Eggplant is a vegetable of the nightshade family. Famous for its love of warmth.
From mid-March, they begin to plant eggplant seeds for seedlings. When the seeds are planted, experts recommend illumination, especially in the first month. If this is not done, the seedlings grow slowly and flower buds appear later than usual.
Most suitable temperature for growing seeds it is 20–25 degrees. At this temperature, eggplant seeds germinate in 8–10 days. When seedlings have appeared, it is advisable to reduce the temperature to 17–20 degrees during the day, and 10–12 degrees at night for 3–5 days. This helps improve root growth in seedlings. Then the temperature is raised again to 25–27 degrees during the day and at night to 15–18.
There is no need to pick seeds.
It should be noted that replanting eggplant seedlings is not very easy and then they may not be accepted, so it is better to immediately plant the seeds in separate pots. 3 seeds 1.5–2 cm deep are planted in one pot. When these seeds germinate, only the largest ones are left to grow; the rest are pulled out.
Once the plant has sprouted, it cannot be watered, if the soil is dry, then it is simply sprayed. You can water it every 2-3 days; it is recommended to do this regularly so that the soil does not dry out.
When you grow eggplant seedlings, you need to feed them about twice. To do this, take complex mineral fertilizers. The first feeding should be done when the first leaves appear, and then after 2 weeks.
If the eggplant seedlings have a well-developed root system and have approximately 5-6 leaves, then we can assume that the seedlings are ready for planting.
Planting eggplants
From the end of May to the first ten days of June occurs planting seedlings in the ground, with this seedlings it should be 60–65 days.
Approximately 5 plants should be planted per 1 m2, no more, in order to avoid a decrease in yield. There should be 30–35 cm between eggplant seedlings in a row, and 60–65 cm between rows.
To prepare seedlings for planting, you need to harden them about a week in advance, reducing the temperature to 15–17 degrees during the day and 10–14 at night.
Eggplants are more whimsical plants. Therefore, they need to be planted and grown in the most fertile soil and a well-warmed place, protected from the winds. This plant does well if tomatoes or peppers grow nearby.
If you have already decided on the place where the eggplants will grow, then in the spring need to add mineral fertilizers. To calculate per 1 m2, take 40 g of ammonium nitrate, 60 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium chloride.
Before planting seedlings, the hole must be watered very well. The plant is planted in the resulting slurry and sprinkled with earth on the sides.
If you grew seedlings in a peat pot, then you can plant them directly with the pot; if in a plastic pot, carefully pull them out without damaging the lump.
Plant care
Eggplants, growing and caring for them are only at first glance an easy task. About two days after you have planted the eggplant seedlings, they are watered. Then it follows water thoroughly after 3 days. It is worth remembering that eggplants do not like to dry out, so they need to be watered regularly. Before they bloom - once a week, and when they bloom - once every 5 days. The water temperature should be above 20 degrees. If you water the eggplants cold water, then they grow more slowly.
When growing eggplants, you need don't forget about feeding. When mass budding begins, do the 1st feeding, the 2nd before harvesting, and the 3rd when fruits form on the side shoots. Feeding eggplants is done using an aqueous solution, calculated per 1 m2, take ammonium nitrate (4–5 g), potassium chloride (5–10 g) and superphosphate (10–20 g). Eggplants can also be fertilized with organic fertilizer (humus or rotted manure), calculating 3-6 kg per 1 m2.
Features of cultivation
If you want the eggplant bush to be well developed, you need to remove the upper part of the main stem, only this should be done when it is 25–30 cm high. When side shoots appear, you need to leave about 4 of the strongest ones and remove the rest. Then you should remove everything except the fruiting shoots.
To make the eggplant bush more stable, you need it tie to supports, which are stuck nearby.
When growing eggplants, you need to remember that they are heat-loving. Therefore, it is best to grow it at a temperature of 20–30 degrees. If the temperature is 15 degrees, then the eggplant stops growing; if it is 13 degrees, it turns yellow and dies. Eggplant does not withstand frost, so if there are still young fruits left in the autumn, and you do not want them to disappear, then you can dig up a bush and place it in a pot, that is, later grow it in the house.
Caring for this plant involves weeding and loosening. When loosening the soil, do it shallow, because the roots of the plant are located closer to the surface.
