Eggplant Almaz: description and characteristics of the variety, yield with photo

Eggplant is a vegetable plant that is grown in summer cottages. The eggplant variety Almaz is an unpretentious and non-capricious culture. Providing proper care, gardeners get a rich harvest. The vegetable has an exotic color and is used in the preparation of first and main courses. Great taste, macronutrient and vitamin content, low calorie content have made eggplant one of the most beloved vegetables.

Description and characteristics

Diamond is a proven eggplant variety. It is considered reliable and versatile compared to other species. Residents of warm regions grow vegetables in open ground. If it is a city with a cold climate, they use greenhouses or greenhouses. It is characterized by mid-season ripening.

It can reach a height of 65 cm. The formation of eggplant fruits occurs at the bottom of the stem. The calyx of the vegetable has a light green tint. Free of thorns for easy harvesting.

Diamond gives fruits of the classic oblong shape. The length of the eggplant varies from 13 to 18 cm, it reaches 6 cm in diameter. It has a pleasant taste of pulp, which is covered with a dense skin on top. The flesh is beige with a green tint, devoid of bitterness. The variety is suitable for preparing hot dishes, snacks and preserves.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages are:

unpretentious care;
great taste;
excellent processing properties;
long distance transportability;
high yield.

Against the background of the advantages, the disadvantages of eggplant do not seem so serious. The lower fruits are in contact with the ground. As a result of this, a light spot is formed, under which there is a hard pulp. Each vegetable has a large number of seeds, which some people can feel in their food.

Rules for growing a plant

Vegetable can be grown in two ways - seedlings and sowing in the ground. The first option is considered the most effective for eggplant. If you sow seeds in open soil, the harvest may not wait due to weather conditions. The fruit ripening period is also taken into account.

Date of planting

Work with planting material usually begins in the second half of winter. Landing in open ground is carried out after the age of the eggplant reaches 65-70 days.Start growing outdoors after late frosts. In addition, the soil must warm up well so that the eggplant seeds give strong shoots.

Preparing the soil for planting

Land for vegetables can be purchased at a specialized kiosk. She has already passed the disinfection procedure and does not need preparation. The soil is saturated with nutrients and loosening substances. If it is not difficult for a person, you can start preparing the land yourself.

Eggplant soil is collected from the land on which vegetables and fruits grow. Forest soil collected near the village is also suitable. The collected amount is mixed with peat or sawdust and humus. The last component is wood ash. You will need a glass for a bucket of mixture.

Earth is the habitat of insects and their larvae. Before sowing eggplant seeds, it must be disinfected. This is done in any way possible:

heating in the oven or microwave;
steaming in a water bath;
pouring boiling water;
processing in the oven or on the grill.

Using the warming procedure, harmful insects, fungus and the remains of parasitic plants can be destroyed. After heat treatment, wait for the soil to cool completely. After that, the earth is left alone for 7-10 days. During this time, the soil rests, and beneficial microflora is restored.

Seed preparation

Here one drawback should be mentioned - a large number of seeds in the fruit. On the other hand, this feature of Almaz makes it possible to collect seed material for sowing in the next season on their own. To improve the germination of eggplant, it is recommended to prepare them.

Soaking

For the procedure, ordinary potassium permanganate is suitable. The solution should be light pink in color. Eggplant seeds are immersed in a warm liquid for 20-25 minutes. After that, the solution is drained and the seeds are washed with running water.

Feeding

The method has a positive effect on germination. It is necessary to prepare a nutrient medium. As a rule, it can be a special preparation or wood ash. For 1 liter of water you will need 1 tsp. fertilizers. The seeds are soaked in it and left for 24 hours.

Seed hardening

Hardening has a positive effect on the further growth of young plants. After processing the planting material, it is put on gauze, allowing it to dry a little. Eggplant seeds are placed in the lower sections of the refrigerator for a day. Then the hardening procedure is repeated and the seeds are again placed in the refrigerator. As soon as the stage is completed, the seeds are immediately planted in the ground.

