How to fertilize eggplants in open ground

Eggplant requires moderate watering and timely fertilizing to ensure a bountiful autumn harvest. Eggplant requires complex fertilizers, combining mineral and organic fertilizers.

Eggplants need frequent and generous fertilization. In poor soil, fertilizer is applied every 10 days. For the fruit to ripen outdoors, it requires at least 120-150 warm, sunny days.

Organic fertilizers for eggplants

Compost

After harvesting, plant remains and weeds remain in the beds. These are piled in a pit and left to rot until spring. Two-year-old compost is used for the seedling soil mixture; it won't have time to decompose within a year, and the heat generated could kill the seedlings.

Wood sawdust takes at least three years to rot. The larger the sawdust, the longer it takes to rot. Well-rotted sawdust can be used as vermicompost and added to seedling soil. This additive removes nitrogen from the soil.

Compost is also made from fallen tree leaves. It rots like grass compost.

Humus

Well-rotted cow manure is used pure and without bedding. Mixed cow manure with urea retains more nitrogen after decomposition than pure manure. Two-year-old compost is used; fresh compost germinates undigested plant seeds and kills seedlings.

Biohumus

Worms feed on humus or compost; the byproducts of worm castings are a good source of fertilizer for eggplants. One-year-old organic matter is suitable for this process.

Ash

Plant and grass residues are burned to produce useful fertilizer. Plant ash maintains soil fertility and contains all the nutrients necessary for eggplants. Ash promotes growth when soaking seeds and neutralizes soil acidity.

Mineral supplements

Three components—phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium—form the basis of all mineral supplements. A deficiency of these elements leads not only to poor harvests but also to crop failure.

Nitrogen

When nitrogen is deficient, eggplants slow down and stop growing. Types: urea, nitroammophoska, calcium nitrate, sodium nitrate, ammophos.

Phosphorus additives

Phosphorus is applied when soil moisture is high. Double concentrations of superphosphate are most commonly used. In acidic soils, phosphate rock is used, which boosts eggplant immunity, thereby increasing disease resistance.

Potassium

Potassium fertilizers enhance cellular metabolism and accelerate photosynthesis. Organic acids are produced, making vegetables more tolerant of moisture stress. Potassium sulfate is added when plants are potassium deficient. Potassium salt is used on an industrial scale.

Complex fertilizers consist of two or more mineral components. They can be combined, compound, or mixed. Nitrophoska is a compound fertilizer. It is applied to the planting holes before sowing.

Fertilizer application methods

Options for adding fertilizers:

1. The main feeding occurs before sowing seeds. Organic matter and minerals are added to the soil during the fall garden digging.
2. When planting seedlings or seeds, add a small dose of complex fertilizer, superphosphate, or ammophos to the holes. These planting additives are designed to provide the eggplants with nutrients during the first few days of growth and to promote subsequent plant growth. The recommended dose is 2-10% of the total dose.
3. During the growing season – after planting – most of the fertilizers are applied along with water during irrigation.

There are root and foliar feeding methods. For eggplants, root application is used, which can be surface or subsurface. For vegetables, fertilizer is applied to the soil under the roots. Soluble nitrogen fertilizers, potassium, and phosphorus are used.

Nutrition for eggplant seedlings

Seedlings are fertilized 2-3 times with root dressings. Fertilizers applied to the soil are quickly absorbed by the eggplant roots. A specific dosage is required to avoid burning the plant's root system.

The first time complex fertilizers are applied is after the seedlings emerge—7-9 days later. For the initial feeding, use water-soluble fertilizers with microelements. The label of the purchased fertilizer specifies the proportions for preparing the aqueous solution. Initially, seedlings need nitrogen and potassium, and later, phosphorus will be needed. It's best to water the seedlings in the morning, at the roots. If the solution gets on the leaves, rinse them with water. Use Foxamide or Lux fertilizers, or prepare a mixture of 40 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water.

Basic rules for the first feeding:

• seedlings are watered 12-14 hours before applying the solution;
• the drug is dissolved completely in warm water at 23-25 ​​degrees;
• water the soil with the appropriate dosage of the product, making sure that moisture does not get on the leaves;
• The dose of solution per seedling is indicated in the instructions, the average value is 50 ml.

