What are the key points to note when growing eggplant? A full breakdown of the latest cultivation tips
Many of us really enjoy eating eggplant, especially oil-dressed eggplant and the grilled eggplant in barbecue; the flavor is very alluring. Although eggplant's market economic value is not high, demand is huge, and in rural areas every household grows eggplant, and some people can even eat eggplant for several meals in a row day after day, which shows just how much they love it. So now let Qinnong Web introduce some of the points to note during the eggplant growing process.
1. Sowing time
The timing of eggplant planting has a big impact on eggplant yield and quality. In the Hunan region, autumn sowing is generally carried out, around July and August each year, but many places can sow in two alternating seasons, namely spring sowing and autumn sowing, such as the North China region. So when is the spring sowing time? Generally, sowing can be done from December each year to February of the following year. The temperature during these two periods is generally around 15 degrees, so it is very suitable for eggplant growth, and the temperature during the flowering and fruiting stages also just reaches around 15 to 25 degrees. At this time, the eggplants produced are the most delicious, and they also bear a lot of fruit.
2. Sowing method
When sowing, we first need to disinfect and scald the seeds, so the seed germination rate will be much higher. Generally, the seeds are placed in hot water at around 50 degrees and soaked for about 20 minutes. During soaking, stir as continuously as possible so the seeds are heated more evenly. When the water temperature drops to 30 degrees, put the seeds in and soak for 24 hours, then remove them and mix the seeds with liquid medicine. After leaving them for six hours, rinse them clean with water, place them under high temperature to promote sprouting, and when 80 percent of the seeds show white sprouts, they can be sown.
3. Fertilization method
Eggplant cultivation has relatively strict fertilization requirements. When spreading base fertilizer, apply as much as possible; generally farmyard manure and livestock manure, or human feces, can all be used. Finally, when planting, evenly scatter an appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer and compound fertilizer into each planting hole. During the eggplant growth period, we need to fertilize in batches and cannot apply too much topdressing at one time. Generally, fertilizer is applied once 20 days after transplanting, usually urea, to promote seedling growth. When the eggplant flowers, apply the second fertilizer, mainly phosphorus fertilizer. The third fertilization is after the fruit has successfully set, mainly potassium fertilizer. Eggplant absorbs relatively more nutrients, so use organic fertilizer as much as possible and use chemical fertilizer cautiously, because this will affect the quality of the eggplant and thereby affect people's health.
4. Planting density
Scientific planting density helps increase eggplant yield, so we generally increase the density moderately. The most reasonable density for eggplant planting is 50 cm between each plant and 60 cm between each row. In this way, when the eggplants grow, flower and bear fruit, the ventilation effect and light effect in the field are still quite good, and the fruit survival rate of the eggplant will also be much higher.
5. Disease control
Eggplant mainly suffers from Phytophthora blight, brown spot disease and Verticillium wilt. For Phytophthora blight, we generally use Propamocarb aqueous solution for control, while for brown spot disease, metalaxyl-copper wettable powder is generally sprayed continuously three to four times to achieve results. Finally, for Verticillium wilt, we need to use carbendazim or benomyl mixed with water and pour a little on each plant. Of course, eggplant also has many pests during the growth process, such as aphids, slugs and cabbage worms. These are all relatively easy to deal with; just use trichlorfon and spray, and the effect appears immediately.