Secrets of growing an early maturing hybrid of Valentine's eggplant
The Valentina eggplant is an early ripe fruitful hybrid developed by Dutch breeders. High germination rates, early ripening times, excellent taste characteristics and good resistance to temperature extremes and diseases have made this variety one of the most common among gardeners.
Botanical description
Plant characteristics:
- semi-spreading, medium-sized or tall bushes, reaching 85-90 cm in height;
- stems are straight, powerful, light purple;
- leaves of medium size, with notched edges, saturated green;
- flowers are purple-white, up to 4 cm in size;
- ripe fruit length - 23-26 cm, weight 200-260 g.
The fruit is a traditional teardrop-shaped, slightly elongated shape, with a thin, smooth and shiny skin that is easy to peel. The pulp is milky-creamy, without the bitterness typical of many varieties.
Valentine's eggplants are early-maturing hybrids. The first harvest of ripe fruits can be harvested within 60-70 days after planting seedlings in open ground. They ripen in mid-July.
The yield of the variety depends on the conditions of its cultivation. In the open field, you can collect up to 2.5-3 kg of vegetables from 1 m², in a greenhouse - up to 5-6 kg from 1 m². The average weight of one fruit is 200-260 g, some "champions" can reach 300 g.
Eggplant varieties Valentine from seeds
Valentine's eggplant is most often grown in seedlings. Hand-picked fruits are not used for this purpose, since new hybrid plants, with further reproduction, do not repeat the quality of the mother plant.
Seed sowing rules
Dutch hybrid seed can be purchased at specialist gardening stores. Most often, it is already pre-processed and completely ready for planting in the ground.
Otherwise, the seeds must be prepared using one of the following methods:
- Soak the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1%) for 15-20 minutes. Then leave for 8-12 hours in a growth stimulator (Energen with water in equal parts).
- Pour 4-6 drops of hydrogen peroxide into a glass of water heated to 40 °. Pour this mixture over the eggplant seeds for 15 minutes.
- Dilute 1 g of boric acid in a glass of water warmed to room temperature, fill the seeds for 20-30 minutes.
The prepared seeds are sown in plastic containers or peat pots with a substrate. To prepare it, you can mix peat, turf soil, ash, humus and sawdust, taken in equal proportions. A little coarse sand should be added to clay soil.
Pour warm water over the substrate and lay out the eggplant seeds, deepen them by about 1 cm and cover with plastic wrap. After 8-10 days, shoots begin to appear - after that, the film can be removed.
Landing place
Sowing Valentine's eggplants for seedlings is best done in the first weeks of March. This makes it possible to transplant young plants to a permanent place in the second half of May or early June.
For planting, it is best to choose a well-lit, warm place, since with a lack of light, eggplant seedlings begin to weaken and become pale. In early spring, the installation of additional phytolamps will help solve the lighting problem.
Watering
The soil in a peat pot or container should be moderately moist. Lack of moisture, as well as its excess, are detrimental to the plant. For irrigation, only settled water at room temperature is used. It is necessary to irrigate the eggplants very carefully so that their roots do not become exposed and the seeds are not washed.
Planting eggplants in open ground
Seedlings need to be hardened 15-20 days before transplanting into open ground. To do this, take it out for several hours daily in fresh air - this way the eggplant will experience minimal stress and take root faster.
Features of growing Valentine eggplants in the open field:
- Seedlings can be replanted after they reach 18-20 cm in height and have 5-7 true leaves.
- It is best to plant eggplants in the beds after carrots, beans, peas, melons or watermelons.
- The soil for planting crops must warm up to + 15 °.
- The depth of the eggplant hole should be 18-20 cm.
- Pour 2 cups of warmed water into each hole, place the seedling inside with an earthen clod and lightly sprinkle with soil.
- Compact the soil well and pour 2-3 glasses of warm water.
When planting Valentine eggplants, make sure that the distance between the bushes is at least 35-40 cm, the row spacing is up to 50-60 cm.
Valentine Eggplant Care
Caring for Valentine eggplants in open soil is not particularly difficult. It consists of regular watering, plant nutrition and timely control of weeds, diseases and pests.
It is very important to regularly water the vegetable crop, it is very sensitive to both excess and lack of moisture. With a lack of watering, the ovaries begin to fall off, the fruits become small and bitter. Depending on the weather conditions, the eggplants should be watered every 5-6 days.
Regular feeding is no less important for the hybrid. The first application of fertilizers is carried out after 15-20 days of planting seedlings in a permanent place. For this purpose, you can use Mortar, Kemira-universal or any other complex fertilizers.
During the budding period, the plant needs phosphorus-potassium supplements. For this, a composition of 10 liters of heated water, 1.5 tablespoons of ammonium nitrate and a spoon of superphosphate is introduced.
25-30 days before harvesting the vegetable crop is fed with fertilizer prepared from 10 liters of warm water, a tablespoon of potassium salt and the same amount of superphosphate.
Diseases and pests
Valentine f1 eggplants are resistant to sudden changes in temperature. In unfavorable weather conditions, the flowers do not crumble, the plant forms ovaries and forms fruits. Vegetable crops are highly resistant to many viruses, but they can be susceptible to fungal diseases. In such cases, the drug Fitosporin is used.
In the fight against spider mites, aphids and other pests, Strela will help - a broad-spectrum insecticide. To scare off the Colorado potato beetle, basil or marigolds can be planted between the beds of Valentine's eggplants. Insects do not tolerate the smell of these plants and will not come close to eggplants.
Valentina is a hybrid eggplant variety that is widespread among many gardeners. Its indisputable advantages are high yield, early ripening. Excellent taste of fruits and high resistance to temperature extremes and diseases. The ease of growing and unpretentious care made the Valentine variety a good option for novice vegetable growers.