Eggplant diseases
Eggplant may be subject to:
- Late blight.
- Gray rot.
- Mosaic of leaves.
- Internal necrosis of fruits.
Late blight. The first symptoms of this disease are the appearance of dark brown spots on the edges of the lower leaves; they enlarge and become almost black. On the leaves, where the line between affected and healthy tissues passes, white coating, you can see it perfectly in the morning while there is dew. Then late blight spreads to the inflorescences (the peduncle turns black and dries out), the fruits (subcutaneous brownish-brown spots appear, hard, they increase in size) and tangles (gray spots appear, they gradually turn into rot) of the eggplant.
This disease occurs through temperature changes, heavy dew(if the soil is open) and high humidity (this happens in greenhouses).
An eggplant disease such as gray rot is fungal. In most cases, it exposes dying parts to infection. Gray rot manifests itself in a white, then ash-gray coating on the diseased areas. If the infection progresses, it will have the appearance of dry rot with some spots.
Gray rot It can also infect healthy fruits if there is an excess of humidity and sudden changes in temperature.
Leaf mosaic is a viral disease. A sign of the disease is that light spots appear along the veins on the leaves, with wrinkling present. Then a dark green frame appears around these places. Bubble-like swellings appear on the infected leaf, it becomes wrinkled and contracts along the veins. The pulp of the fruit becomes hard.
Mosaic of leaves affects eggplant due to decreased temperatures and cloudy weather.
Internal fetal necrosis is also a viral disease. Brown dead spots appear on the fruits. As a result, their quality deteriorates. Internal necrosis in a plant occurs due to insufficient light along with increased moisture.
Growing Eggplants Can Challenge You damage from pests:
- aphids;
- spider mite;
- whitefly;
- Colorado potato beetle.
Aphids are insects, they are very small, their size is no more than a few millimeters. Aphids most attack shoots and the undersides of leaves. This insect pierces the skin of the leaf to suck out the juice, while covering the leaves with sticky secretions. As a result, the stems wither and the leaves curl, turn yellow and dry out. If the aphid has severely attacked the eggplant, it may die.
Spider mites are in most cases terrible for eggplants growing in a greenhouse. It weaves a thin web around the underside of the leaf, piercing the skin and sucking out the juice. If a plant is infected by this pest, it almost always dies after about a month.
A pest such as whitefly is dangerous both as an adult and as larvae. It stays on the lower part of the leaf (prefers the leaves of the upper tiers), sucking the juices from them. The leaves dry out and the fruits fall off.
Colorado beetle Both the adult and its larvae are terrible for the plant. All the leaves are eaten by the adult pest. As for the larvae, the first instar eats the pulp of the leaves from the lower part, the second instar eats the entire pulp, with the exception of the thick middle veins.
Ready ripe eggplants
Proper cultivation will ultimately bring you a decent harvest. From one eggplant bush you can collect approximately 10–20 fruits, which weigh 2–3 kilograms. It is worth noting that large fruits grow on those bushes where there are fewer of them in quantity.
Eggplants are harvested when it is time technical maturity phase, that is, the seeds are white and can be easily cut with a knife. Ripeness is characterized by a strong glossy shine. When some fruits are ripe, they must be removed immediately, because they interfere with the ripening of others.
The harvest is harvested on average after 4 days. The fruits are cut off with the stalk.
Once you have collected the fruits, you cannot leave them to ripen, because they quickly wither and their presentation deteriorates. As a result, eggplants should be used immediately as soon as you collect them.
Eggplant is herbaceous plant with rather large leaves. Eggplant fruits are edible; they are widely distributed in a dark blue or purple color; varieties with a yellow and whitish tint are less common. Eggplants contain many useful microelements and vitamins.
Eggplant comes from the southern part of India, famous for its tropical climate. This culture does not recognize sudden changes in temperature or cold gusty winds. She dies under such conditions, not sparing the labors of rural workers. Since this vegetable crop is very capricious, before breeding it, it is necessary to carefully study the question of at what temperature to grow eggplant seedlings so that it produces a healthy and full harvest.
The influence of external temperature factors on the time of sowing seeds for seedlings
Taking into account the peculiarities of our climate, biologists advise completely switching to growing eggplants using the seedling method. According to statistics, about four months pass from sowing to fruit ripening, namely from 95 to 135 days. If it is possible to transplant eggplant seedlings into a greenhouse in May, then you can prepare the seeds for planting in February, and in the absence of these conditions - in mid-March.
