Variety Black handsome is distinguished by high yields and resistance to disease. Gardeners are also attracted by its beautiful and large fruits with delicate and not bitter pulp. We will learn about all the features of this variety, how to plant it and how to grow it.
Eggplant Black handsome gives high productivity
Black handsome man tolerates transportation well
Grade eggplant Black handsome
History of selection of eggplant Black handsome
Eggplant variety Black handsome is relatively young. It was bred by Russian breeders in the early 2000s. The novelty passed variety trials for three years, and in 2006 the variety was registered in the State Register.
The variety is suitable for open and closed ground. Recommended for growing in the North Caucasian and Central Black Earth regions. In the south of the country "Black handsome" can be grown without shelter, and in the middle lane and in the Urals - under shelters.
Description and characteristics of the variety
The “Black Beauty” variety got its name for a reason. Both the plant and the fruits embody the best ideas about eggplant.
Bushes
The bushes are compact and short, with good branching. They are powerful enough and confidently withstand the load of fruits.
Plant characteristics:
- height - 60-70 cm;
- pubescent stalk;
- small leaves, jagged edges, emerald color;
- flowers are large, light purple, flowering continues throughout the season;
- the first fruits form at the bottom.
Fruit
The fruits of the "Black Beauty" have a beautiful appearance and excellent commercial qualities.
Characteristics of the fruit:
- the form is pear-shaped;
- length - 13-15 cm;
- diameter - 11-12 cm;
- weight - up to 900 g;
- skin color - dark purple;
- Before the onset of technical maturity, white or pink tint may be present in the color of the fruit;
- thin skin;
- there are practically no seeds;
- the pulp is creamy, with excellent taste characteristics, without a bitter aftertaste;
Specifications
The variety belongs to the mid-season category and has excellent characteristics, for which it is in demand among gardeners.
Characteristics of the Black Beauty Eggplant:
Characteristics / Parameters | Description / meaning |
Ripening time | 120-140 days - outdoors, 100-120 days - in a greenhouse |
Productivity | 12 kg with 1 sq. m, from one bush - 3-4 kg |
Duration of fruiting | 2 months |
Application | Universal |
Disease resistance | High |
Resistant to adverse conditions | High |
The scope of the fruits of the "Black Beauty":
- drying;
- freezing
- preparation of hot dishes and cold appetizers;
- canning;
- salting and pickling.
"Black handsome" bravely endures the vagaries of the weather. Fruit formation continues even in cool and rainy weather, which is not typical for eggplant.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Comparison of the pros and cons of this variety will help to determine the landing of the "Black Handsome".
Pros:
- high and stable yield;
- excellent marketability of fruits;
- simple agricultural technology;
- high immunity and vitality;
- universal use in cooking;
- suitable for growing in any way - in open or closed ground;
- friendly ripening of fruits;
- the fruits tolerate transportation well;
- eggplant during storage retain its taste commercial quality.
The only thing that gardeners do not like is the low, up to + 15 ° C, cold resistance. But thermophilicity is a quality characteristic of both the culture as a whole and most of its varieties.
Features of planting and care
To get a harvest early, eggplants are grown by seedling method, and "Black Beauty" is no exception. We learn how to properly prepare for growing seedlings, and how to care for it.
How to prepare seeds correctly?
Seeds purchased from agricultural stores are usually processed and ready to plant. There is no need to prepare them for sowing. But the seeds that have not been processed, or collected on their own, must be prepared for sowing.
Seed treatment:
- Sorting. Select seeds that are different from normal sizes. Planting material with the same size will emerge at the same time. Also set aside seeds with defects or mold.
- Germination test. Submerge the seeds in salt water for 20 minutes. Discard all floating seeds - they are not germinable. After soaking, the seeds must be dried.
- Disinfection. There are several ways:
- Soak the seeds in a 1% potassium permanganate solution. The exposure time is 20 minutes.
- Soak seeds in hot water (+ 50 ° C) for 20 minutes. Then soak them in cold water for one minute.
- Treatment in a stimulator. For greater viability, soak the planting material in one of the solutions:
- wood ash solution;
- sodium humate;
- honey solution;
- aloe juice;
- nitrophoska (10 g per 1 liter of water);
- ready-made preparations - Epin, Zircon, etc.
- Hardening. Place the processed and dried seeds in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Eggplant seeds hatch for a long time, so many gardeners prefer to sprout them before sowing.
Germination order:
- Place the seeds washed in saline on a damp gauze.
- Put gauze with seeds in a shallow bowl.
- Place the seeds for germination in a warm place, such as near a radiator.
- Moisten the cheesecloth as needed. Seeds should not dry out even for a short time.
- As soon as the sprouts hatch, the seeds are ready for planting.
The choice of container for seedlings
Eggplant seedlings have a fragile root system that does not respond well to transplants. That is why most gardeners prefer to plant seeds in separate containers to avoid the picking process.
