Eggplant seedlings at home

Eggplant dishes are loved by many. This and all kinds of ragout, and, of course, the famous eggplant caviar. But if you have your own plot of land, then instead of buying eggplants in a supermarket, you can grow them yourself. And a very important part of this process is growing seedlings. Learn from the article, when and how to plant the seedlings of eggplant at home.

Sowing eggplants for seedlings at home

A characteristic feature of this garden culture is a long period of its vegetation. In practice, this means that from the appearance of shoots to the beginning of flowering, your eggplant will take more than 100 days. Therefore, to plant them on seedlings, experienced gardeners recommend no later than mid-February.

With regard to presowing preparation of eggplant seeds, it involves the following actions:

1. First, all available seed should be soaked in a 5 percent salt solution and allowed to stand for a few minutes. Seeds that have surfaced on the surface need to be removed - they are substandard.
2. Seeds left on the bottom, rinse with clean water and for 20-30 minutes, dip into the potassium permanganate.
3. After that, soak the seeds in plain water for 10-12 hours.
4. Wrap them in a damp napkin, placing them in a warm place before they begin to peck.

In addition, before planting, you can organize hardening procedures: in the day to keep seeds in a warm room, and at night to transfer them to the refrigerator. These activities will be relevant for seedlings, which will subsequently be planted in open ground. Hardened aubergines will better tolerate the night coolness and, in addition, will give an early harvest.

For the seeding of seedlings, a disinfected soil consisting of humus (1 part), light soil (2 parts), wood ash or superphosphate (5 tablespoons) is needed. Eggplants are best planted directly in containers, because their tender roots are difficult to tolerate pickings.

Care of eggplant seedlings at home

After the first seeds have appeared and ascended, the temperature in the room, previously maintained at around + 25 ° C, should be smoothly reduced to + 15-16 ° C. Observance of this regime for eggplant stimulates the formation of a powerful root system. As the seedlings grow, the temperature is gradually increased to the previous level.

Further care is reduced to regular watering of seedlings, airing and mandatory loosening of the upper soil layer. In addition, you will need to remove weak plants, leaving only the best specimens in the container.

An important issue is the issue of seedling seedlings . Since the crop is produced in February, when the light day is still too short, this measure is necessary. Usually, the illumination of a fluorescent or LED lamp works around the clock, only from 18:00 to 6:00 The next day the container with plants is shading: total seedlings require a 12-hour light day. This requirement is maintained from the moment of the appearance of eggplant second leaves and before the formation of the fourth.

Aubergine seedlings, which are grown at home, usually responds well to feeding. For more active growth, they are given a chicken droppings (1:15) or a solution of Mullein (1:10). The first fertilizing with normal growth usually corresponds to a 2-week seedlings, if to keep records from the appearance of the first shoots, and the second - to a 5-week period. In this case, use superphosphate (12.5 g), ammonium nitrate (5 g) and potassium salt (3 g respectively). Sprinkle seedlings with fertilizer should be in the morning.