The seedlings receive a second fertilizer 12-14 days after transplanting. By this time, the young plants have 2-3 leaves. Dry complex fertilizers such as Kemira Universal, Kornevin, and Ideal are applied. Dilute with water: one teaspoon of fertilizer per 5 liters of liquid. Liquid fertilizers can also be used: one capful per 1 liter of water. Potassium nitrate is diluted in water: 15 g of the product is needed for 5 liters. In addition to minerals, organic fertilizers are used: mullein is diluted 1:10 or bird droppings are diluted 1:15.

After two weeks, double the amount of fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus. You can use a fertilizer mixture: 25 g of Foxamid and 10 g of superphosphate per bucket of water. In a greenhouse for seedlings, use 15 g of superphosphate, 5 g of ammonium nitrate, and 10 g of potassium sulfate per 9 liters of water. For root development, use "Kormilets" or "Agricola-Forte."

Artificial fertilizers can accumulate in the soil. Natural additives can make the product environmentally friendly. These can be purchased in stores (Bioton, Biohumus, Healthy Garden) or prepared at home:

1. Banana peel infusion is rich in potassium: 3 pieces are poured with 2 liters of boiling water and left for 3 days.
2. Nettles are cut, covered with water, left to ferment for 4 days, the strained solution is diluted with water 1:2.
3. Boil potato peelings, cool, and water the seedlings. The starch has a beneficial effect on young plants.
4. Eggshells are crushed (10 eggs), placed in 3 liters of water, and left for 5 days.

Fertilizing eggplants after planting in open soil

During the growing season, vegetables are fertilized 4-5 times. In depleted soil, the frequency of nutrient-rich waterings is doubled. It takes 12-15 days for the roots of seedlings to establish in open ground. Before this, there's no point in fertilizing the soil; the seedlings' rhizomes are weak and unable to absorb nutrients from the soil.

Sequence of feeding:

1. The first time after sowing the seeds, 3 weeks or 2 weeks after planting the seedlings, apply a solution of manure (1:10) with a glass of ash – 4-5 liters per square meter of soil. Complex fertilizers can also be used.
2. The second one, 20 days after the first: for 9-10 liters of liquid, 25 g of potassium salt, 60 g of superphosphate and 25 g of urea. Use phosphorus fertilizers.
3. During flowering: liquid manure and herbal infusion. Chop the grass and add water (20 liters of water per 1 kg of raw material), 2 tablespoons of ash, and 2 kg of mullein. Mix everything together, using a liter of the mixture per plant. If there are few flowers, spray the bushes with boric acid (1 g of acid per 1 liter of water). At this stage, phosphorus and potassium are needed.

During the period of fruit formation, there are several options for feeding:

• Take 5 kg of bird droppings, pour in 50 liters of water, add a glass of nitrophoska; let the mixed mixture sit for 5 days, then mix again, using 2 liters of solution per square meter;
• urea 1 spoon per 10 liters of liquid;
• Effecton, Agricola - Vegeta preparations, solution (one spoon per bucket of water) per meter of land, 1 liter of mixture;
• For 9 liters of warm liquid, add 3 small spoons of yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, let stand for 2 hours, add 50 liters of water.

Fertilizers for blueberries with different soil compositions

To ensure successful development of eggplants, the characteristics of the soil in the garden plot are taken into account.

1. Clay soil – use calcium and sodium nitrate, azophoska.
2. Increased acidity - add 250 g of ash or 500 g of lime to the soil per square meter, 3 weeks before applying fertilizer.
3. Sandy soil – adding organic matter to the soil. Manure, bird droppings, compost, vermicompost – any option will do.
4. Marshy soil is rich in nitrogen, so eggplants are watered with a mullein solution to break down the nitrogen. Phosphorus and potassium are needed, and the dosage is quadrupled.
5. Loamy, sandy loam soil with a neutral environment - application of fertilizers according to generally accepted standards.

Watering with nutrients is carried out in the morning or evening.

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How to know if you have a mineral deficiency?

The plant itself can signal a lack of certain microelements:

• pale foliage – lack of nitrogen;
• purple plaque – lack of phosphorus;
• brown spots on leaves – potassium is needed;
• stripes on the leaves – calcium will help;
• variegated leaves - not enough magnesium, you can water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Fertilize the soil in the fall, adding organic matter—5 kg of manure per square meter—and dig up the vegetable garden. By spring, the plot will be ready for planting eggplants.