Lettuce is a moisture-loving, cold-resistant and early maturing plant. Lettuce heads are formed 1-1.5 months after sowing, and the leaves are ready to eat 3-4 weeks after planting. This greens will delight gardeners in early spring, it can be used as part of salads or simply as an addition to the side dish.
Lettuce salad
Lettuce is cultivated commercially and sold worldwide
Lettuce salad is used as a source of nutrients
Description of types and varieties of lettuce
Lettuce is an herbaceous annual plant. Lettuce is especially popular in Europe and North America. Its main advantages are good resistance to cold, a high level of yield and relative early maturity. The varieties of salads that are grown here have a slightly bitter taste, so they are in little demand.
Lettuce is a frost-resistant, precocious and self-pollinating plant. In private farms and in large vegetable production, four types of this salad are used:
- layered;
- golovchastny;
- chamomile;
- stem.
The genus of this salad is very common, it has more than a hundred varieties, all of which grow in the temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Of course, not all of them are edible.
In addition to cultivars, a lot of weeds also belong to the salad, but nevertheless it is best known in the form of L. Salvia, sowing lettuce. This species has been cultivated for several thousand years. It is believed that he descended from the species L. Serriola - prickly lettuce, from the seeds of which oil is made.
Types of this culture are annual, biennial and perennial. In size, they are also diverse, plants from 10 to 180 cm are found.
If you wait for the lettuce to bloom, you can see that the flowers belong to the Asteraceae family. They have fairly large inflorescences, consisting of smaller flowers of lilac or yellow.
Inedible species of lettuce have a special sedative in their composition, it has a calming effect and is used in the treatment of certain diseases.
Varieties of lettuce are distinguished as follows:
- Sowing lettuce. A leafy annual plant with large fleshy leaves. The most popular sortotype is iceberg lettuce, similar to light green cabbage. The type of Romaine lettuce is also known; it has a high straight stem and beautiful leaves.
- Bubbles.This salad has wavy leaves, has a slightly sweet, slightly nutty flavor. The variety is also divided into sub-varieties:
- frisbee - has rather dense leaf heads of bright green color, with a wavy surface;
- Green Bowl is a lettuce that can be cut all summer long, has bright green leaves and a fine-wave structure;
- lolly bionda is a leaf lettuce that does not have a pronounced core, but has decorative wavy leaves, therefore it is often used to decorate plots and borders.
- Batavian leaf Red Sales.This cultivar has wrinkled, dark leaves with a reddish tinge, it is considered to be more durable, while slowly producing new shoots. His sub-variety Rouge d'Ivkr is one of the special red-leaved varieties that is cut in winter.
Each of these varieties has its own characteristics. Some species are characterized by excellent taste, and some are suitable only for decorating the site, but every farmer will certainly be able to choose a variety according to his preferences.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the main advantages of culture, the following characteristics can be noted:
- tolerates cold well;
- it is early, quickly brings a crop;
- can produce crops almost all year round;
- it contains many vitamins, minerals and other substances useful for humans;
- has a pleasant appearance and good taste;
- not too difficult to care for, suitable for a novice gardener.
Gardeners were unable to highlight the specific disadvantages of growing this plant.
Beneficial features
All the beneficial properties of lettuce are found in milk juice or the lactucin alkaloid. It is he who gives the leaves a bitter taste and is a natural soothing substance.
Lettuce is not only a low-calorie and dietary plant (only 15 Kcal per 100 g), but it also quickly creates a feeling of fullness during lunch due to its high fiber content.
The fresh juice of this plant is good for treating stomach diseases, gastritis. As a sedative, the juice is taken orally, diluted with water.
Landing rules
Salad is an unpretentious vegetable, but nevertheless, if standard rules are not followed, it can acquire rigidity, bitterness, and may even die. The basic rules of care must be followed, then you can collect juicy green leaves throughout the summer.
Leafy lettuce varieties are grown by sowing seeds in the soil, while cabbage lettuces and sub-varieties Romen, Izi Lif and Salanova can be grown by seedlings.
You can plant leafy salads 2-3 times during the summer.
Choosing a place and soil
The best soil is light, humus, and neutral. In order for the leaves to grow beautiful and tasty, the plants need to provide sufficient area for growth and development.
Leafy forms of lettuce need a 15x15 cm area for one bush, heady ones - 25x25 cm. Too dense planting attracts insects, pests and diseases.
Preparatory work before landing
Salad likes light soil. It is better to sow in May so that the soil is sufficiently warmed up. Make small furrows on the beds, keep a distance between them of about 30 cm. The depth of the furrow should be 1-1.5 cm.
Predecessors and proximity to other plants
Lettuce will feel best in the beds where potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage grew before. It is good to plant cabbage near the lettuce; it can protect the bush from various parasites, in particular from the cruciferous flea.
Planting lettuce seeds
Seeds are placed in moistened soil in rows, to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, and a little bit of ground. In order for the lettuce bush to develop normally, the germinated seeds must be thinned out, providing a normal soil area.
Lettuce seeds are small enough, so planting is carried out with your hands, while you need to try to keep them at some distance from each other, about 15 cm.
