Eggplants, although they are close relatives of peppers and tomatoes, have only recently begun to gain popularity among gardeners.
Due to the fact that the agricultural technology for growing them is similar to the agricultural technology for peppers and tomatoes, summer residents miss some subtleties.
For example, many disappointments await at the stage of growing seedlings, since the shoots do not appear for a long time and are often uneven.
To eliminate this problem, you should pay attention to some nuances.
What You Need to Know About Sowing Eggplants: 7 Subtleties
1. The age of seedlings for planting in the ground should be no more than 60 days from the moment of emergence. The term is the same as for peppers, so many people sow these crops together. And everything would be fine, but eggplant seeds take much longer to germinate.
Depending on the conditions, the first sprouts may appear in 2 weeks, or even in 4 weeks. Sometimes, seeds spoil from being in damp soil for a long time. Therefore, it is better to sow them earlier so that they can be resown.
2. It is best to germinate the seeds before planting. Not only will they sprout faster, but you will also immediately see which seeds are viable and which are not. Germination should be done in a damp cloth or between two damp cotton pads. Do not immerse the seeds in water, as they will suffocate there. Oxygen access is needed for the sprout to form. The discs or cloth with the seeds should be placed in a container with a lid so that they do not dry out. If this happens, the seeds will lose their viability. When a small white root appears, the seeds can be immersed in the soil.
3. You can germinate using regular water, or you can dilute any growth stimulator in it. The seeds need to be kept at a high temperature, about 26-30 degrees.
4. The soil should be as light as possible. The best option is deoxidized peat with the addition of coarse sand (perlite, vermiculite). They will make the substrate looser. For each liter of peat, add 1 glass of sand.
5. After sowing in the ground and until the shoots appear, the container with the crops should be kept at 26-30 degrees Celsius. In the cold, even sprouted seeds germinate poorly. If you sow dry, then at low temperatures they will germinate slowly, and may even rot.
6. Before sowing, it is recommended to disinfect the seeds. This can be done with any fungicide. It is also advisable to water the soil with a fungicide. It is best to use biological preparations based on hay bacillus.
7. If the seeds are coated, make sure that the coating dissolves easily. Sometimes the problem with germination is not with the seeds and germination conditions, but with the coating, which does not dissolve.
If you take these subtleties into account, the eggplants will sprout much faster and more evenly.
