Posts Tagged seedlings
October 8, 2009 at 11:36 am · Filed under Eggplant ·Tagged alkaloids, best time, brinjal, climatic conditions, composite soil, different shapes, different types of fruits, Eggplant, eggplants, Fertilizer, free areas, garden soil, india pakistan, insignificant amounts, Manure, plant spacing, purple color, seedlings, shapes and colors, types of fruits
The eggplant or commonly known as “brinjal” is a plant that belongs to “Solanaceae” family. The fruit it bears is commonly used as a vegetable in many countries like India, Pakistan, etc. Botanically it’s classified as a berry plant, has many small seeds which are bitter in taste as they contain “nicotinoid alkaloids” in insignificant amounts.
Types of Eggplants:
There is a large variety of plants that produce different types of fruits of different sizes, shapes and colors. Largely they are cultivated and preferred in purple color which may be of different shapes. Common shapes are oval, elongated, small round, etc. The varieties of eggplant differ from region to region as the climatic conditions change, and hence with the change in variety changes the way it is cooked.
Plantation:
Eggplant is a vegetable which is cold sensitive in nature and hence requires a long warm season. They must be kept slightly farther from one another as they are larger in size. These plants are heavy feeders and must be planted in very much composite soil with adequate amount of manure. The best time for planting these plants is after frost, as at this time the soil becomes warm and the temperature is also maintained constantly warmer. The seeds of the plant must be started in some separate pots or containers indoors before being transplanted into the ground. Later the seedlings must be transplanted to garden soil a bit deeper than they were in their pots. An eggplant doesn’t need much amount of fertilizer and hence one must take care while adding the fertilizer, the amount must be less. Plant spacing is another thing which must be taken care of; the plants must be spaced 18-24 inches apart in a row. The plant must get adequate amount of sunlight and must never be kept in dark and frost free areas. The fruits are best in taste when they are young, that is why they must be plucked off as soon as their skin starts to get harder and the color starts becoming dark (this is the best time for harvest).
General Problems Faced:
Similar to other plants in our garden this eggplant also gets affected with many insects and diseases. Some general problems and their causes are:
- Flea Beetle: tiny holes or pin holes caused due to chewed up leaves by adult insects and on the other hand the larvae feed on the roots of the plant hence both adult and larvae affecting the leaves and the roots of the plant.
- Aphids: are small insects generally found underside of a leaf and also over the new stems. They suck the plant juices necessary for growth and leave the plant deprived of the essential nutrients.
- Leaf Hoppers: these are yellowish green insects that have wings at their adult stage. They foil up the plant by piercing the leaves and sucking the plan juices. Also they are capable of spreading some viral diseases.
- Verticillim: leaf and stem are affected; soil is also affected; plants may die in such conditions.
- Blossom End Rot: this is the condition in which the fruit gets affected. This generally occurs at the blossom end of the fruit (the last stage). This affects ripen and green fruits, the fruits may shrunk. Mainly caused due to imbalance in water nutrients due to improper watering. It is generally common in clay soil.
- Early Blight: this affects the leaf mainly. The older leaves may develop black-brown spots which may be having yellow colored border. Under some cases the stem also can get affected and griddle the plant.
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September 4, 2009 at 2:28 pm · Filed under Peppers ·Tagged balanced soil, bell pepper, bitter taste, cold climate, day water, different shapes, ell, gap, growing bell peppers, homegrown vegetables, lids, mulch, nitrogen fertilizers, organic insecticides, part of the plants, pepper variety, seedlings, shapes sizes, share one, soil temperature
Bell peppers, native to Central and North America, have always been a popular homegrown vegetables. There are various types of bell peppers; though they come in different shapes, sizes and colors (green, yellow and red), they share one same thing: rich in vitamin C. They can be used as ingredient in many dishes.
Growing bell peppers in a garden is really easy. Here are some simple tips you can use:
First, sow the seeds indoor eight weeks before the last frost. Put them in pots at least 2 inches in diameter.
