Eggplant is a capricious crop, characterized by slow growth, fragile root system and sensitivity to agricultural technology.
For the fastest possible harvest of vegetables, it is better to grow seedlings.
The process begins with the preparation of seeds and soil, and then follows the most important stage - sowing eggplant for seedlings.
The subject of our today's article is eggplants: planting on seedlings. We will find out how to properly plant eggplants for seedlings, the nuances of planting seeds of eggplants for seedlings.
How to plant eggplants for seedlings and when?
The ideal time for planting seedlings depends on the region and weather. It is also important where vegetables will grow.: in a greenhouse, greenhouse or open garden bed.
Thermophilous plantsWhen transplanting to a permanent place of residence, the soil should be fully warmed up.
Determining the time for transplanting grown seedlings, you can find out the exact date of sowing 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 should be planted in the second decade of February.
Many gardeners prefer to play it safe and move the terms of sowing and transplanting to the beds. Heat-loving eggplants hardly endure frosts, young plants can stop growth or even die. At the same time, it is undesirable to retain saplings in cups, overgrown seedlings form an ovary worse.
For year-round heated greenhouses, the sowing process can be uninterrupted. To get fresh vegetables at the beginning of winter, it is worthwhile to plant the seedlings in early autumn or at the very end of summer.
Next, we will tell you how to sow eggplants for seedlings and what is useful for this.
What do you need for landing?
Before you start planting, it is important to prepare everything you need. For a successful planting eggplant will need:
Planting material. For sowing need quality, not too old seeds.
For better germination, they are treated with growth stimulants or germinated in moist tissue.
For old seeds, the bubbling method is used, material collected by yourself is worth disinfecting with an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. Seeds are soaked for half an hour, washed with clean water and dried on a towel.
Soil mixture. Purchase soil does not fit for growing quality seedlings.
It is better to make the substrate yourself by mixing the calcined garden or turf soil with humus. You can try another option by mixing garden soil with purchased soil or peat.
Some varieties need lighter blends, for greater airiness, it is recommended to add vermicult or washed river sand. Ideal soil should be nutritious and neutral in acidity, a large amount of peat is undesirable. Wood ash or complex mineral fertilizers can be added to the mixture.
Tanks for seedlings. Eggplant convenient to grow in small plastic cassettes. After the seedlings grow, they are transferred to more spacious containers, frail and weak sprouts are rejected. It is possible to use small containers made of non-wash paper or self-folded film.
Peat cups do not fit, the roots of eggplants are weak; when transplanted into the ground they will not be able to break through the solid peat walls. Large shared containers are not very convenient., seedlings can twist the roots, it will be difficult to separate them without injury.
Drip tray. In size it should correspond to the containers for seedlings. It is convenient to use a tray with high sides or a large box of cardboard or plastic.
Tools for work. Need small paddles and pegs for marking holes.
You will need and spray for soil moisture.
Soft water, preferably thawed, rain or boiled. You can not water the seeds of hard and cold tap water, germination will slow down greatly.
Film or glass to create a greenhouse effect. The size corresponds to the containers for seedlings.
Now that we have everything we need, consider how to plant eggplants for seedlings?
How to sow eggplants on seedlings: step by step instructions
In tanks for seedlings with an awl or a thick needle, drainage holes are made.The cups or cassettes are filled with prepared primer so that the surface remains a bit of free space.
It is worth considering that light soil may fall over time, bedding is required.
How to sow eggplants for seedlings? With a peg or cutting of a spoon on the surface of the earth, a well is made 0.5 cm deep. A dry seed is laid out and powdered with a thin layer of soil. The soil is lightly crushed with your fingers. no need to tamp it. The filled cups are placed on the pallet. If the containers are tilted, you can install them on the drainage of expanded clay or pebbles.
Sprouted seeds should be planted very carefully. For their sowing, the cups are filled with an indentation of 1 cm. Seeds are gently laid out on the ground surface and sprinkled with earth so that it covers the sowing material by 0.5 cm. The soil surface is very gently crushed with fingers. You can not press on the seeds, fragile shoots easily break off.
The ground in containers is sprayed abundantly with warm water from a spray bottle. The surface of the soil should be evenly wet, but not excessively wet. Capacities are covered with a film or glass, and then placed in heat.
The perfect place is near the battery.. Putting boxes on the heating devices is impossible, it can destroy the plants. The most suitable temperature regime is from 25 to 28 degrees. Eggplant sprout long. Shoots on the surface appear at 8-10 days after sowing.
After the sprouts appear, the containers are exposed to a bright light, after a few days the film can be removed. As the topsoil 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 desirable to provide great coolness, the ideal mode - 14-16 degrees. Daily drops strengthen young shoots, the seedlings are not drawn out, accumulating strength for the budding of flower buds.
Here is a step-by-step photo of sowing eggplants for seedlings:
Tips for eggplant seedlings
For the cultivation of strong seedlings with good immunity will suit an unusual way. Dry seeds are sown in the soil according to the above scheme. Then the surface of the soil is leveled, slightly crushed and powdered with a thick layer of snow.
At room temperature, it thaws, well moistening the soil. After that, the container with the seedlings is removed in the heat for germination.
Pre-soaked seeds under the snow are not planted. They are more suitable greenhouse conditions without a sharp temperature drop. Before planting, the soil is heated in an oven or microwave, the temperature of the soil is about 26 degrees. After placing the seeds and spraying the soil capacity will be placed in the heat until germs.
If plants of several varieties are planted, it is recommended to sow them in different cassettes or put them in separate pallets. Individual pots can be signed with an indelible marker. This will help to place the seedlings in the greenhouse.
In addition, some varieties have special agrotechnical requirements. They need more moisture, germinate earlier or vice versa, are delayed in growth.
There are alternative ways to germinate. Seeds can be planted in the cochlea - a structure made of a film or a substrate under the laminate, laid with damp toilet paper. Seeds are evenly laid out on paper, after which the billet is rolled up and laid out on a pallet.
In a week, the first shoots will appear from the roll. After deployment of the cotyledon leaves, the snail is unrolled and ground is added. When real leaflets appear on the seedlings, the plants are planted in separate pots. The method is ideal for germinating naughty late-ripening varieties., characterized by slow growth and low germination.
In time the planted seeds - the guarantee of plant health and a bountiful harvest. Experimenting with containers, soil composition and sowing method, you can find the perfect way to germinate the most whimsical eggplant varieties.
So, we told about all the stages how to plant eggplants for seedlings, described in detail the scheme of sowing seeds for eggplants for seedlings, how deep they should be planted, how to water and whether to feed them?
Useful materials
Read other articles about growing and caring for eggplant seedlings:
- Different methods of cultivation: in peat tablets, in a snail and even on toilet paper.
- All features of sowing according to the lunar calendar.
- Golden rules for growing from seed.
- Features of cultivation in different regions of Russia: in the Urals, in Siberia and the Moscow region.
- How to do the picking and dressing of young shoots.
