What are the precautions for growing eggplant? Mastering these key points is crucial

Many of us really enjoy eating eggplant, especially oil-drenched eggplant and grilled eggplant in barbecue; the taste is truly fascinating. Although the market economic value of eggplant is not high, the demand is very large. Moreover, in rural areas every household grows eggplant, and some people can even eat eggplant for several days in a row at every meal, which shows just how much they love it. So now let Qinnong Web introduce some precautions 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, for example in North China. 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 the fruit set is also very high.

2. Sowing method

When sowing, we first need to disinfect and scald the seeds, so the germination rate of the seeds will be much higher. Generally, the seeds are soaked in hot water at around 50 degrees 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 with medicinal solution. After leaving them for six hours, rinse them clean with clear water, place them under high temperature to promote germination, 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, livestock manure, or human waste can all be used. Finally, when planting, evenly spread 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 at one time as a top dressing. Generally, fertilizer is applied once 20 days after transplanting, usually using urea, to promote seedling growth. When the eggplant blooms, apply the second top dressing, mainly phosphorus fertilizer. The third fertilization is after the fruit has successfully set, mainly potassium fertilizer. Eggplant absorbs a relatively large amount of 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, bloom, and bear fruit, the ventilation effect and light effect in the field are still very good, and the fruit survival rate of the eggplant will also be much higher.

5. Disease control

Eggplant mainly suffers from phytophthora rot, brown spot disease, and verticillium wilt. For phytophthora rot, 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 for control to be effective. 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 handle; just use trichlorfon, and spraying once takes effect.