Content
Eggplants are not very common in domestic gardens: this crop is very heat-loving and has a long growing season. Not all regions of Russia can boast a climate suitable for growing eggplants, because this vegetable from the nightshade family needs long and warm summers. The way out of the situation was greenhouses, greenhouses, selection of early ripening varieties of blueberries and, of course, intensive feeding of plants - all this contributes to the rapid ripening of fruits and an increase in yield.
You can learn how to fertilize eggplants in open ground and what fertilizers to use for this from this article.
What do the little blue ones feed?
Fertilizers for eggplants should be complex; this crop loves a combination of mineral fertilizers with organic ones.. Blue plants need to be fertilized often and abundantly; on poor soils, fertilizing is applied almost every week.
The most important microelements for eggplant, as well as for other vegetables from the nightshade family, are the following substances:
- Nitrogen, which is necessary for increasing green mass, rapid growth of eggplants, and ripening of fruits;
- Phosphorus the blue ones need it for better adaptation, because it promotes the development of the root system, improves the absorption capacity of the roots, and also stimulates the formation of ovaries and the maturation of the blue ones;
- Potassium increases plant immunity, thanks to it eggplants can better tolerate temperature fluctuations, resist diseases and viruses, it is also needed for the growth and development of bushes;
- Boron, manganese and iron blue ones are necessary for the appearance of new inflorescences, the formation of ovaries, and improving the taste and appearance of the fruit.
You need to replenish the deficiency of these microelements regularly by feeding eggplants with purchased mineral supplements or organic compounds.. But in order to correctly draw up a feeding plan for eggplants, you need to know which fertilizers contain the substances needed at this stage of development.
So, You can find trace elements in the following mineral supplements:
- Superphosphate is able to simultaneously compensate for the deficiency of three components: phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.
- Nitrophoska or nitroammofoska have almost the same composition as superphosphate, only the dosage of certain components (potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus) may differ.
- Ammonium sulfate consists of nitrogen and sulfur. This fertilizer should not be used by those whose plot is located on soils with high acidity, since sulfur acidifies the soil even more.
- Potassium nitrate consists of potassium and nitrogen.
It is quite possible to replace chemical fertilizers with organic matter, but it is much more difficult to calculate the dose of substances that eggplants need, but organic fertilizers are better absorbed by plants and are safer for humans.
Eggplant feeding can be carried out with the following organic compounds:
- cow dung;
- bird droppings;
- humus;
- compost.
It is strictly forbidden to use fresh manure or chicken manure, since the nitrogen content in such fertilizers is extremely high - the eggplants will grow greatly, and instead of forming ovaries and fruits, the plants will begin to increase green mass.
To avoid burning the eggplant roots, organic fertilizers are first infused and diluted with water. They are applied along with watering or immediately after irrigating the blue ones.
Ways to feed eggplant
As a rule, little blue ones are fertilized only with root fertilizers, that is, they add the necessary components directly to the soil. This method promotes the rapid absorption of microelements by the eggplant root system, without the danger of burning the leaves or fruits with concentrated fertilizers.
It is necessary to prepare fertilizers strictly following the instructions. It is recommended to dilute microelements with water at room temperature - about 22-24 degrees. If fertilizer gets on the stems or leaves of eggplant, it should be washed off as quickly as possible with clean water.
Foliar feeding for eggplants is rarely used; generally, the plants need regular fertilizers applied to the soil. But on poor soils, additional plant fertilization may be necessary; this is done by spraying a nutrient solution onto blueberry bushes.
The solution for foliar feeding must be prepared correctly: the amount of water should be several times greater than when preparing a concentrate for root fertilizer. Each plant needs about a liter of diluted fertilizer.
If there is insufficient flowering and poor formation of ovaries, you can irrigate the eggplant bushes with a solution of boric acid, dissolving 1 gram of the substance in a liter of water. The blue ones are treated twice with an interval of 10 days.
If the growth of green mass is weak, the eggplant bushes can be treated with a urea solution; if, on the contrary, there is too much greenery, the blue ones are irrigated with a preparation containing potassium.
It is important to understand that all foliar feeding of blues must be done with solutions with a much lower concentration than root ones. Otherwise, you can simply burn the plants.
Eggplant feeding scheme
During the entire growing season, the blue ones will have to be fertilized at least four times. A, if the land on the site is depleted, then the amount of fertilizing increases – eggplants need to be fertilized every 10-14 days.
Feeding blue seedlings
While the plants are in seedling state, they need to be fed at least twice:
- The first time fertilizers are applied to the blue ones, when the first pair of true leaves forms on the seedlings. As a rule, this period occurs during the diving stage of the little blue ones. This means that plants are in dire need of nitrogen and potassium, those microelements that promote the growth of seedlings and their better acclimatization in a new environment. Even when seedlings are grown in individual containers and there is no picking stage, eggplants with two leaves need to be fed with the same compounds.
- The second time “support” for the little blue ones is needed 10-12 days before the intended transplant into open ground or a greenhouse.In addition to nitrogen and potassium, the fertilizer must now also contain phosphorus. Phosphorus promotes the development of the root system, which is very important at the stage of planting seedlings, because heat-loving blueberries often stop growing after transplanting into the ground due to damage to the roots. Thanks to timely applied fertilizers, the eggplants will be ready for planting - their roots will become strong and healthy.
Feeding eggplant after planting in the ground
After the seedlings have been placed in the ground, the eggplants are fed at least three to four more times.
The scheme of these feedings looks like this:
- The plants are fertilized for the first time no earlier than two weeks after planting in the ground. Only after 10-14 days will the plant’s roots become strong enough to absorb nutrients. At this stage, eggplants need nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, that is, superphosphate can be used again.
- When the first flowers begin to appear, the bushes need to be fed a second time. At this stage, the plants still need nitrogen, but they will need twice as much potassium and phosphorus as in the previous feeding. Humate or fertilizers containing only one mineral component can be used as fertilizer.
- The third feeding is needed by eggplants at the stage of formation of ovaries and fruits. They now only need phosphorus and potassium. Additionally, you can treat the bushes with ash or use other folk remedies, such as herbal infusion or yeast.
- The last time the little blue ones are fertilized is at the stage of mass fruit ripening; this feeding is aimed at prolonging fruiting. You need to use the same potassium and phosphorus.
Results
Fertilizing eggplants is practically no different from fertilizing tomatoes; these related crops are supported by the same microelements, and the use of organic matter is also acceptable (while bell peppers, for example, do not tolerate manure).
In order for the plants to be healthy and the harvest to be large, you should choose sunny areas with nutritious and breathable soil for eggplants, do not plant this crop after potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, protect it from diseases and feed it on time.
