Secrets of a Rich Eggplant Harvest

Feeding eggplants

Unlike other popular garden crops, eggplant appeared on our plots relatively recently - in the second half of the last century. Over the past time, this vegetable has become so fond of us that, now, it is almost impossible to meet a gardener who would not grow eggplants. Very soon the seedlings of these vegetables will "move" to greenhouses. What should be remembered so that the eggplants "please" with a good harvest.

Of the greenhouse crops grown by us, eggplants "love" feeding most of all.

As a rule, in the same greenhouse we plant different vegetables, but we water and fertilize them, almost always, in the same way, forgetting that their agricultural technology is still different. Eggplants need to be fed several times more often than their neighbors in the greenhouse.

And, at times, the reason for the lack of ovaries, and, accordingly, the harvest of this culture, is precisely the lack of nutrition.

Eggplants can be fertilized with a complex of organic, mineral and humic substances, infusions of various herbs, manure, and wood ash. And with the beginning of the period of laying the ovaries, potash fertilizers must be applied, which contribute to the formation and ripening of fruits.

Providing temperature control

Eggplant is the most thermophilic plant in the nightshade family. In most regions, a good harvest of this vegetable can be obtained by growing it only in greenhouse conditions.

Indeed, in many areas, already in August night temperatures are significantly lower than daytime ones, dew becomes frequent. In cool conditions and at high humidity, the pollen gets wet, sticks together and cannot pollinate the plant, which also causes the absence of ovaries and fruits.

Alternatively, some gardeners, desperate to see ovaries, practice artificial pollination of plants. To do this, collect pollen from one flower with a small brush with natural bristles and transfer it to others. Having pollinated the last flower, they return to the first. This is also done if the eggplants are not self-pollinating. In addition, experts note that slightly more than half of all flowers blooming on the plant are pollinated and form ovaries.

Moreover, in the conditions of our short summer seasons, not all fruits that have set will be able to ripen. Therefore, eggplants, like tomatoes, are stepchild in order to allow more or less grown fruits to ripen.

Eggplant: Disease Prevention

Often, root rot becomes the cause of the sudden wilting of an already sufficiently mature plant. Their pathogen penetrates the roots, clogs the plant system through which water and minerals flow. As a result, the plant dies. Therefore, despite the absence of any external signs indicating the presence of the disease, it is necessary to take preventive measures.

One of these measures is to water healthy plants with biological fungicides containing humic acids, which also support the plant roots. The beneficial bacteria found in biofungicides fight off infectious agents that can infect the roots of our plants.

It is recommended to start the introduction of such drugs as early as possible. After all, the factors provoking the formation of the same root rot are changes in air and soil temperature. And the optimal conditions for the development of infection can arise at any time.

Since beneficial bacteria "work" in moist soil, it is advisable to mulch the beds, thereby ensuring constant soil moisture and, accordingly, protection of plant roots.

In addition, mulching practically eliminates the need for frequent loosening of the soil. For eggplants, this is not an unimportant factor. The roots of the plant are located quite close to the surface and when loosening them, microdamages can be applied to them, through which the same root rot will penetrate into the plant.

We remembered the secrets of eggplant yield, the season is ahead, and forewarned means armed.