Some varieties of eggplant have become familiar to gardeners because they are grown year after year over a long period. These are the most popular varieties. Among them, the Albatross variety stands out noticeably. Let's look at its characteristics, photos and videos of those summer residents who have grown it in their beds more than once. The reviews are also very interesting.
Short description
Eggplant "Albatross" has the following positive qualities compared to other varieties:
- rapid germination of seeds;
- disease resistance;
- beautiful pear-shaped fruit (see photo);
- rich yield.
The eggplant fruits themselves are dark purple in color, they are quite large and heavy. Below is a table of the main characteristics of the variety. With its help, you can easily determine whether this variety can be grown in the conditions of your region.
Characteristic name | Description |
|---|---|
Ripening period | Mid-season variety, 135 days from the appearance of the first shoots to maturity. |
Taste and commercial qualities | Excellent, keeps for a long time. |
Resistance to viruses and diseases | Resistant to most diseases, including cucumber and tobacco mosaic viruses. |
Fruit size | The average length is 20 centimeters, the weight of the fetus ranges from 200 to 250 grams. |
Fruit and pulp color | The fruit is dark purple, the flesh is slightly greenish. |
Description of the bush | Tall, closed, height up to 70 centimeters. |
Care requirements | Weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing is required. |
Description of sowing scheme | 60x25, wider possible; There are 4 plants per 1 square meter. |
Features of growing the variety | They are most often grown in greenhouses, since the ripening period is quite long; they can be planted in open ground only in the south of Russia, where cold snaps are excluded. |
Productivity per 1 sq. meters | 6-8 kilograms. |
Sowing
When choosing eggplant seeds, preference is most often given to early varieties, which are only 85-110 days from technical maturity. The Albatross variety is not one of them, so it is intended for cultivation in warm regions. In 50-70 days, the seeds are planted into seedlings. At the same time, they choose products from well-established manufacturers:
- "SEDEK";
- "Russian vegetable garden";
- "Euro-seeds";
- "Seeds of Altai";
- "May" and others.
Some gardeners plant this variety in less favorable climates, but prepare film shelters in advance. To sow seeds you will need:
- find a warm place in the house;
- provide additional lighting for seedlings;
- purchase quality soil;
- prepare sockets separately for each variety.
You should not plant different varieties next to each other, as this can lead to confusion. The photo above shows the organized cultivation of eggplant seedlings. You can use one of the sowing methods:
- the seeds are not germinated;
- The seeds are germinated in advance by placing them between two layers of damp gauze or cotton pads.
The second method is preferable. Eggplants are very demanding of light, so they need to be illuminated.Additionally, you will need to water with water at room temperature, left to stand for 24 hours.
Care
If you read the description of the variety on the packaging, it turns out that it is resistant to diseases and temperature changes. Yes, “Albatross” is quite resistant to cold, but do not forget that eggplant is a southern crop. The variety is demanding to the following conditions:
- the soil should be loose (it needs to be weeded and loosened often), moderately moist;
- You cannot keep eggplants in a completely wet environment, this will lead to rotting;
- there should be a lot of sun (he also doesn’t really like partial shade, as well as cramped conditions when planting);
- Eggplant loves fertilized soil, so fertilization should be done several times a season (3-4 times).
The video below talks about crop care in general, about pinching and common mistakes gardeners make.
This crop is demanding, rather capricious, and residents of regions north of the Black Earth Region face a lot of problems when growing both seedlings and adult plants.
Reviews about the variety
The photo shows eggplants of the Albatross variety, grown in Russia by the skillful hands of summer residents.
You will notice that the fruits turn out beautiful, large, convenient to cut and use in the future. Among the positive qualities that gardeners write about in reviews:
- high productivity;
- lack of bitterness in the fruit (this is rare when growing varietal eggplants);
- large fruits;
- resistance to small temperature changes.
This variety, as reviews show, is no less demanding than all others when it comes to fertilizing. At the same time, organic matter alone is not enough for him; complex mineral fertilizer will have a good effect on productivity.
The “Albatross” variety is quite good and deserves to be taken a closer look by those summer residents who have never grown it on their plots.