Prepare the soil in your garden by putting plenty of compost and manure. Bell peppers just love a well-balanced soil. Do not plant the seedlings outside before the last frost. Bell peppers do not like too cold climate. Instead, they enjoy warmth. Thus, before you plant them outside, make sure that the soil temperature reaches at least 65OF. If it is still quite cool, it is okay to delay the planting for several days.
Leave gaps between seedlings at 18 to 24 inches each, and between rows at 24 to 36 inches each. This gap measurement varies according to the bell pepper variety.
Bell peppers love sunshine, but not too much for few varieties. Plant them in spots of your garden that receive at least 8 hours of direct sunshine.
Keep the soil well-drained, water your bell peppers well every day. Water them more in the hot, dry summer months. Otherwise you will obtain bell peppers with a bitter taste.
Cover the peppers with mulch to keep weeds out and to retain moisture. Use organic insecticides if ever needed.
Avoid putting too much nitrogen fertilizers into the soil since it will cause your bell peppers produce less fruits and more leaves. Keep the soil moist, never too sodden.
When it is time to harvest your bell peppers, cut the ripe ones about 1 centimeter just above the lids. Leave alone the remaining part of the plants, they will continue grow. The more you harvest, the more they bear fruits. So pick them as soon as possible!
If you find some unripe ones when the first frost is due, cut them, and then bring them inside to allow them continue the maturity process. Most bell peppers are green when they are not ripe yet. Mature ones may be orange, red, yellow, green or purple, depending on the variety.
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September 4, 2009 at 2:22 pm · Filed under Greenhouse, Melon ·Tagged cucumbers, drip irrigation system, female flower, glasshouse, grass clippings, Greenhouse, inch pipe, inch pots, male flowers, melon seeds, mid day, Organic matter, paint brush, Pollination, potting soil, seedlings, single line, straws, tennis balls, trellis
When you start to feel that cucumbers is no longer attractive to grow in your greenhouse, and your friends no longer visit you in late summer to avoid the free tomatoes, you should really consider of growing melons.
Sow the melon seeds in your greenhouse between mid April and end of May. Sow them directly into 3 inch pots using standard potting soil.
Once the seedlings bear two true leaves, plant them out in a cold glasshouse inside growing bags. Better yet, plant them directly into well-prepared soil (with lots of organic matter) in your greenhouse. Composted grass clippings and straws are good ideas if your melons are trenched in using the double digging method.
Create some support for your melons. This may be a single line of string tied to the supports in the glasshouse roof, which is then secured in the ground with a peg next to the base of the melons. Or, you can always use a fan trellis.
As the melons start to grow, tie the strongest shoots to the support and pinch out the side shoots that grow from the main stems. When the stems reach the top of the support, pinch out the leading shoots. This trick will help your melons concentrate on bearing more and larger fruits.
Next key is watering. Water your melons well. Oh, they love plenty of water. The best way is using a drip irrigation system. Another is inserting a 3 inch pipe when planting those melons so that water can directly touch the roots. Remember that it should be constantly moist, not wet. So water your melons well, but never too much.
Once the flowers grow, take a small paint brush and lightly brush each flower to aid pollination. It is recommended to be done during mid-day since it is when the humidity is high. After 2 or 3 days remove the male flowers (note: a female flower has a melon-like growing at its bottom part).
Once the fruits grow, feed them with a liquid melon fertilizer (the one usually used to fertilize tomatoes as well) once a week.
When the fruits are as big as tennis balls, support them using string nets. As the summer passes by and the fruits reach full size, remove a few leaves to allow them ripen. Keep in mind that in the peak of the summer your greenhouse must be kept humid by watering the path early in the morning. Keep a bucket of water standing still inside it is a good trick, too.
Growing melons may be challenging, but the rewards are worth the efforts. The harvest can be enjoyed in various dishes. Tasty sweet!
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September 4, 2009 at 10:53 am · Filed under cucumber ·Tagged beds, centimeter, climbing vines, cucurbitaceae family, enough space, green house, holes, nails, organic compost, seedling pots, seedlings, six feet, Soil, sowing the seeds, success rate, sunlight, three seeds, trellises, warm environment
Growing cucumbers is not hard. Some say that growing cucumbers need spacious space, but today you can do it in less space, too.
