Lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ) is one of the most wide grow annual vegetables in home gardens , because it is well-to-do to grow and various to use . one C of variety of loot live , from romaine shekels ( Lactuca sativavar.longifolia ) to butterhead ( Lactuca sativavar.capitata)—varieties that are grown for their soft , buttery leaves .
All lettuce diverseness must be depart from germ each yr , whether in fall or in early spring . The seeds germinate well at crushed temperatures , which is one reason they are known as " coolheaded - season " or " coolheaded - weather " crop . However , they do need a dear counterbalance of passion , moisture and light to germinate in the ordinary simoleons sprouting time frame of 7 to 10 days .
Tip
The exact amount of clip it take for pelf seeds to germinate varies from 2 to 15 day depend on a mixture of factors , but the average germination time is typically 7 to 10 daylight .
About Lettuce Seed Germination
- Lettuce seed can develop as before long as two days after establish , or it can take up to two calendar week . * * The clip it consume for lettuce ejaculate to take form sprout varies look on ground temperature , wet and how much sunshine is available to the source .
source inseminate in flaxen or mineral - based soil with less organic capacity may not pullulate as quick or reliably as seeds sown in soil that is productive in organic affair . simoleons come will also not bourgeon if they are kept too warm .
Deep sowing can also impact how quickly lettuce seeds sprout because they necessitate light to germinate .
Sowing Lettuce Seeds
Hot weather is hard on lettuce , so it is typically get in early spring when the weather is cool . In warmer climates with balmy winter , lettuce is also planted in fall for harvest during the winter months .
Lettuce seeds can be direct - sow in the garden , or lettuce seedling can be started in belittled sens for late transplantation .
Direct-Sowing Lettuce Seeds
When direct - sowing shekels seeds out of doors , select a planting site in your vegetable garden with full sun and good drain or sow the seeds in a raised bed . Prepare the planting internet site several weeks before sowing the cum so that the soil has metre to settle .
1 . Till the bottom to relax up the grease . Remove any pieces of debris from the bed , such as rocks or sticks . 2 . fuse a 1 - inch stratum of compost into the top few inches of the soil . Water the bed to settle the grime . 3 . shape 1/8 - inch - deep furrows 12 to 18 inches aside . Sow the seeds 1 inch aside along the furrow . Cover the seeds with a light layer of grease . 4 . Water with a fine nebulizer or mist every day to keep the lucre seeds moist . Do not apply a heavy flow of water or the semen might shift . 5 . ascertain for lettuce sprout in approximately one week . Then , thin out the seedlings according to the type of scratch .
Different lettuce varieties need dissimilar spatial arrangement . When thinning out kale seedling , loose - leaf dinero , such as bibb lettuce , should be spaced 4 inches aside . Romaine and butterhead change ask 8 inches of infinite , and crisphead or iceberg - type head bread needs 16 inches of outer space to grow .
Lettuce can also be sown by broadcasting the seeds equally across a prepared layer .
Starting Lettuce Transplants
Learning how to grow lettuce transplant is a good theme in warmer climates where bolting is a trouble . Lettuce ejaculate - start should be done indoors ( or in a cold frame ) three to four weeks before planting time .
1 . commence lolly cum in 1 - inch starter cells or in small peat pellets . Fill the container with moist potting soil . 2 . Sow scratch seeds in the starter cells or shot at a depth of 1/8 in . lucre seeds need some light to pullulate , so never plant them too deep . 3 . Set the starter cellular telephone near a bright , sunny window or under grow light . The sound sprouting temperature for lettuce is between 55 and 65 ° atomic number 9 . So no bottom heat is needed under most luck . 4 . Mist the soil whenever it appears ironical on the surface , but avoid make the soil too crocked or the seeds could molder . It takes roughly one week to germinate lettuce seminal fluid indoors , but it could take longer . 5 . Grow the moolah seedlings under bright light for a few weeks and then move them to a sheltered emplacement out of doors to temper for three days before transplanting them into the garden . The hardening process will avail the seedling survive in the garden .
educate your bed as you would for planting seeds directly in the garden . Plant lettuce seedlings in rows spaced 12 to 18 inches apart . Space them according to the type of boodle , with romaine or butterhead lettuce space 8 inches apart , crisphead or iceberg - case lettuce space 16 inches apart and bibb lettuce seedlings space 4 inches aside .
Cover your planting site with a thickheaded layer of straw for a few daytime before planting lettuce , which will chill the soil and help prevent go off .
Growing Lettuce Seedlings
Successfully growing moolah seedlings comes down to keeping them cool and moist , but transplants may also need a little added protection as they become ground .
Water Often
Lettuce needs constant moisture to keep the leaves hydrated and meek tasting , but too much urine can make serious root problems . * * Check the soil wet often and water only if it find most dry on the surface rather than relying on a strict watering schedule . * *
Lettuce wilts when it call for more water . but watch the parting and pee if they start out to look wilt . Only a trivial water is need to keep stain moist ; it does n’t always need to be water hard .
Spread Mulch
Lettuce has a shallow root system that can dry out easily , so a layer of mulch spread out between the rows will help protect the root word from drying out as well as keep the roots sheltered from high temperatures .
apply clean straw or other lightweight material for mulch between shekels dustup .
Provide Cover
Lettuce seedlings sometimes need cover to shelter them from fluctuate temperatures . Row covers work well for large beds of dinero , while gardeners with small cabbage plot can treat the plants with cloche . A 1 - gallon charge plate Milk River jugful with the bottom cut off can be used to cover pelf seedlings , as can a traditional glass cloche .
sugar plant also benefit from ghost material coverings when the weather starts to warm up . Shade cloth is an especially safe estimation for red - leaf lettuce grow in warmer area because the red pigment absorbs more rut , so the leaves wilt faster .
Controlling Pests
slug , snails and aphid are all common lettuce pest that can cause serious harm . Slugs and snails can be removed by hand and bemuse forth , or you may put a shallow plate of beer near the lettuce plants . It attracts slugs and snails that then drown in the sugary liquid .
Spreading diatomaceous earth around the lucre plants can also help annihilate soft - bodied pests , such as escargot and biff .
Prevention is the best control method acting for aphids on loot . Companion engraft with alliums , such as cive ( Allium schoenoprasum , zones 3 to 10 ) and garlic ( Allium sativum , zones 3 to 8) , will admonish aphids from colonizing the leave-taking . Established aphid colonies can be destroy with insecticidal soap or a strong nebulizer of water .
Harvesting Lettuce
Harvesting sugar is done at the ending of its growing season before it bolts , which is when the plant produces a bloom straw .
Looseleaf varieties , such as red leafage or oak tree folio clams , can be harvested by plucking off the outer leave-taking as they ripen , or the intact forefront can be cut off at earth story when it reaches a harvestable size . harvest home simoleons varieties like crisphead or crisphead lettuce once the heart and soul of the gelt head becomes firm .
Wash lettuce in several changes of fresh , cold water until there is no sign of dirt or debris . memory board loose lettuce leaves in a credit card zipper bag with a moist newspaper publisher towel .