Despite the fact that the soil in the greenhouse will have already reached the optimal temperature during the daytime by May, transplanting into it may pose a threat to the seedlings in the event of a cold snap at night.
Advice! You can plant eggplant seedlings in early May only in a heated greenhouse!
A necessary condition for planting mature eggplant seedlings in open ground is completely heated soil, namely up to 22˚C. This condition often cannot be met due to the changeable climate of our country. Therefore, in order to avoid the risk of death, taught by many years of experience, gardeners advise growing this crop in closed greenhouse conditions everywhere.
Creating comfortable temperature conditions for planting seeds
Since eggplant is considered the most heat-loving vegetable, gardeners growing this crop need to ensure that the conditions are met for the successful ripening of full-fledged and healthy fruits.
It is believed that the sooner the planted eggplant seeds sprout, the better their further development will be. By average standards, the first germination of seeds can be observed on the tenth day, but in order to speed up this process, it is recommended to pre-soak the dry seeds when planting. This is done in order to prepare the seeds for early ripening. It is necessary to soak the seeds in an aquatic environment, the temperature of which should be at least 27˚C. If the recommendations are followed, the seed will germinate no later than in 6 days.
Some gardeners carry out the procedure of hardening dry seeds before sowing. To do this, they are left uncovered during the day at a temperature of 20˚C, and at night they are taken to cold rooms with a temperature of 6-7˚C. The sowing itself is carried out in a heated wet soil, the temperature of which must be at least 24˚C.
In order for the planted seeds to develop faster and the first shoots to appear, the soil must be covered with film. For comfortable development of future eggplant seedlings, the temperature in this homemade greenhouse should be at least 26˚C.
It is impossible to water the planted material under the film. Since planting is already done in moist, insulated soil, the first full watering should be done no earlier than 6 days (i.e. after the first germination of the seeds). Under the film, it is recommended to only slightly moisten the top layer of soil. If the soil in a greenhouse is waterlogged, at a constant temperature of 25˚C, the seeds will die before they have time to sprout.
Attention! The watering liquid for seedlings should be warm; you cannot water with cold water!
The value of the temperature regime at the first seed germination
If before the first germination of seeds, daylight did not play a big role for their development, then after the first germination you need to move the future seedlings to a windowsill illuminated by sunlight. Eggplants are very demanding on lighting. If possible this should be on the south side.
Before the first watering after seed germination, the water must be settled and heated to a temperature of 30 degrees. These instructions should be followed for about 3 more days. Next, the water temperature can be gradually reduced (but the water should not be cold!) and the number of waterings can be reduced. After the third day, watering can be done once every 2-3 days.
In the future, after planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, watering should also be done exclusively warm water. Typically, gardeners place buckets of water in a sunny location to warm the liquid.
Do not place eggplant seedlings close to heating appliances. Soil moisture, combined with elevated air temperatures, can lead to illness and even death of the first seedlings of eggplant seedlings.
After waiting for the first shoots, you can remove the film that previously served as a greenhouse. After this, the external temperature for future seedlings will drop to 22-24˚C.
If the temperature at the place where crops are stored does not reach the above limits, this does not constitute great danger. According to research by biologists, the first shoots can exist perfectly well at lower temperatures (but not less than 17˚C). A little coolness will allow the seedlings to harden, which will have a positive effect in the future, namely when transplanting seedlings into open ground.
Hardening
The most effective time for hardening heat-loving eggplants is the time of first shoots. If you forget this nuance and are late with hardening when the first shoots appear, then it is better to refrain from this procedure in later periods of seedling development.
Hardening of the first shoots
Small sprouts can already exist comfortably even at a temperature of 15˚C, which is an exception for other periods of seedling development.
Hardening is carried out in order to increase the resistance of plants to unfavorable external factors:
- Sudden changes in temperature;
- Unstable daylight hours;
- Diseases.
Hardening of eggplant seedlings begins gradually. On the first day, a change (decrease) in the external temperature is created for several hours. Then the duration of the procedure is increased every day.
Attention! You cannot start hardening off plants abruptly. If the usual air temperature sharply decreases by more than 15 degrees, the first shoots will die immediately.
