5 branches on each bush. It is also necessary to remove dried, wilted, yellowed and twisted leaves. After passing through the flowering phase, it is better to cut off the shoots that are located down the stalk from the flowers.
• For pruning shoots, leaves and fruit picking is best to use a pruner.

How to grow eggplants in the greenhouse, see the next video.