Sowing

Sowing seeds is recommended to be done in separate cups. The Almaz eggplant variety does not tolerate picking, and this approach will save it from unnecessary stress. The fragile root system of eggplant can be damaged during picking, as it is necessary to separate the seedlings from each other. Growing in separate containers has a positive effect on the seedlings themselves, they turn out strong and he althy.

2 or 3 grains are planted in each cup. This is a kind of reinsurance, because not everyone sprouts. If 2 or 3 sprouts appear, choose the strongest one for further transplantation. Eggplant seeds can be planted in large containers. At the same time, a distance of 6-7 cm is observed between the landing sites.

Seed material is immersed in the soil to a depth of 2 cm. In order for seedlings to appear as early as possible, certain conditions are created. In the room where the future seedlings are located, the temperature is set to 22 ° C. Cover with a film on top to create a greenhouse effect.

How to care for a crop

Greenhouse conditions are abandoned when shoots appear. For the normal development of shoots, the temperature is reduced to 15 ° C. A low value will slow down the stretching of the eggplant stalks and help the root system to form. After 1-2 weeks, the temperature is raised to continue the development of the aerial parts of the plant.

Irrigation

Seedlings, just like an adult plant, need regular watering. Water is better to take settled, but not too cold. The irrigation procedure is carried out as the earthen coma dries out. As practice shows, once every 3 days is enough.

Feeding

In addition to watering, young eggplant sprouts need fertilization. Top dressing is carried out every 2 weeks. Urea is used for organic growth. Potassium is shown with a sharp stretching of the green part.Organic fertilizers can be used as top dressing: mullein, bird droppings, slurry.

Hardening

Diamond - an eggplant variety that is not distinguished by exactingness. But before planting in the ground, preliminary hardening of young seedlings is necessary. The procedure is simple and does not involve the use of any tools. The gardener needs to take pots of herbs outdoors.

The first eggplant hardening procedure takes 15 minutes. Every day the interval is increased by 2-3 minutes. Weather conditions on the street must be favorable so as not to freeze the culture. Warm air and sunshine are another requirement.

Transfer

The plant will better tolerate the transplant and take root in a new place if it has at least 5 leaves.With the advent of this number of leaves, a sufficient development of the eggplant root system occurs. After the appearance of sprouts, 70 days are counted and the culture is transplanted into open soil. The landing time falls at the end of May and continues until the beginning of June.

This period is favorable for landing, as the earth has time to warm up and there are no frosts. Before planting seedlings, the soil is watered with water, loosening it. The root is deepened by 7 cm, planting sprouts in rows. Between plants, you need to maintain a distance of 30 cm, and between rows - 65 cm. Per 1 sq. m soil is enough to plant 6 eggplants.

Protection from diseases and pests

Eggplant Diamond is rarely affected by plant diseases. The most dangerous pest for a vegetable is the Colorado potato beetle. Being in the larval stage, it quickly affects the green mass of the culture. Rows with young seedlings suffer from spider mite parasitism from time to time.

The pest actively breeds in regions with a humid climate and high air temperature.

Massive damage to culture is brought by slugs, gnawing not only leaves, but also shoots. The least affected by aphids, bears and whiteflies. Periodic treatment of eggplant with insecticidal preparations protects the bushes from pests. The soil also needs disinfection. The aisles are sprinkled with slaked lime or wood ash.

To reduce the number of plant treatments with chemicals, they carry out competent preventive measures and follow the stages of agricultural technology.

Harvesting and storage rules

Fruits are ready for picking when they turn dark purple. It is necessary to remove eggplants from the garden constantly, as the crop ripens partially. For cutting the Diamond, garden shears or pruners are suitable. This will allow you to carefully remove the fruits and at the same time not damage the bush.

Eggplants should not be left on the branches if they have already ripened. In overripe fruits, the color of the skin changes from purple to brown. After that, eggplants become poisonous. The use of such fruits in food causes digestive problems and negatively affects the ENT organs.