The hardening procedure lasts until the active growth of seedlings begins. During this period of development, eggplant seedlings especially need warmth.
Important! When hardening seedlings, you should not take them out into a draft or cold wind!
Considering that eggplants are heat-loving, it is necessary to properly prepare their root system for life in open ground after picking. The soil temperature, even in June, differs significantly from the comfortable temperature inside the seedling containers.
Hardening off seedlings before picking
It is optimal to start preparing seedlings before transplanting to a new, permanent place 10 days in advance. Preparation is carried out by the hardening method in order to familiarize the seedlings with possible changeable natural and weather conditions.
The seedlings must be taken to the balcony, where they will receive direct sunlight. The air temperature on the balcony should be at least 10 degrees Celsius. You can open the window for ventilation for a few minutes so that the seedlings can feel the movement of air masses.
2-3 days before the final picking, eggplant seedlings can be pre-transported to the greenhouse. On a warm day, seedlings can be kept outdoors in direct sunlight.
Under no circumstances should eggplant seedlings be overheated before picking. Otherwise, difficulties will arise with adaptation to new conditions of existence.
Gardeners note that hardened seedlings take root much better in a new place (in open ground) and produce a harvest faster than seedlings that were not hardened. Long-term observations of gardeners and statistical studies in this area indicate the importance and usefulness of the procedure for hardening eggplant seedlings.
The influence of daylight hours on the development of seed material
As a rule, short daylight hours are favorable for vegetables whose homeland has a tropical climate. Accordingly, for normal growth and development of eggplant seedlings, it is necessary to create conditions for it to feel a short daylight hours.
Therefore, in winter and early spring, it is necessary to organize artificial lighting for eggplant seedlings. If we talk about the winter month of February, the backlight can be turned on as early as two o’clock in the afternoon, since the eggplant seedlings will not have enough natural light after noon.
Advice! Try to stick to a specific artificial lighting regime every day.
It should be noted that the natural increase in daylight hours in April cannot negatively affect eggplant seedlings, since they are fully formed and ready for some external changes.
Attention! Be sure to leave your eggplant seedlings in the dark overnight! Under no circumstances should seedlings be illuminated for more than 8 hours a day!
Choosing the main location for eggplant seedlings
Experienced gardeners always choose the sunniest and windiest place on their site for eggplants. It is necessary to choose a piece of land that would provide maximum sun exposure, warming the soil for eggplant seedlings. If the plot of land is in the shade, it will not be warm enough for the comfortable development of seedlings. Insufficiently high soil temperatures can lead to a halt in the growth of seedlings, as well as to the falling of flowers and ovaries.
Unfortunately, nature works in such a way that wind or a strong draft can significantly harm eggplants. If there is no such safe place in the garden plot, it is necessary to build a homemade structure that would protect the plants from gusts of even the warm summer wind.
Gardeners, taught by many years of experience, advise planting crops such as corn and beans around the perimeter of the eggplant plot, which can protect eggplant seedlings from the wind and even infections. The main thing is to ensure that these plantings do not shade the area with eggplants and let sunlight into it.
Consequences of unfavorable temperature for eggplant seedlings
At any stage of seedling maturation and growth, it needs comfortable temperature. If an amateur gardener neglects the advice to soak the seeds in warm water, they may not ripen and sprout at all.
If, at the first shoots, you do not take care of hardening the future seedlings, you can get pampered shoots. When transplanted into the ground, they have a very difficult time adapting. One part of such seedlings develops poorly and does not bear fruit for a long time. The other part gets sick due to weak immunity when moving to insufficiently insulated open ground. And the weakest specimens die in the first days after picking.
If the gardener does not take care of the comfortable existence of the plants in a warm, sunny and windless place and does not prepare a special plot of land on the site, the seedlings will also not please him with either the quantity or quality of the fruits.
If weather forecasters predict a cold, windy and rainy summer, it is necessary to plant the seedlings in a greenhouse, otherwise the seedlings will simply freeze and not produce a harvest. Based on many years of observations by biologists, it has been noted that in cold summers, eggplant seedlings most often suffer from diseases. Diseases have both fungal and viral origin. In cold summers, eggplants grow very slowly and bear small-sized fruits. This is considered the norm.
