Growing lettuce (lettuce) in different conditions

The cultivation of lettuce by people began in the XVIII century. The French were the first to use it in cooking. The grass not only gives the dishes a special taste, but also helps with various pathological conditions:

• fights blood leukemia;
• increases resistance to breast cancer;
• prevents the death of brain cells, and therefore does not allow the development of Alzheimer's disease;
• lowers bad cholesterol;
• It has a bactericidal and antifungal effect.

Lettuce has a good effect on the skin of the face, improves its color, and accelerates cell regeneration. Herb extract nourishes the hair. They grow well, do not fall out, gain luster. This useful grass can be planted in your garden or even on the windowsill.

The best varieties of leaf lettuce

Only 4 types of lettuce are cultivated, which have many varieties:

Growing lettuce through seedlings

This method is used in the northern regions of Russia to obtain crops in cold and late spring. Sowing should be done 30-35 days before planting in the garden.

For planting, it is better to purchase seeds in the form of granules. They are convenient to sow, they have a high percentage of germination. When using conventional planting stock, it must be mixed with sand to facilitate the process.

Sowing step by step:

• Prepare boxes, containers, or peat tablets.
• Pour sand, peat, humus (1: 1: 2) or purchased substrate in a container.
• Place the seeds in a gauze bag and dip in potassium permanganate for a couple of hours.
• Spread seed over the surface of the soil without seeding.
• When using boxes or containers, sowing should be done in grooves with a depth of 1 cm, a distance of 5 cm (if a pick will be made later) or 10 cm (without transplanting).
• Pour and cover with foil.
• Put in a bright place at a temperature of + 18 ... +21 ºC.
• After biting sprouts (for 3-4 days), lower the temperature to + 15 ... +18 ºC so that the bushes do not stretch.
• If necessary, dive after the formation of 1-2 pairs of true leaves.
• Land in open ground after the appearance of 3-4 cotyledon primordia. Before this, the plants must be hardened: 2 weeks before the transplant, take out daily to the street, starting from 10 minutes, gradually increasing the time.

Growing lettuce at home

Indoor lettuce is grown year-round:

• Pour the substrate used for seedlings in pots with a volume of 1-2 l. You can also mix vermicompost and coconut fiber (1: 2).
• Distribute seeds moistened in potassium permanganate over wet soil, deepen by 5-10 mm.
• Water well, cover with polyethylene and put in a darkened room.
• After biting seedlings (after 3-5 days), remove the shelter, put the pot in a bright place. If cultivation occurs in the winter, additional lighting with phytolamps is necessary.
• The salad is ready to eat when 5-20 leaves are formed on it.

Care Features:

Growing lettuce in the open ground

Lettuce does not grow well in the shade, you need to plant it in sunny areas. However, direct ultraviolet rays can cause a halt in the development of the bushes, so they must be shaded by other crops.
Seeds germinate at a temperature of +5 ºC. With warmer air (from +20 ºC) sprouts germinate worse.

Soil requirements

Best of all, lettuce grows on loose, nutritious soil with a high content of organic matter and trace elements. Acidity requirements: neutral or slightly alkaline, with an indicator of 6 to 7.2 pH.
Lettuce can also be planted on sandy, loamy, carbonate soil. And also on black soil. Grass will not grow only on acidic, saline, heavy clay soil.

Soil for planting must be prepared in advance (in autumn). It is recommended to use beds in which fertilizers were applied. They need to be dug up with the introduction of manure or compost (7-10 kg per 1 sq. M). Leave as it is until spring.

Technology for planting lettuce in the ground

Early ripe varieties are sown from April to May, mid-ripening and late - from mid-spring to the second decade of June. To harvest a fresh crop all summer, lettuce can be planted several times every 7-10 days until the 20th of August.

Step-by-step landing:

• To loosen the soil with the introduction of 1 tbsp. l superphosphate, 1 tsp potassium sulfate, 1-2 tbsp. l Mortar (per 1 sq.m.).
• Dig out furrows of 5-10 mm in moist soil, observing a distance of 15-20 cm.
• Mix the seeds with sand (1: 1/2) and fall asleep in the trenches.
• After a mass shoot of the seedlings of the beds, thin out so that between the bushes there are 6-8 cm (leafy), 10-15 cm (heady). Thinning is recommended in 2 stages.

When planting seedlings in the garden, you need to use the 25 * 25 scheme for miniature early ripe species, 35 * 35 for large specimens. Planting in a moist soil mixture.

Shoots need to be moistened every 7 days at sunrise or after sunset. In intense heat it is best to do it at night. For leaf varieties, it is recommended to use the sprinkling method, and for cabbage varieties, watering along rows. When lettuce begins to form rosettes, less watering is needed to avoid decay.

When sowing in a nutrient substrate in feeding is not necessary. When the earth is poor, a single application of mineral mixtures or organics is necessary immediately after planting. The lettuce leaves ripen longer, so it needs to be fed twice with an interval of 2 weeks.

Growing lettuce in a greenhouse

Lettuce is resistant to mild cold (up to -2 ºC), so in greenhouse conditions it can be planted in early spring. If there is heating in the greenhouse, then the salad is grown in the winter.

Earth must be prepared in the fall:

• Add organic matter (this will create the necessary acidity of the soil).
• If the substrate is very acidic add lime to it.
• Feed the soil with sodium chloride (15 g per square meter).
• Dig the site, level and leave before planting the crop.

Plant lettuce when the temperature in the greenhouse ceases to drop below zero even at night:

• Loosen the ground, dig trenches, backing away a distance of 10 cm.
• Mix the seeds with sand and close in the grooves.
• If the frosts return unexpectedly, mulch the bushes with small humus.

Necessary conditions for further maintenance:

With proper care, the crop can be harvested after 4 weeks.

Growing lettuce hydroponically

This method involves growing in an artificial environment without soil. Plants receive all the necessary substances from a special nutrient solution surrounding the rhizome. At the same time, culture does not lose its taste. Hydroponics is often used in business when lettuce is grown for sale.

Pests and diseases of lettuce

Lettuce is susceptible to many infections and pests. It’s quite difficult to fight them, because the plant accumulates not only nitrates, but also fungicides. Therefore, poisonous drugs can not be used.

Mr. Summer resident advises: how to store salad

Harvested crops must be stored in the refrigerator, preferably in a box for vegetables. Before this, the leaves need to be dried a little, because wet greens will fade quickly.

Watch the video: How to Grow Lettuce from Seed to Harvest (May 2024).