Before you start growing cucumbers, here are few things you need to know about these plants:
- Cucumbers are members of the Cucurbitaceae family.
- Cucumbers are climbing vines so once you grow them, they will grow up higher and higher.
- Cucumbers have two types of flower: male and female. The female ones have tiny cucumbers at their bottom.
- Cucumbers love a warm, well-drained soil.
- Cucumbers can be eaten fresh (slicing varieties), or pickled (pickling varieties). The pickling varieties can grow up to 7 – 10 cm long and 2.5 wide, while the slicing ones can grow even bigger (up to 35 cm).
- It is recommended to highly consider growing cucumbers and put them in your daily diet since their properties will help you improve the health of your skin, hair and nails.
Growing cucumbers begins with a good preparation. Put a fair amount of organic compost into the soil. Always keep the soil well-drained. Raise the beds around 6 inches high.
Next step in growing cucumbers is sowing the seeds in biodegradable seedling pots, 2.5 cm deep. It will keep the roots safe when you plant out the seedlings. Do not plant them outside before the last frost.
Also, when you sow the seeds, keep the holes apart at about 40 cm between each. Three seeds in each hole is a best trick to increase the success rate of germination. Keep the rows apart at about 90 cm between each.
Growing cucumbers in a green house is a good idea, too, since they enjoy sunlight and a warm environment. Make sure you spare enough space up high that they can reach around six feet. Another way of growing cucumbers is, should you do not have enough space for them to grow up high, letting them spread over the ground, against the wall, stakes or trellises.
Weed the cucumbers regularly, but be careful not to go below a couple of centimeter with your hoe. Damaged roots will slow down their growth.
Growing cucumbers also means that you have to water them well each week. They love water!
Help them pollinate by transferring the pollen from male flowers onto the center of female flowers, use cotton bud to help you out.
Harvest your cucumbers by twisting them off the plant, or by cutting the stalk just above the tips. Do this when they reach suitable size, normally 50 to 60 days after planting. The ripe fruits should be dark green. Do not wait till they turn yellow, it means they are overripe and their flavor declines.
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August 31, 2009 at 6:25 am · Filed under Tomato ·Tagged compost tea, department of agriculture, fungus diseases, fungus problems, juicy tomatoes, leaves, mulch, occurrence, pots, right time, roots, seedlings, Soil, sowing the seeds, steams, stems, suckers, sunlight, tomato plants, u s department
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, tomatoes are the most popular home-grown vegetable in the country. Here are some tips that will help you grow nice and juicy tomatoes.
1.) Room to Grow
While sowing the seeds make sure that they have enough room to grow. Congested conditions will affect their growth. Transplant when you see the first true leaves coming out and put them into 4″ pots about 2 weeks after that.
2.) Sufficient Light
For growing the seedlings into healthy fruit, you require either strong, direct sunlight or 14-18 hours of artificial lights. Choose a location that gets the most sunlight and if you are using grow lights then place the young plants only two inches away from the lights. Read the rest of this entry »
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August 28, 2009 at 4:01 pm · Filed under Tomato ·Tagged amateur gardeners, backyards, climate results, cold countries, Fertilizer, green leaves, growing plants, growing tomatoes, organic compost, organic fertilizers, pests, poor harvest, pots, quirks, seedlings, spring frost, suitable climate, warm areas, warm weather, yellow leaves
Tomatoes are one of the most used vegetables all over the world. They are very quick growing plants and are a favorite among most amateur gardeners. Once we understand the quirks and tricks of growing tomatoes, we can successfully and easily grow them in pots or our backyards. The aspect we just have to bear in mind before mastering the art of growing tomatoes are the following: Read the rest of this entry »
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August 20, 2009 at 4:25 am · Filed under Melon ·Tagged air temperatures, bush varieties, compost, cucumber beetles, delicacy, different type of soil, fruit plants, inch pots, manure tea, organic nutrients, pot plant, rich soil, ripe melons, seedlings, three seeds, time span, type plants, unwanted insects, warm climate, warm weather
Imagine that you eat the sweet, ripe melons harvested from your own garden. Aren’t they just mouth watering for you? Well, to obtain this kind of delicacy, your melons need proper treatment.