Viral diseases
The most common disease of eggplant seedlings, which is of a viral nature, is “Viral internal necrosis”. It occurs when there is an excess of moisture. This applies to both soil moisture and excessive air humidity. This disease develops quite quickly; if the form is advanced, the yield can be reduced by up to 35%. Diseases of fruitful seedlings are difficult to miss. Areas of dying tissue of a characteristic brown color begin to appear on the fruits.
Bacterial diseases
One of the ailments of bacterial origin is a disease called “Black spot”. Spotting occurs under conditions of high soil moisture combined with high temperatures during the daytime. In hot summers, when the temperature in the shade reaches up to 38˚C, with abundant watering, it is almost impossible to avoid this disease in tomato seedlings.
Inexperienced gardeners, sparing plants in such high temperatures, begin to increase the volume and frequency of watering. This is absolutely forbidden to do!
Advice! During peak summer activity, do not spray the leaves of eggplant seedlings with water! They can burn from the burning rays of the sun and the seedlings will die.
Black spot is a contagious disease that can affect a large proportion of healthy seedlings. On plants it appears as dark spots. When the disease is advanced, the infection is transferred to the fruits. Infected eggplant fruits are distinguished by the presence of darkened, glossy spots.
Another disease caused by a bacterial nature is “Viral mosaic”. Most often found in the southern regions. It manifests itself as a change in the color of the leaves and their shape. In the progressive form of the disease, the foliage begins to deform and acquires a specific dark striped color.
Conclusion
So, in order to grow a healthy harvest of eggplant, it is necessary to provide it with warmth, sufficient light (but no more than 12 hours a day), and also protect it from wind, drafts and waterlogging of the soil.
Those who are just starting to grow seedlings are undoubtedly worried about thousands of thousands of questions. And old-time gardeners don’t remember everything from memory. Therefore, we decided to make three tables for you that you can print out and look at if necessary.
So, if you need to know when to plant seeds for seedlings, how many hours a day to add light to the seedlings and what is the optimal temperature regime for main seedling crops, you are welcome here.
How to determine the day when it is necessary to sow seeds for seedlings? Some vegetable growers try to plant seeds early, in February, in order to get a quicker harvest. However, not all crops require such long-term cultivation of seedlings. For example, February seedlings of tomatoes are often weak, elongated, with long internodes. To avoid regretting wasted efforts later, it is better to calculate the optimal sowing time in advance.
As a rule, the seed packets indicate the period for growing seedlings for a particular variety. We just have to decide on the date of planting the plants in the ground and the germination period of the seeds. For example, we expect to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse on May 8th. We know that tomato seeds germinate in 5-8 days, but on the bag we read that the recommended age of seedlings for planting in a permanent place is 50 days. Wonderful! We count back 55-58 days from May 8 (age of seedlings + time for germination) and get the seed sowing date around March 12. It's simple.
If the bags don’t indicate anything about the timing of growing seedlings, it doesn’t matter. Use our reference table.
Approximate timing of growing seedlings of various crops
| Plant | Timing for growing seedlings (age of seedlings) | Time of emergence of seedlings under optimal conditions |
| Watermelon | 20-25 days | 3-7 days |
Basil  |
45 days | 5-7 days |
Eggplant  |
50-60 days | 7-10 days |
Melon  |
20-25 days | 3-7 days |
Strawberry  |
50-70 days | 10-30 days |
Zucchini  |
20-25 days | 2-4 days |
Cabbage  |
45 days | 3-4 days |
Potato  |
30-40 days | 5-8 days |
Leeks and onions  |
50-60 days | 5-7 days |
Cucumber  |
20-25 days for open ground 30-35 days for greenhouses |
2-4 days |
Pepper  |
50-60 days | 7-10 days |
Celery  |
60-70 days | 7-10 days |
Tomatoes  |
tall: 50-60 days medium-sized: 50-55 days standard: 40-45 days |
5-8 days |
Pumpkin  |
20-25 days | 2-4 days |
Additional illumination of seedlings
Not everyone illuminates the seedlings, but it is highly advisable to do so. Even on the sunniest window in February-March, plants do not have enough daylight. As a result, they stretch out and outgrow. Each crop has its own optimal lighting time, which we have tried to combine in the following table:
Time for artificial additional illumination of seedlings of various crops
| Plant | Approximate lighting time |
| Tomatoes | 14-16 hours |
| Peppers | 14-16 hours - before four true leaves appear, 10-12 hours - after. |
| Eggplant | 14-16 hours - before four true leaves appear, 10-12 hours - after. From six in the evening until the morning, cover the seedlings with opaque material. |
| Cabbage | 10-12 hours. |
| Strawberry | One and a half months from the moment of germination - 12 hours. Then there is no need for additional lighting. |
| Onion | Doesn't need additional lighting. |
| Potato | 10-12 hours. |
| Watermelons and melons | 10-12 hours. |
| Celery | Until the appearance of the second true leaf - 16-18 hours, until the appearance of the fourth true leaf - 14-16 hours, then 10-12 hours. |
| Cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, squash | They do not need additional lighting. |
Optimal temperature for seedlings
Maintaining temperature conditions is a sore point for summer residents. Few people observe it exactly, and yet we must strive for it. The first step in this direction is not to go to extremes. That is, you shouldn’t put a tray with just sown seeds on a radiator “so that they sprout faster,” you shouldn’t think that drafts from cracks in the windows harden the seedlings, and you shouldn’t hope that plastic windows solve all problems.
