Eggplant Planting Techniques and Timing

Eggplant is one of the vegetables often grown by many farmers who have vegetable gardens or vegetable greenhouses. Although some farmers believe that field management of eggplant is relatively complicated, resulting in poor growth, low yield and poor quality of the eggplant they grow, in fact, as long as the correct methods are mastered, the planting and management of eggplant is not difficult. Let’s learn about eggplant planting techniques and time.

1. Reasonably arrange the eggplant planting time

Eggplant likes a warm environment and is afraid of cold, so when sowing, raising seedlings, transplanting and planting in the open air, special attention should be paid to the sowing time. Generally speaking, spring sowing should be done after the late frost, approximately from January to March (slightly later in the north and earlier in the south). If the climate is cool when sowing, remember to cover the seedbed with mulch to retain heat. Eggplants sown in spring are generally transplanted and planted in April and May and harvested in summer; eggplants sown in autumn are raised in July and August, transplanted and planted in September and October, and harvested from December to February of the following year. If the planting area is small or you find it troublesome to raise seedlings, you can directly purchase seedlings for planting, but you must choose high-quality seedlings with thick stems and well-developed root systems.

2. Choose the right place to plant eggplant

Eggplant can grow on a variety of soils, but in order to achieve good growth and high yield, you should choose sandy soil with flat terrain, good permeability, sunny, deep soil, fertility, and high organic matter content. To avoid repeated cropping, it is best to choose land that has not been planted with Solanaceae vegetables in the last 2-3 years. The soil pH is preferably slightly acidic or neutral.

3. Choose the right eggplant variety

When purchasing eggplant seeds , you should choose varieties with strong adaptability, strong disease resistance and good yield.

4. Seed treatment before eggplant sowing

Before sowing, seeds need to be soaked, disinfected, and germinated to awaken seed dormancy and improve germination rate and uniformity. First soak the seeds in warm water at 50-55℃ for 15 minutes, then soak them in warm water at 28℃ for 6 hours, finally wrap them with wet gauze and germinate them in an environment of 25℃. Sow them after most of the seeds turn white.

5. Controlling the temperature and method of eggplant sowing

When sowing eggplant, the soil temperature should be stable at above 15℃. Water thoroughly before sowing, cover with 1-1.5 cm of fine soil or fine manure after sowing, and cover with film to keep warm and moist. Before germination, be careful to prevent low temperature and direct sunlight. If necessary, remove the film and spray water to increase humidity.

6. Controlling the density of seedlings during the eggplant seedling stage

After the eggplant seedlings grow two true leaves, thin out and divide the seedlings, and control the density at a row-plant spacing of 8-10 cm. After transplanting, keep the temperature of the seedbed at 28-30℃ (daytime) and 22-25℃ (nighttime).

7. Low temperature hardening of eggplant seedlings before transplanting and planting

When the eggplant seedlings grow to a certain size, in order to adapt to the external environment, they should be hardened one week before transplanting, and the temperature of the seedbed should be gradually lowered to 15-18℃ (daytime) and 10-12℃ (nighttime).

8. Master the density and depth of transplanting eggplant seedlings

Generally, 2,000 to 3,000 trees are planted per mu, in large and small rows, with the spacing between rows and plants adjusted appropriately according to the variety and soil fertility. The principle of planting depth is to not bury the center of leaves and not expose the roots of seedlings. The seedlings should be lifted up with soil and watered thoroughly after planting.

9. Strengthen water and fertilizer management during eggplant growth

Keep the soil moist during the eggplant seedling stage, water and fertilize less after planting, and increase the supply of water and fertilizer after fruit setting. According to the growth of eggplant, apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer in time, and spray foliar fertilizers such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

10. Take good care of the eggplant plants

It includes pruning, pinching and leaf picking to promote ventilation and light transmission, reduce nutrient consumption, and concentrate nutrients on fruit development. Be careful to pick leaves moderately to avoid excessive picking that affects fruit growth.

The above is an introduction to eggplant planting techniques and management points. Eggplant planting is actually not complicated. As long as you master the method, it is very easy to achieve high yields.