Growing seedlings
When the seeds have sprouted, they must be thinned out. The first time the extra sprouts are removed when 3 full leaves appear on the seedlings. The second time, the thinning procedure is carried out after 11-14 days, so that the distance between the plants is at least 10 cm.
To constantly have fresh greens throughout the summer, you need to periodically plant new seedlings - every 2 weeks.
Lettuce Care
The vegetation of this plant varies depending on the variety and the conditions for caring for it. For example, leafy varieties can be eaten 25-30 days after germination, while cabbage varieties can be eaten only after 45-70 days.
In order for the lettuce salad to please its bright greens and interesting taste, you just need to water it and thin out on time. Adult plants are thinned 1.5 months after planting, when they have 4-5 main leaves. The distance should be about 25 cm for each individual bush.
If you miss the deadlines and thin out plants with 6-7 leaves, this can greatly damage the root system of the lettuce, which in turn will attract soil pathogens to the bush.
One of the properties of this plant is the ability to accumulate various substances from the soil, both useful and harmful, such as heavy metals, pesticides, nitrates. Therefore, only clean, uncontaminated soil is used for planting, away from any sources of toxic substances.
Optimize the timing of fertilizing and fertilizing plants. You can use special varieties bred resistant to the accumulation of harmful elements, such as Excitement and the Moscow Greenhouse. Remember that like any other greens, lettuce cannot be fertilized with pesticides.
Watering and feeding
With normal fertile soil, you can not worry about top dressing. But still, nitrogen fertilizers will never be superfluous. Use top dressing to make the foliage more lush and juicy. Manure or compost is an ideal salad dressing.
Salad loves nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If you can create a fertile, neutral soil and fertilize it with nitrogen, you will get a third more green yield than usual. Feeding with microelements increases the yield and improves its quality.
Try to introduce organic matter in the fall, so that the bush has time to master it. Also remember that the plant does not tolerate saline soil, burns begin to appear on the leaves, mulching will help to avoid this.
Lettuce has a superficial root system, so this plant needs timely plentiful watering. The soil should not be too wet, this requires mulching, then the plant will not attract various insects and snails.
Due to a lack of water, early lettuce may begin, and too frequent watering causes gray rot on the leaves. It is best to water the lettuce 2-3 times a week with plenty of water in the evening.
Lettuce pests and diseases
The most common parasites that infect this plant are slugs, wireworms and leaf aphids. Spanbond and Lutrasil are well suited for protection against leaf aphids.
To get rid of slugs, spread roofing material or old boards among the rows. The slugs will crawl underneath them, making them easy to collect. This procedure should be carried out as often as possible. Sprinkle the edges of the site with quicklime, insects cannot stand it, so it will become a good barrier for them.
If wireworms are wound up on the land plot where it is planned to be planted, then a number of maintenance work should be carried out. Two weeks before planting, lay the bait around the entire perimeter (use potatoes, carrots or beets for them) to a depth of 4-6 cm, and after a few days collect and destroy the insects.
Lettuce can be affected by diseases such as:
- blackleg;
- white and gray rot;
- downy mildew.
To minimize the chance of infection, you need to alternate the cultivation of vegetables on the site. It is important to monitor the condition of the earth and not to overmoisten the soil, otherwise it will create a favorable environment for various diseases.
Harvesting and storage
To extend the harvest time, try to add new plants every 8-11 days. If using direct sowing, leave at least 20 cm between the seeds. In order for the leaves to be more lush, it is better to plant wide.
Watch out for the leaves, do not allow a new stem to appear, cut the leaves in advance. A new stem means the lettuce is ready to bloom. In the case of lettuce, bloom should not be allowed, this will greatly affect its taste.
The delicate leaves of the plant wither and rot very quickly, so try to cut off such an amount that is enough for one time, without a stock. Cut leaves can be put in a container with water, so they will retain their properties for as long as possible, but you can not store the salad for more than a day.
Reviews of gardeners about lettuce
Anna, 35 years old, amateur gardener, Moscow region.I have been growing salad for many years, I especially like Excitement and Risotto, they are crispy and taste great. The main thing is, after cutting, wash them in standing water, and not too long, so that the leaves are not damaged.
Elena, 43 years old, summer resident, Chelyabinsk.My family loves vegetable salads, and of course you can't do without green lettuce, so every year I plant at least a couple of beds of this salad. To me, this greenery seems tasteless, and the aroma is not too pronounced, but for the family I plant it constantly.
Mikhail, 56 years old, economist, Murmansk.I love lettuce very much, I try to plant it early, there’s very little trouble with it, but it so happy with greens. Especially after winter, I really look forward to planting. At first I plant in pots in early spring, and after a month, or even earlier, you can harvest the first crop.
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Lettuce will be an excellent choice for both a beginner summer resident and a gardener with extensive experience. It is quite unpretentious, does not require special conditions of detention, the main thing is to plant it in suitable soil and monitor the condition of the earth. If you follow all the rules for caring for lettuce, it will certainly delight you with its bright green foliage and excellent taste.