Be sure to keep thermometers on windowsills with seedlings. If the temperature drops undesirably, cover the pallets with blankets or the like. And in case of “excessive heat” you can always open the window at least a crack.
Temperature conditions for seedlings of various crops
You can read more about temperature conditions and growing tomato seedlings in the following article:. Read about how to properly grow strawberry seedlings. The secrets and features of growing cabbage seedlings have been revealed
The love for eggplants makes many people start growing them. However, our climatic conditions not entirely suitable for this subtropical crop. The most favorable temperature conditions for good development of eggplants vary from 26 to 30 degrees, and the air heating should be stable throughout the day. Constant changes in air and soil temperatures, even in a greenhouse, contribute to the shedding of the ovary, which results in a minimal harvest, if there is one.
Growing conditions
Specific features in caring for eggplant characterize it as a very demanding crop. What do seedlings need for normal development?
- Abundance of light.
- Soil moisture.
- Careful loosening due to the superficial location of the roots.
- Fertility of soil containing a lot of potassium.
- Stable temperature above 25°C.
A lack of one of the components contributes to a decrease in growth, a decrease in the size of fruits and their number. Growing seedlings is necessary so that eggplants can go through the entire development cycle, which is about three months.
Due to the special demands of eggplants, it is better to grow them indoors, where it is possible to create ideal conditions for development.
Growing seedlings goes through several stages.
- Preparation of soil containing sufficient quantity minerals.
- Preparation and planting of seeds depending on the place of sowing and time of transplantation into open ground.
- Caring for seedlings followed by transplanting them to a permanent place.
Already at the stage of sowing seeds, it is worth paying attention to maintaining an optimal temperature regime that promotes rapid germination and better development. The air temperature must be at least 20°C, and the soil temperature - from 15°C, otherwise seedlings will appear much later. After sprouting, the container with the sprouts is transferred for about a week to a sunny place with a temperature of about 18 °C to strengthen the root system. If the temperature is higher, the leaves will begin to grow, and this will negatively affect the growth of the entire plant, because the roots are still weak.
After a week, the temperature is gradually increased, because too low values can lead to the death of the plant. It is necessary to especially carefully monitor compliance with the temperature regime when growing seedlings. Regular watering of eggplants is done with warm water (temperature - from 20°C).
To better warm the soil, you can use a clean film.
Delayed development and growth of seedlings
Growing eggplants involves constant experiences that are associated with various indicators of improper plant growth.
- Growth slowdown
This often happens when the roots are damaged during transplantation. To resume growth, it is necessary to feed them with a special fertilizer. To prevent this from happening, you need to replant correctly.
Slow growth may also occur due to lack of space. To solve this problem, it is worth transplanting the sprouts into another container - a larger one. At the same time, try not to damage the roots.
- Wilting of seedlings.
Seedlings that wilt during the day and recover in the evening are not a cause for concern. Constant wilting occurs for the following reasons: waterlogging or hypothermia of the soil, differences in temperatures in the upper part of the plant and at the roots, lack of air, disease.
