Epic eggplant: description and characteristics of the variety, yield with photo

Gardeners, gardeners and farmers not so long ago got acquainted with the Dutch hybrid eggplant Epic F1. It took a little time for vegetable culture to prove itself from the best side. The new hybrid is characterized by fruit size and high yield. Due to the short growing season, the plant can be grown both in the southern regions and in places with a cold climate.

Description and characteristics of Epic F1 eggplant

Vegetable is grown by gardeners for personal use. They are also interested in amateur vegetable growers. They cultivate the plant in order to sell the harvest in the markets. It is not necessary to buy fruits, especially if a person wants to grow eggplants on their own.

Bushes

Adult culture has an upright stem. It can reach a height of 1 m, usually the indicators do not go beyond 65-90 cm. The eggplant bush has an average leafiness. Green leaves cast red or purple. Size - medium.

Fruits

Mature eggplants have excellent taste and high commercial characteristics:

• medium weight - 200-300g;
• fruit length - 7-11 cm, diameter - 20-23 cm;
• shape - conical, oval;
• color - classic purple with glossy skin;
• Eggplant calyx may have spikes;
• milky flesh with few seeds.

Harvested fruits are suitable for fresh consumption, successfully used for conservation and processing. From 1 sq. m per season, 6 kg of eggplants are harvested, subject to agricultural practices. The fruiting of the culture is long.

The last eggplants to ripen on the bush are thick skinned and smaller.

Pros and cons

Most ordinary gardeners and growing professionals speak positively about the Dutch hybrid variety.

Eggplant Benefits:

1. Resistant to sudden fluctuations in ambient temperature.
2. Good protective properties of the immune system.
3. A large number of fruits collected from one bush.
4. Classic flavors.
5. Due to the high content of vitamins and other nutrients, it is used in diet food.
6. Unpretentious in cultivation and care.
7. Excellent culinary characteristics, eggplant lends itself to any processing, including heat.

Despite the large number of advantages, the culture also has disadvantages. Most often distinguished:

1. The eggplant from a Dutch farm is (in most cases) intended for growing in warm climates.
2. Does not tolerate low temperatures in colder regions.
3. Getting a crop of an agricultural plant is complicated by the need to grow seedlings.

Heavy fruit weight can damage stems. To do this, it is recommended to tie up the bushes, which also takes time. Agronomists also include the storage of eggplants as a disadvantage. Unfortunately, it keeps fresh for a short period of time.

Features of cultivation

There are no special techniques for growing a Dutch hybrid. Agrotechnics is a standard procedure, including obtaining seedlings, planting in a permanent place, watering and removing weeds.Epic hybrid must be grown in order to obtain seedlings. The level of eggplant yield depends on the place of growth, conditions and care.

Date of planting

The period of planting seeds begins in early February and lasts until the middle of the month. The rest of the winter and part of the spring, the plant is formed for flowering and fruiting. Dates may vary by several weeks depending on the climate of the region.

If this is a film greenhouse, the seeds are sown in the soil (necessarily warm and moist), and at the end of May, young eggplant sprouts are transplanted into open ground.

Seed preparation

Planting material needs disinfection. This procedure will avoid the defeat of fungal diseases. You will need a 2% solution of potassium permanganate, 2 g is diluted in 100 ml of water. Eggplant seeds are immersed in liquid and left for 20 minutes.After the procedure, they should be washed in cold boiled water and dried on a sheet of paper.

Hydrogen peroxide is also suitable for disinfection. After mixing 3 ml of the substance and 100 ml of water, the liquid is heated to 40 °C. As a rule, the manufacturer supplies the market with prepared products that do not need this procedure.

Growing seedlings

Seeds are placed in containers with moist soil. Seeds should not be deeper than 1-1.5 cm in the soil. Boxes or containers with crops are covered with foil, and the temperature in the room is raised to speed up the germination process. From above, eggplant crops are moistened with melted warm water.