Melons are summer-type plants. They enjoy full sunlight, rich soil and three to four months of warm weather. Having a conditioned soil may benefit your melons, but the one full of organic nutrients and well-drained is much better. Keep in mind that different type of melon gets along with different type of soil. Read the rest of this entry »
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April 30, 2009 at 4:09 am · Filed under Orchard, peach ·Tagged bearing, buds, Flower, flowers and fruit, Fruit, growth period, lateral branch, lateral branches, leader branch, necessary requirement, Orchard, peach, peach tree, peach trees, peaches, Plantation, Pruning, Seedling, seedlings, soil level, Species, Tree, tree tops
Gobble pruning, also known as Calyx-shaped pruning, is the most commonly used technique for orchard-raised peach trees. Peaches grown in this manner must be topped, meaning that the top branch must be removed and the crown built on 3-4 main branches. Continuous pruning is necessary requirement for all peach trees, so gobble pruning must be executed 19 inches above the trunk so that it ultimately simplifies the work of pruning, thinning and pest combat. Read the rest of this entry »
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April 18, 2009 at 2:40 pm · Filed under Peppers ·Tagged bacterial diseases, calorie value, compost, environmental conditions, Greenhouse, greenhouse vegetable, greenhouses, Harvest, hybrid seeds, irrigation systems, irrigation water, mineral substances, nutrients, pepper plant, Plant, root disease, sacks, Seedling, seedlings, soil preparation, Sowing, spring seasons, vegetable cultivation, vitamin c, water need
Peppers are an important vegetable in that they contain high calorie value, Vitamin C and plentiful mineral substances. Pepper cultivation covers a 15% area of total greenhouse vegetable cultivation. Protected pepper cultivation is generally done in a single crop during the spring seasons. As tomatoes suffer from a higher percentage of viruses during the fall season, spring is the preferred season to grow peppers. In greenhouses, registered varieties or varieties with production permits (as well as hybrid seeds) are used. The first requirement for success in pepper cultivation is to choose the variety most appropriate for the season and then set out to grow healthy and robust seedlings. Read the rest of this entry »
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April 15, 2009 at 2:49 pm · Filed under Squash ·Tagged Agriculture, cpa, crop season, cucumber, early spring, female flowers, flies, Flower, Fruit, Greenhouse, greenhouses, high temperature, insecticides, insects, insemination, light frost, mosquito, mosquito net, muslin, Plant, Pollination, ppm, Seed, seedlings, spring season, squash plant, viruses
Squash cultivation is economical during fall, early spring and single-crop seasons. The appropriate drilling periods are September during the Fall season, the end of October, the beginning of November (in a single crop season) and the middle of December during the early spring season. Squash seedlings are grown in the same manner as that of cucumber seedlings. However, as there is a considerable risk of viruses during the fall season, seedlings need to be covered with a fine muslin or a mosquito net for protection against white flies.
Squash plants should be trellised using string in order to maximize space and pruning is not necessary. However, fruit flowers which are not inseminated on the plant and thus not able to grow should be picked up and discarded (as these are the most appropriate environments for the development of grey mould and white mould, which are serious diseases found in greenhouses). Additionally, squash does not like too much heat.
On the other hand, squash grows well in low temperatures but a light frost can cause plants to die, so they must be carefully watched. Male and female flowers, which are on the different parts of the squash plant, need to be pollinated via insects, therefore, unnecessary insecticides should be avoided.
In addition, in January and February during a single crop season (when the environment is not appropriate for insemination), it is possible to promote fruit sets by using 4 CPA hormone application with the dosage of 20 PPM to newly emerged female flowers. Squash should be harvested once every 3 three weeks (at the latest) during winters and once every two weeks during other seasons. Harvesting should be accomplished via a knife and fruit should not be harmed. In addition, during seasons with high temperatures, harvesting should be done early in the morning.
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Agricultural Biodiversity 