How to remove white spots on eggplant?

Many summer residents, growing eggplants on their site, know that this rather capricious vegetable requires increased attention. Either the leaves turn yellow, then the fruit does not set, then the pests overcome, then white spots appear on the eggplant. Therefore, all those who decided to plant such a picky culture need to have an idea of ​​the diseases of seedlings and vegetables, and also to know how to treat these diseases. Today in the article we will look with feeling and arrangement at the causes of the most common problems associated with eggplant seedlings, and talk about possible solutions.

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The first problem: white spots on eggplant leaves

The causes of white spots on the leaves of eggplant seedlings are diverse. Plants can catch an infection or be exposed to pests, or perhaps the gardener himself has forgotten how to properly care for a capricious vegetable. So first you need to find out the root cause and eliminate it, so as not to lose all the seedlings and future crops.

The main causes of the appearance of white spots on the leaves of eggplant:

1. Pests that feed on plant sap. Carefully inspect the back of the leaf, there you will find the main pests that suck life-giving moisture from the leaves. From its lack, white spots appear on the eggplant. The main enemies of this culture: whitefly, aphid, spider mite, fungus mosquitoes sciaridae (in common people - midges).
2. Burn by the sun or a hot object. A plant can get a burn from bright sunlight or from a lamp that illuminated seedlings. As a result of such a burn, leaf cells die and cannot participate in photosynthesis.

Important! Put the lamp away from the plant, and protect the seedlings from the sun with dense tulle or newspapers so that they do not appear white spots on eggplant.

3. Excessive dressing or its absence. If the leaves begin to turn yellow at the edges and a brown border is formed, this indicates a lack of potassium. A metabolic disorder leads to the death of the leaf, and it all starts with the appearance of white spots. In this case, top dressing with potash fertilizer or an infusion of ash will help (1 tbsp.spoon of ash per 1 liter of water). In another case, if the seedlings were fed with mineral fertilizers (potassium-calcium nitrate) in excess, then white spots may appear on the leaves of the eggplant. To neutralize excess water the plants with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
4. Watering with cold water. The root system is not able to absorb cold water. The soil after such irrigation will be moist, but water will not enter the leaves and stems, and as a result, white spots and wilted leaves. Be sure to ensure that the temperature of the irrigation water is not lower than 22-25 degrees during irrigation.

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Treatment methods

You can deal with white spots on eggplant in the following ways:

• Prevention Preventive measures include proper care, which will prevent drying out of the leaves.
• Seedling treatment. These are measures that must be taken to preserve seedlings if a problem has already arisen.

Let us consider in more detail how to deal with the problem and what means to use, because it is easier to prevent changes in pigmentation on the leaves than to treat them.

Important! It should be remembered that damaged leaflets can no longer be brought back to life, and the loss of at least a pair of leaf plates, at least, retards the development of young plants.

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Preventive actions

So that white spots do not appear on the leaves of eggplant, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for the development and growth of the plant.

Preventive measures include:

• Proper care
• Preventive treatment of seed material.
• Treatment of young and adult plants with pest and disease agents.
  

Variety Selection

Every summer resident knows that choosing the right plant variety is very important for a future crop. In addition, it is always better to sow varieties that are more resistant to diseases and pests. Therefore, we advise you to start your preventive measures with the correct selection of eggplant varieties.

Experienced gardeners recommend the following varieties of vegetables:

• Epic F1 is a universal variety that can be grown both in open ground and in a greenhouse.
• Black handsome is a popular precocious variety. The fruits are pear shaped. This is the best grade for caviar.
• Prime.
• Bibo F1 is an early crop of eggplant with white peel. Vegetables can be grown both in open ground and in cold and warm greenhouses.

Important! Breeders have learned how to produce seeds that are resistant to disease and pests, but they cannot program and monitor how you care for the bushes grown from the seeds. Therefore, even the right choice of variety does not guarantee that pigmentation does not appear on the leaves. After planting seeds - it all depends on the gardener.

Preparation of soil substrate

Everyone knows that in order to be healthy, you need to eat right. If a person eats improperly, then he often gets sick. In this regard, man is not much different from plants. For him, both a deficiency and an excess of vitamins and minerals are dangerous. So it is for seedlings: if in the substrate there are few or too many vitamin-mineral substances, then pigmentation appears on the leaves.

To avoid this, listen to the tips below and prepare the soil as follows:

1. Prepare the substrate from the following components: turf land, humus, sand in a ratio of 4: 2: 1.
2. The prepared soil is calcined in the oven for two hours to disinfect.
3. Wait two weeks for beneficial bacteria to appear in the soil, and then sow the seeds.

Use fertilizers correctly

If eggplant seedlings are cultivated on depleted soil, then the cause of the disease and the appearance of pigmentation will be a lack of minerals. Therefore, as soon as leaves appear on the plant, water the seedlings once every two weeks with a solution of ammonium nitrate (25 g of the product in a bucket of water). Water the plants under the root without touching the leaves and stems. Otherwise, burns, scorched areas will appear on them.

Important! Do not increase the concentration of ammonium nitrate solution, as an excess of nitrogen provokes the appearance of white spots on eggplant leaves.

Proper watering

To prevent the appearance of unwanted spots on the eggplant, water the plants correctly:

1. Pour water into a jar.
2. Place a can of water next to the seedlings so that the substrate and irrigation water have the same temperature.
3. Water the seedlings as needed.
4. Do not over-moisten the soil, otherwise it will become acidic and will have a musty smell.