When sprouts appear, they are not too fond of spraying, since excessive moisture can make the plant sick and eventually die.For watering eggplants, both rainwater and settled tap water are used. Seedlings need top dressing, which is carried out 10 days after germination. It should have a high phosphorus content. Fertilize every 2 weeks to speed up the eggplant growing season.

Choosing a landing site

The largest seedlings are planted in open ground or a greenhouse. As a rule, their height reaches 20 cm, and each bush has at least 5 leaves. At this time, weather conditions stabilize and the threat of frost passes. The eggplant bed should be 70 cm to 1 m wide. Landing is carried out in a checkerboard pattern, per 1 sq. m accounts for 4-5 bushes.

Rules for plant care

Cultural care is the same as for any vegetable - everything is quite simple. The gardener is required to observe the irrigation regime and, if necessary, apply fertilizer.Periodically inspect eggplant bushes for pests. Timely processing will help save most of the crop.

Water and soil care

Saturation of the soil with moisture on which eggplant grows is one of the most important processes in growing a crop. There are two rules here - regularity and moderation. Excess moisture can cause fungus. Too dry soil also has a detrimental effect on the plant, as it ceases to bear fruit.

The land also needs additional care. In order for the culture to grow better and fully develop, it is necessary to remove weeds in a timely manner. During watering, a crust may form on the surface of the earth. For this, the soil is loosened.

Feeding

As soon as the bushes get stronger, fertilizer can be applied after transplantation. Compost, rotted manure, mineral supplements or ash are suitable as top dressing. Fertilizers are diluted with water, watering the land around Epik. The procedure is repeated for each eggplant bush.

The second top dressing is done after the appearance of flowers. A sign of re-fertilization is the appearance of the eggplant. New leaves appear on the stems, the bushes themselves become lush and beautiful. Fertilizers should be applied after weeding between rows. The third and last feeding is done after the formation of the ovary.

Diseases and pests

Epic hybrid eggplant is rarely affected by diseases. The most dangerous for him are: black leg, late blight and gray rot. To avoid the development of diseases, before planting a plant and harvesting fruits, the earth is treated with copper sulphate.

Experienced farmers recommend adhering to the rules of agricultural technology and observing crop rotation. This is a kind of prevention that will help avoid the development of diseases.

Among pests that love eggplant are the Colorado potato beetle, spider mite and slug.In the first and last case, you can do without any preparations for processing, as the parasites are collected by hand and destroyed. If there are a lot of slugs, the soil is sprinkled with tobacco dust, lime and ash. To prevent spider mites from infecting plants, they are treated with special preparations. As a rule, they decompose quickly and do not harm human he alth.

The Colorado potato beetle doesn't like the smell of basil and marigolds. Therefore, in order for him to become a rare guest in the eggplant garden, these plants are planted nearby.

Harvest and storage of crops

Ripe eggplant can be harvested 25-30 days after flowering. The moment of harvesting the first harvest falls on August. The fruits of Epic are removed from the garden every 3 days, since the ripening of the Dutch hybrid occurs gradually. Breaking off the stalk often causes damage to the stems, which affects the quality of future eggplant fruits.Therefore, in order not to injure the culture once again, they use pruners.

Fresh fruit storage is short - only 3 weeks. If you follow a number of the following rules, you can increase the period to 3 months:

• mature fruits should not have a drop of moisture;
• spread vegetables in one layer;
• store in a cool and dark place;
• every 3 weeks throw out the spoiled ones.

If a small amount of rather elastic fruits remains, store them in other conditions. Each eggplant is wrapped in paper so that they touch each other. Newspapers or a sheet of A4 paper are also taken as a wrapper. Vegetables are laid out in boxes with straw in one layer, and covered with burlap on top. This method will keep the fruits fresh until the onset of winter cold.

Eggplant F1 from Dutch breeders is chosen by novice and professional gardeners. To get beautiful purple early fruits, simple, but careful and caring care is needed.

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