Eggplant is not only tasty, but also he althy. They contain many useful trace elements, such as phosphorus, iron, calcium, and proteins. These vegetables boast the ability to remove excess cholesterol from the human body, and more effectively than drugs. Regular consumption of eggplant dishes will help prevent many diseases caused by high cholesterol, such as gallstone disease, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and others.
Eggplant: Description
This is a culture that loves warmth very much. The growing season for eggplant is long. From the moment the first shoots appear to the first harvest, it takes from 100 to 140 days. That is why eggplant cultivation begins with seedlings. The right choice of varieties and proper plant care will ensure a rich harvest.
For a crop such as eggplant, seeds for seedlings can be chosen for every taste. The variety of varieties offered can confuse any person, even a fairly experienced gardener, what thentalk about newbies. Which variety should be preferred in order to end up with a guaranteed harvest?
Today we will talk about one of the hybrids. This is the King of the North eggplant. Feedback from experienced gardeners indicates that the harvest exceeds all expectations and is suitable for both experienced gardeners and those who are just starting out.
About variety
The manufacturer claims the variety as the earliest of the hybrids, besides, it claims that the "King of the North" is more resistant to cold than other varieties. This hybrid is characterized by a remarkable fruit set and a huge yield. Each bush is densely covered with fruits, the length of which reaches 30 centimeters. The form is elongated, the surface is black-violet, glossy has this variety. Eggplant "King of the North" is distinguished by its white flesh, wonderful taste, and lack of bitterness.
Sowing seeds
The best time to start growing seedlings is the days from 20 to 30 March. All eggplants are very difficult to tolerate any transplant due to the sensitivity of the roots, so you should plant each seed in a separate container or peat tablets or pots that are popular today. Experienced gardeners recommend taking soil for seedlings, consisting of soddy soil and humus in equal amounts. And also add fertilizers to the soil per one bucket of earth:
- 1 table. a spoonful of fertilizer containing potassium, such as potassium sulfate;
- 1 table. a spoonful of fertilizer with nitrogen, such as urea;
- 1–2 table.spoons of phosphate fertilizers, for example, superphosphate.
"King of the North" is recommended to be sown to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. Water the sown seeds with water at room temperature. Until the moment of germination, the container with crops must be closed with glass or film. Subject to the optimum temperature, which is from 22 to 26 degrees, the seeds will germinate on the 8-10th day.
Seedling care
Eggplants are very demanding on moisture, they should be watered every 3 days and make sure that the soil is moist, but not too flooded, to avoid the development of diseases in plants.
After two and a half weeks after germination, experienced gardeners recommend the first top dressing using fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. Two weeks later, a second top dressing is carried out using fertilizers containing potassium and nitrogen.
Pick (transplant)
As mentioned earlier, eggplants are very hard to tolerate injury to the root system and recover for a long time. It is better to initially allocate a separate container for each plant, but if this is not possible, then the transplant is carried out in the phase of the second true leaflet. Already grown seedlings tolerate picking better, and it is easier to transplant them. 2-3 hours before this, the seedlings are watered for better preservation of the roots. It is recommended to choose containers with dimensions of 10 x 10 or 8 x 8 cm. The same soil is applied to them as before sowing, then they are shed with nutrient compounds. In the middle of each container in the ground, make a recess and transplantseedling so that it is in the soil to the cotyledon leaves.
Disembarkation
It is recommended to transplant eggplants in the greenhouse from May 15 to May 25, and in open ground at the end of May or beginning of June. This must be done after making sure that there will be no more frosts. It should be borne in mind that the King of the North eggplant is quite whimsical. Gardeners' reviews are full of recommendations to protect them, for example, with the help of covering material or shelter in the form of arcs with a film. In addition, it will help in cold weather to maintain the warmth that eggplants love so much.
How to grow eggplant in a greenhouse?
It is necessary to plan planting in a greenhouse since autumn. It is cleaned of dry stems and weeds and sheds the soil well with water. It is recommended to carry out the strait twice so that the excess of the remaining fertilizers goes into the ground. Next, the soil must be disinfected to destroy the pathogens in it. This can be done by applying compost, as well as using various fungicides. After that, the prepared land must be dug up so that in the spring it can be limited to its thorough loosening.
The recommended planting pattern for seedlings is as follows: 60 cm between rows and 40 cm between bushes. Although it is possible to grow eggplant "King of the North" (reviews from gardeners are confirmation of this), reducing the distance between the bushes to 30 cm, and this will not affect growth.
Before planting seedling holes, it is recommended to spill water with diluted manganese, about two liters per hole. When planting eggplants in the beds, do not deepen them greatly.it follows that the soil should exceed the level of the original pot by only one centimeter. After planting, it is advisable to water the seedlings again with a small amount of warm water.
Care, watering, shaping
It doesn't matter how you grow eggplants - in a greenhouse or in the ground, in any case, they are cared for in the same way. During the growth of plants, they are fed several times. Watering grown bushes produced once a week. In dry weather, depending on the condition of the soil, you can do it more often.
Form eggplant "King of the North" reviews of experienced gardeners offer this:
- When the plants reach 25 cm, they need to be pinched, removing the upper part from the main trunk.
- Active growth of side shoots will begin, leave five pieces, the rest should also be pinched.
- During growth, it is also necessary to remove shoots without fruits, yellowed leaves and fruits with deformation.
Reviews
Eggplant "King of the North" receives only positive reviews. Gardeners characterize the variety as extremely productive. The first fruits are longer, the later ones are shorter. Plants bear fruit until late autumn, until frost. In general, gardeners are very satisfied with this variety of eggplant.
