How to grow eggplant, step by step.

Eggplant in the scientific classification represents the Paslyonov family and, in this sense, it can be called a relative of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, but, in addition, it is also the "brother" of the poisonous and bleached drug.

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The culinary fate of this vegetable crop was difficult. In Europe, eggplant became interesting as a food product only from the XIX century. Before that, it was not appreciated and even considered the cause of some mental disorders.

To grow eggplants yourself, you do not need to have special conditions and a scientific title, it is enough to follow some simple rules and you can grow varieties of exotic eggplants that can not be grown in the open field at home.

Choose a large pot

Eggplant is a very energetic plant, and to obtain a bountiful harvest, it requires enough space for the root system. The eggplant root problem can be solved by two methods:

• the first is to grow a special decorative variety of aubergines
• the second - use a large volume pot to grow.

In the first and second ways there is a place to be, but in our area it is probably better to use a large container. To grow a healthy and strong plant, you need to use a pot of at least 5 liters, and it is better to choose 10 liters.

The best pot materials are plastic. Plastic is just cheap, and you can use a common household bucket.

What type of eggplant to choose to grow a house?
Preference should be given to tall and short varieties.

Any type of eggplant is best planted in a pot with seedlings. With this method, you will have the opportunity to choose the "strongest" plant, and also after transplanting, seedlings will be less susceptible to various diseases.

Eggplant growing conditions

Eggplants are heat-loving plants, and for their full growth and fruition, they need light and heat. An ideal climate should have a daytime temperature of 22-26 ° C, and nighttime temperatures should range from 15-18 ° C.

The greatest danger is sudden changes in temperature, which can damage the flowers and the tips of the leaves. In open areas, it is best to keep plant pots close to the wall, with sudden changes in temperature, the wall of the house will serve as a heat accumulator and protect your plant. And with the start of prolonged cooling, the plant can be covered with a cloth.

On especially hot sunny days, worry about the plant, the eggplant tolerates heat up to 45 ° C. On those hot days, you just need to make sure that the lump of soil does not dry out, doing regular watering.

Soil for growing eggplants

Eggplant, like all nightshade families (Solanaceae), needs well-drained substrates rich in organic matter. The most ideal soil is the one that is prepared, since it is not so difficult. To prepare the substrate for planting eggplants, you need to take 1/3 of the forest soil, 1/3 of the compost and 1/3 of the coarse sand.

Plant seeds and transplant seedlings

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They decided on the variety, assigned a place for cultivation and acquired land. Now is the time to sow eggplant seeds. The most appropriate time to sow eggplant seeds is spring, or rather March to April. Personally, I don't buy special containers for planting seedlings, but I do use a cut ordinary plastic bottle.

In seedling planting containers, the soil is poured almost to the edges (1.5 - 2 cm from the edge). And the eggplant seeds are sown evenly from above, not too thick, so that the seeds are 1 cm apart. Then the seeds are covered with a fine earth ball and gently watered. After 10-14 days, the first shoots should appear.

When transplanting seedlings into a large pot, you should choose one (maximum two) the largest and "strongest" plant.

In the early stages of cultivation, eggplant requires regular watering. When watering, you must prevent water from entering the leaves and the stem neck to avoid the appearance of rot and fungal diseases. On hot days, you can apply root irrigation, with such irrigation the water is poured into a saucer from where it is directly absorbed by the roots.

Fertilizer for Eggplants

For a rich harvest, eggplants require abundant and regular fertilization, especially if they grow in covered soil (pot).

When growing vegetables in a pot, I recommend that you refrain from using organic fertilizers (especially manure), it is better to give preference to mineral or organomineral fertilizers.

Eggplant care

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In caring for the eggplant, as you probably already understood, there is nothing complicated. The last point worth mentioning is pruning the plant during growth. The cutting of aubergines should be done only if it grows in closed ground (pot, greenhouse, hydroponics), and is done with the aim of optimizing the plant, so as not to let it use its full force on violent and excessive growth to the detriment of the fructification.

Varieties and cultivation.

The oblong purple aubergine fruit that we are used to is just one of the options in an extremely wide variety. Thanks to the selection work, the fruits of various varieties of aubergines differ from each other in many ways: - in size: there are small berries of 30 grams and giant ones of 2 kilograms;

• by color: aubergines are white, yellow, pink, red, green, black, striped;
• in shape: some resemble chicken eggs, others resemble balls and balls, and others resemble pears more.

Reference:

https://www.planetahuerto.es/revista/la-berenjena-un-cultivo-exigente_00014
http://www.huertodeurbano.com/como-cultivar/berenjena/