High humidity can be reduced by adding dry soil and switching to light watering. The difference in temperature is associated with ventilation of the greenhouse on a cold sunny day: cool air cools the stems of plants, and sunlight warms their leaves, thereby promoting active evaporation. To even out the temperature, you need to raise the container with the sprouts higher to fully warm them up.
The problem of lack of air for the root system is solved simply: just loosen the soil. Hypothermia is most often a consequence of hardening in cold air. To normalize development, plants are watered with heated water. If the crop becomes diseased, the diseased sprouts are removed, and the remaining ones are sprayed with a special solution.
You can repel pests using ground red pepper by sprinkling it on the ground in a container with seedlings.
- Drying of the lower leaves.
It is a negative manifestation of a lack of nutrients and minerals. This sign indicates that the seedlings need urgent feeding, which can normalize development.
- The appearance of light spots.
If these are not pests, then the consequences sunburn. To eliminate the consequences better at times create artificial shade for the plant using a thick curtain or old newspapers. A similar sign can also signal an overabundance or shortage of fertilizers. The cause of stains can also be watering with cool water (below 22°C).
- Leaf damage.
Occurs when various pests appear, which need to be gotten rid of as quickly as possible before they cause serious damage to the plant.
You can repel pests using regular laundry soap. To do this, the entire surface of the plant leaves is wiped with a soap solution.
Temperature
For better development of eggplants, the temperature should not be lower than 25°C or higher than 30°C. Control is carried out on the basis of thermometers installed near the ground and in the upper part of the room. On hot days, indoor temperatures may be higher than the maximum for a heat-loving crop. This has a bad effect on pollination and the ovary, which may even fall off.
Also, heat coupled with high humidity stimulates the development of pests. To lower the temperature, it is necessary to ventilate the room and moisten its surfaces. Cold weather slows down the growth of plants and may even contribute to their destruction. To prevent a sharp cold snap, the seedlings are covered at night.
Failure to comply with the regime entails improper development of plants. In this case, the leaves may acquire a purple hue, the sprouts will stretch out, and they will outgrow. Sharp temperature changes contribute to the formation of vapors on the film, which is a favorable factor for the development of gray rot and at the same time unfavorable for the development of eggplants.
It must be taken into account that favorable conditions significantly accelerate plant growth. Therefore, if you want to get a good harvest quickly enough, you need to try to follow all the rules for growing them. Breeders have developed many different varieties that are resistant to temperature changes, which greatly simplifies their care.
Today we will talk about the temperature required for seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Few people know that when growing vegetable seedlings, it is very important to maintain the correct temperature regime. A rich harvest begins with this. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants - these plants require heat at all stages of seedling growth, so they require different temperatures.
At 4-16 °C, crop germination starts. But seeds will begin to germinate much faster at higher temperatures. Tomatoes will germinate well at 20-21 °C, and peppers and eggplants at 25-30 °C.
So, the first week of germination is underway.
At the stage of the appearance of the first shoots, it is necessary to lower the temperature slightly. Tomatoes - from 12 to 15 ° C during the day, from 6 to 10 at night. Peppers and eggplants from 13 to 16 °C during the day and 8-10 °C at night. Why is it important? A slight decrease in temperature for young seedlings will help good development of the root system, which will lead to increased yield in the future. Necessary maintenance this mode may last from seven to fourteen weeks. But if you drop the temperature below 10 degrees, your seedlings will stop growing.
Now let's talk about rising temperatures. After the decrease, you need to start increasing it little by little. Using the table in the photo, you can determine the most optimal temperature for the formation of good seedlings after diving.
Particular attention must be paid to the state of soil temperature. If it is less than 14 °C, this will lead to the fact that the roots will absorb phosphorus and nitrogen worse, the roots extending from the stem will develop very poorly or will not develop at all, which is why the plant’s access to water will be limited, and this in turn will lead to deterioration in survival rate. At 10-12 °C, the roots will completely stop absorbing useful elements from the soil. Overheated soil is no less dangerous for plants; be careful.
In order for less cold air to enter the soil, you need to provide space between the container with seedlings and the window sill on which you place them. This is done simply - use any stand for the container with seedlings so that warm air from the battery flows under it. Also make a barrier for warm air to the plants themselves, because it can negatively affect the green parts of plants.