Growing seedlings in containers is also practiced. Seedlings, having reached a certain age, should be transplanted into separate glasses.
The following can be used as containers for growing seedlings:
- Individual containers (glasses). This is the best option for seedling growth - in glasses it is grown without picking.
- Peat pots. Convenient, but more expensive option. Allows to do without transplantation. When it comes time to plant the seedlings, they are placed in the ground right with the pot.
- Peat tablets. When the seedlings grow up, they, together with the tablets swollen from water, are placed in individual containers filled with soil.
- Containers This is the most inconvenient option. You can sow a lot of seedlings in them at once, but then you have to plant it - dive.
Soil preparation
The seedlings are grown in a nutritious substrate, which can be purchased at a specialized store or prepared by yourself.
Soil requirements for seedlings:
- lack of weed seeds;
- complete disinfection - there should be no fungi and pests;
- high nutritional value;
- neutral acidity;
- loose structure.
Purchased soil is convenient in that it is completely ready for use and contains all the necessary nutrients. Moreover, there are just enough of them so that the seedlings can grow without additional fertilizing. This substrate has one drawback - it is not cheap.
In order not to buy a substrate, gardeners prepare the soil mixture on their own. Mix the ingredients in the following proportions:
- rotted manure or humus - 2 parts;
- peat - 1 part;
- rotted sawdust - 0.5 parts;
- coarse sand - 0.5 parts.
The mixture prepared by yourself must be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. It is also recommended to add a little wood ash to the soil mixture - 1 cup per 10 l of the mixture.
Sowing seeds
Sowing seeds for seedlings begins 60-75 days before the date of planting it in the ground or in a greenhouse. Based on the climatic conditions of the region, they calculate when to sow the seeds so that seedlings grow from them by the appointed time.
Usually, eggplant seeds are sown in February or early March. Then the seedlings grow by May, when the soil and air are warmed up enough for planting.
Sowing seeds in the traditional way:
- Two hours before sowing, pour the soil with a heated solution of potassium permanganate. Use a slightly saturated pale pink solution.
- Bury the seeds in the ground to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. Sowing is done in:
- Individual glasses or peat pots. Place a seed - 1 or 2 pieces in the center of the glass.
- Containers Plant seeds in rows, between which leave intervals of 5-6 cm. The distance between adjacent seeds is 2 cm. Pour grooves before sowing with warm water.
- Sprinkle the planted seeds with soil and lightly compact with your fingers.
- Pour crops from a watering can or spray bottle with warm, settled water.
- Cover crops with transparent material - foil or glass, and put in a warm place. The optimum temperature for seed germination is +20 .. + 26 ° C.
Seeds, previously germinated, sprout on the 5th day, not germinated sprout on the 8-10th day.
Seedling Care
Seedling care is one of the most crucial stages in eggplant growing. To get strong seedlings, it is necessary to create the most favorable conditions for delicate and moody plants.
Activities for the care of seedlings of the "Black Beauty":
- Watering. During the first 10 days after germination, the seedlings are watered once a week so as not to weaken them by excessive moisture. Use only warm water (+ 25 ... + 28 ° C). As they grow, the frequency and rate of watering is gradually increased, but carefully, as overmoistening leads to root rot.
When watering, water should not fall on the leaves - moisture can provoke fungal diseases. It is recommended for prevention to water the seedlings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. - Top dressing. At first, the seedlings have enough food supply, but as they grow, you have to make additional feeding. A week before the pick, the seedlings are fed once with complex fertilizers. 25 g of fertilizer are bred in a bucket of water. The resulting solution is used, instead of water, for irrigation. Also for the first top dressing use "Solution", "Kemira-universal", nitrophoska and other fertilizers.
The second dressing should contain potassium and phosphorus. Ammonium nitrate (1 g), superphosphate (1.5 g) and potassium sulfate (1 g) are dissolved in 1 liter of water. You can also make organic fertilizer, for example, "Biohumus".
- Temperature condition. Culture negatively reacts to temperature changes. During the daytime, the temperature should be within + 23 ... + 25 ° С. Nighttime temperatures should not fall below +16 ° С, daytime temperatures should not fall below +18 ° С.
- Lighting. For normal growth and development, seedlings need 12-14 hour daylight hours. With a lack of light in plants, the stems stretch and become thinner, the formation of buds is delayed, the seedlings lose their viability.
To avoid a lack of light, seedlings are placed on window sills and arranged for additional lighting, including LED or fluorescent lamps. - Seedling hardening. In order for seedlings to safely survive the transplant, having experienced a minimum of stress, they begin to accustom it to lower temperatures in about 2 weeks in advance. The temperature in the room where the seedlings grow is gradually reduced to +16 ° C.
Outdoor eggplant care
For eggplant, the temperature regime, watering and feeding are especially important. Only by providing the culture with favorable growing conditions, you can count on a good harvest.