Important! In addition to the basic rules, it is necessary to take into account some tricks acquired with the experience of many gardeners:

• Only water the seedlings when you click the pot and you hear a loud sound. In this case, the earthen lump is withered. If the sound is dull, then the soil is still wet and there is no need to water it.
• To not appear white spots on eggplant leaves from the sun, when watering, do not allow drops of water to fall on them. Otherwise, water droplets will play the role of a lens and a burn to the plant is guaranteed.

Proper lighting

Eggplants are very moody plants, they love:

• Long daylight hours, which should last 12 hours.
• Scattered light, i.e. not direct sunlight.
  

To provide optimal conditions for seedlings:

1. Place the seedling trays on the east or south window.
2. Make sure that the plants have light from 8 am to 8 pm. If the daylight is short, then use an LED lamp.
3. Put an additional lamp at a height of 10 cm from seedlings.
4. Raise the lamp in time as the bushes grow so that the light does not scorch the leaves.

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What to do if white spots appear on leaves of eggplant?

If pigmentation has already appeared on seedlings, then urgently take measures to preserve the plant. You can use folk remedies or chemicals for treatment. Methods and tools depend on the cause of the disease and the degree of infection.

Treatment of plants with folk remedies

To save eggplant leaves, use the following folk recipes:

1. Dilute 100 ml of whey in 1 liter of water (boiled and cooled). Spray with a solution of the plant.
2. Dilute wood ash (500 g) in 1 liter of water. Put the solution on the fire and boil for 1 hour. Strain the solution and mix with 3 liters of cold boiled water. Treat the prepared leaves with the leaves of the plant.

Important! If the cause of pigmentation is an excess of minerals after top dressing, then neutralize nitrogenous fertilizers with calcium nitrate or use chalk, dolomite flour. Egg shells can also be used to neutralize nitrogen: calcine the shell and crush it into flour, and then add it to the soil.

Chemical treatment

Use the following remedies to remove leaf stains from white spots:

• Manganese solution. Water the plants with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
• A mixture of citric acid and copper sulfate (2 g of each ingredient in 3 liters of water). Treat the affected leaves with a prepared solution.
• “Actar”. If the cause of pigmentation in pests, then use a drug that protects them from parasites. Prepare the solution according to the instructions for the drug.

Consider a few more problems that summer residents often encounter.

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The second problem: seedlings do not grow

There can be several reasons for the slow growth of plants:

1. If the eggplant was transplanted from a common box into individual cups, then growth retardation could be caused by damage to the roots. To correct the situation, spill the plants with the solution of the “Kornevin” preparation. Prepare the suspension according to the instructions. Transplant young seedlings only with a lump of earth, and even better - immediately sow the seeds in separate boxes and pots, and do not pick it at all.
2. If growth retardation has occurred with growing seedlings, then carefully pull out one seedling along with a lump of earth, carefully inspect the roots. If the roots are brown, then this indicates that the plant has little space and it requires transplanting into a large container. In this case, carefully transplant the seedlings into other pots with large diameters (2-3 cm larger than the previous ones). Add fertile land and Signor Tomato special fertilizer.

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The third problem: seedlings wither

If the leaves wither only in the afternoon in the sun, and in the morning return to their normal state, then this is not scary. But if the plants wilt during normal watering and regardless of the weather, then there may be several reasons, in particular:

1. Excessive watering and waterlogging of the soil. In this case, move the seedlings into larger containers and add earth. Switch to shallow but frequent watering.
2. Drafts. Due to the temperature difference between the root and aboveground parts of the plant, the seedlings may fade.This happens when cold air constantly penetrates from cracks in window frames or from an open window leaf and passes through pots with roots, and above the leaves actively evaporate moisture under the sun. Cold roots do not keep up with the leaves and an imbalance occurs. To correct the situation, raise the pots with seedlings 15-20 centimeters higher.
3. Lack of air for the roots. This problem happens if the plants are closely pressed together and the soil is too tight. Loosen the topsoil and, if necessary, expand the drainage holes.
4. Hypothermia. If seedlings were taken out on the balcony for hardening, it could freeze and wilt from the cold. In this case, water the plants well with warm water (30 degrees).

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The fourth problem: the lower leaves turn yellow

Seedlings of plants are very voracious, and if there are not enough nutrients in the soil, the plant will continue its growth and development due to lower leaves. As a result, the lower leaves become lighter, and then completely fly around.

Important! A similar phenomenon most often occurs when growing seedlings on peat tablets or in purchased peat soil.

To correct the situation, use top dressing with complex mineral fertilizer.

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The fifth problem: pests appeared

In the framework of pest control:

1. Gently wipe the eggplant leaves with a solution of laundry soap.
2. Spill the seedlings with “Actara” or sprinkle with “Fitoverm”.

Important! The appearance of pests is always an undesirable problem, but not everyone wants to saturate their crops with chemicals. With this approach, you can adopt the following useful tips:

1. If you are not a fan of chemicals, get rid of harmful insects with hot pepper. Sprinkle ground pepper on the ground and this will scare away the midge.
2. Pay attention to the humidity in the room. Insects most often breed on withered leaves, with a lack of humidity and watering. Try to spray the seedlings every day with a very fine spray, directing it up and to the side, as droplets on the leaves are unacceptable.    

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Stock footage

As you see, you need to take care of the seedlings daily, because without you, the small bushes will simply die. Every day they need your attention, as well as light, food, water and protection from pests and the sun. But then, they will thank you with a rich harvest and you can enjoy the amazing taste of baked, fried eggplant in the fall and preservation of them in the winter.