How to feed eggplant after planting in a greenhouse?
Most gardeners grow eggplants in their summer cottages. At the same time, this vegetable is often planted in greenhouses (it is best to grow eggplant in polycarbonate structures). Today we will talk about how you can feed him in such conditions.
How to feed vegetables?
Eggplants should be fed throughout their development in the greenhouse. In this case, the first top dressing should be carried out already 10-14 days after planting. Processing is recommended to be carried out with a solution with bird droppings or mullein.
Superphosphate must also be added to this composition. Instead, it is permissible to use wood ash. You can also take simple herbal infusions. Such fertilizers are considered organic, namely, they are most useful for vegetables in the initial stages of their development.
Before flowering, some top dressing should also be applied. And they do it immediately with complex fertilizers with mineral elements. This contributes to the normal and full development of plants.
After the appearance of the first leaf, young bushes can also be treated with special chemicals ("Growth", "Zircon"). These agents are special catalysts for the growth of such plants.
Instead, they can be treated with a solution with the addition of dry yeast. To prepare such a composition, it is necessary to dilute this component (one gram) in clean water (three liters). The resulting liquid is infused for one day.Then the bushes are carefully treated with it, you need to do this only 1-2 times during the growth of eggplant.
The next top dressing should be carried out at the moment when the vegetable begins to bloom. To do this, seedlings are watered with a special composition with ammonium nitrate (10 grams), potassium chloride (15 grams), superphosphate (50 grams). All these constituent components are diluted in 10 liters of clean and warm water. If you do not have ammonium nitrate, you can use wood ash.
For the second dressing, some gardeners advise using substances containing potassium and nitrogen. After all, such elements are important for the good development of eggplant in this period. Eggplant bushes are also fed during their fruiting (third feeding). To do this, it is necessary to prepare a solution with a high content of potassium and nitrogen components.
Do not forget that after each such feeding, the plants must be watered with clean and preheated water. This must be done so that the newly applied fertilizers are quickly absorbed into the soil.
During the fruiting period, seedlings should be fed for 2-3 weeks. Moreover, the portion of urea in fertilizers must be gradually increased. Its maximum dose should be at least 25 grams per square meter of land. It is permissible to use special chemicals during the fruiting period.
During flowering and fruiting, many gardeners use an aqueous mixture as top dressing, it contains urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Also, some use a water infusion with nettles. This composition contains elements of nitrogen, calcium and potassium. Before use, the infusion is recommended to be slightly diluted with water. For processing, one liter of this decoction per bush is used.
Some gardeners advise feeding eggplant bushes with Gumi-Omi. It is a powdery substance. This tool belongs to the organomineral. The preparation contains chicken manure (in the form of compost). Also, "Gumi-Omi" contains a large amount of phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium and various trace elements (sodium, boron, copper).
Before planting eggplants in a greenhouse, the soil in it is fed with various substances. So, dolomite flour, crushed wood sawdust, potassium sulfate, acid peat are necessarily added to it (it is not necessary to add it). Also, many gardeners advise making manure or mass with humus.
If you notice that eggplant bushes have drastically slowed down in their growth or development, then you need to use specialized plant restoration products. The most effective of them include "Ideal", "Signor", "Agricola Forte".
Required Items
Most gardeners separately note some of the necessary top dressing for such plants:
- with phosphorus;
- with potassium;
- fertilizers containing trace elements;
- fertilizing with nitrogen.
Phosphorus
It is this substance that contributes to successful fruiting and flowering. Fertilizing with phosphorus accelerates the growth and development of the entire root system of plants. If you notice that the leaf blades on your plants are directed slightly upward, then this indicates an acute lack of phosphorus compounds.
Phosphorus supplements are especially needed for young, still fragile seedlings during the formation of buds. But at the same time, only adult and strong plants can fully assimilate this element, therefore, at the initial stages of development, phosphorus is recommended to be applied together with foliar elements.
Potassium
Fertilizers with potassium allow plants to accumulate the amount of carbohydrates they need. And this allows you to significantly increase the number of fruits and their quality. In addition, potassium compounds can protect vegetables from many diseases.
If you notice that eggplant leaves begin to curl inward, then this indicates that they lack potassium. Along their edges, a brown coating gradually forms. In the final stages, the leaf plates dry completely.
trace elements
Due to the lack of many trace elements (iron, manganese, magnesium), eggplants often suffer from chlorosis and grow poorly. But not only these elements are necessary for the normal growth and development of young seedlings. Mandatory components for such vegetable crops are molybdenum, copper and boron. Remember that all trace elements are best absorbed with foliar top dressing. Therefore, they cannot be forgotten.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen allows plants to quickly build up their green mass. It also contributes to the successful flow of photosynthesis. Due to the deficiency of this chemical element, plant growth can drastically slow down. In this case, the leaves will begin to brighten sharply, and then they will completely acquire a yellow color.
With such a shortage, this element should be urgently introduced. Otherwise, the leaves will simply fall off, and the seedlings will soon die. But remember that excess portions of nitrogen will also not lead to a good result. Because of this, the immunity of eggplants will significantly decrease.
If you do not want to constantly feed eggplants, then you can pour a special AVA complex fertilizer (1/3 teaspoon) into each hole before planting the seedlings.Then, once every ten days, the plants are watered with infusion of fermented grass (one liter per bucket of water). Such care is quite enough for the normal development of vegetables.
Leaven
Often, eggplants are fed not only with solutions with dry yeast, but also with starter cultures with them. Such substances act as strong growth stimulants for young, immature seedlings. Also, such natural starter cultures are able to saturate the soil with special beneficial microorganisms. They can contribute to the rapid development of the root system and the growth of green mass.
To prepare a universal bread-yeast-based sourdough, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- sugar (half a glass);
- wood ash (two glasses);
- crusts of black bread;
- fresh yeast (0.3 kilograms);
- slaked lime (one glass);
- chicken manure or manure (one liter);
- mowed grass (one kilogram);
All these components are completely filled with water. And it should be warmed up a little in advance. The resulting liquid is left to infuse for one week. After that, the solution is diluted with water (one glass of mass falls on ten liters of pure water). Eggplants are fertilized with this sourdough every week.
Possible difficulties
If you decide to plant and grow eggplant in a greenhouse, you may run into some problems.
- Rolling of leaf blades. This is due to the appearance of pests, too much moisture or a lack of sunlight.
- Weak shoot development after plant transplantation. In this case, eggplant should be fed. After all, such a violation occurs due to the weakening of the root system of the vegetable.
- The plant ceases to bear fruit, but at the same time it blooms. This phenomenon is due to the fact that seedlings do not receive full pollination.
- Difficult formation of ovaries on the bushes. This phenomenon may be due to an excess amount of fertilizers containing nitrogen. It can also happen due to the lack of timely pruning.
- Falling ties. Plants suffer because of this due to excess moisture.
- The appearance of yellowed leaves. Leaf plates acquire this color after improper fertilization or improper watering.
- The formation of colored spots on the leaves. This phenomenon is associated with excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays on seedlings.
Do not forget that for the normal cultivation of eggplants in a greenhouse, they should be fed in a timely manner with special fertilizers. In addition, the soil around the seedlings periodically needs to be loosened.
Also, do not forget to take preventive measures against parasitic insects that can harm the vegetable. If you strictly follow all these rules, you can get a high yield and collect up to eight kilograms of fruit from one bush.
For eggplant care after planting in the greenhouse, see below.