Terms of transplantation to a permanent place
Planting of seedlings "Black handsome" in the ground is carried out 2 weeks later than in the greenhouse. Usually seedlings are transplanted in late May or early June, focusing on weather conditions.
The benchmark for planting eggplant seedlings is the air temperature, it should be stably fixed at + 15 ... + 18 ° C.
Transplanting seedlings into open ground
It is recommended to plant eggplant seedlings in the evening if the weather is sunny, or in the morning if it is cloudy.
Transplant rules:
- A few days before planting, watering is stopped.
- 1-2 hours before transplanting - seedlings are watered abundantly to make it easier to remove the soil lump.
- They take the plant out of the container very carefully, pinching the stem of the seedling between the middle and forefinger. Turn the container over with the other hand, and pull it over.
Transplant procedure:
- Prepare the wells for landing. Depth - 25 cm. Distance between rows - 60-70 cm. Distance between adjacent plants - 30-50 cm.
- Remove the seedling from the pot and, holding the lump of soil, quickly transfer it to the previously prepared hole. If the seedlings are grown in peat pots, you do not need to remove the seedlings - put them in the hole along with the pot.
- Moderately compact the soil around the stem of the seedling so that it does not erode the soil, but you cannot compact it strongly.
- Water the planted seedlings with warm, settled water, spending 1.5-2 liters per plant.
- Sprinkle the plantings with mulch - humus, peat or straw. You can also use non-woven fabric. Spread it and fix it before landing, and then make holes in the right places.
Watering and feeding
The eggplant variety "Black Beauty" needs regular watering and top dressing. Their importance especially increases during the period of fruit formation.
Watering Rules:
- the first time the bushes are watered 3-4 days after planting;
- irrigation frequency - 1 time per week, taking into account the weather and the amount of rainfall;
- irrigation rate - 30 liters per 1 sq. km. m;
- water - warm and settled;
- during the period of fruit loading and in heat, the frequency of irrigation is increased;
- plants are watered only at the root, the sprinkling method is contraindicated.
After watering, the soil is loosened and weeded. Mulching helps to avoid the appearance of weeds. Mulch also prevents the evaporation of moisture from the soil, which reduces the frequency of watering.
In order to get a high yield, "Black Beauty" is fed with complex fertilizers. Introducing them, take into account the growing season. So, first the plant needs nitrogen, and when the fruits begin to set and ripen, potassium and phosphorus.
Top dressing rules:
- eggplant is fed every 10-14 days, but not less than 3-4 times per season;
- the culture cannot be overfed with organics, since plants, having received a lot of nitrogen, can actively build up green mass at the expense of yield;
- at the beginning of the growing season, the plant needs nitrogen, and when the fruits begin to set and ripen - potassium and phosphorus.
An example of eggplant feeding:
- After transplantation, nitroammophoska is added to a permanent place (for 10 liters of water - 40 g). The rate of solution per bush is 0.5 liters.
- During flowering, a complex fertilizer is applied and the bushes are sprayed with a solution of boric acid - 2 g per 10 liters of water.
- During the formation of the ovaries, a mullein solution (1:10) is introduced. The feeding rate is 0.5 liters of mullein per bush.
- Further, as necessary, complex fertilizers are applied.
Bush formation
The purpose of the formation is to limit the growth of the main stem. On one bush, no more than a dozen fruit ovaries are left to get large fruits. Yellowed leaves and spoiled fruits, if any, are regularly torn off.
Grazing is not necessary for the variety. It is usually carried out if the plant is weakened or if an earlier harvest is needed.
Disease and Pest Treatment
The variety is resistant to diseases, but needs prevention.
Recommended Processing:
- from late blight - with a solution of wood ash;
- soap solution and "Fitosporin" help from tobacco mosaic;
- from gray rot use "Chorus" or "Anthracnol";
- the black leg is prevented by Trichodermin.
The most dangerous pests:
- bear - they scare her away with garlic and set traps;
- slugs - mustard and pepper are scattered against them;
- Colorado potato beetle - pollinate bushes with ash.
Harvesting
Eggplants are harvested in the stage of technical ripeness - 30-40 days after flowering. Eggplants ripen gradually and are picked selectively. The fruits should turn dark and their flesh should be firm.
The fruits are not stored for a long time, they lose their taste and freshness after 2-4 weeks. For storage, they are laid in a cellar or in a refrigerator.
Reviews about the variety
Victor, 47 years old, amateur gardener, Tula region. The seeds of the Black Handsome sprout well, so I grow the seedlings myself. I sow in February, and plant it in the ground at the end of May. The fruits are very large, tasty, but if you are late with the harvest, they become bitter.
Dmitry, 67 years old, retired, Barabinsk. The variety is very tasty, the flesh is tender. The fruits are suitable for all kinds of workpieces. I collected 2 kg from the bush this year. Each eggplant weighing 200-300 g.
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"Black Beauty" will be able to please with a good harvest only under favorable growing conditions and with proper care. The reward for the work done will be high yields of delicious eggplants.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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