Leaf lettuce is included in the diet of therapeutic and dietary foods, due to the rich vitamin composition. To please yourself and your loved ones with tasty, and most importantly healthy dishes, you can, if you plant the crop on the garden plot or directly on the windowsill.
With proper care and proper agricultural practices, even a beginner can sow and grow lettuce.
Table of contents
The timing of planting lettuce seeds in the open ground
Planted salad in the gardenevery 2 weeks, taking a fresh crop throughout the warm season. Terms of sowing are determined taking into account the characteristics of the variety.
Among the proposed varieties there are plants of different vegetation periods: early, mid and late. Matures culture for 25-50 days.
Works on planting begin in early spring, when the night temperature reaches positive indicators. In the middle lane this time falls April - early May. According to the lunar calendar, the so-called tops, to which the salad belongs, land on the growing moon.
Growing leaf and cabbage lettuce is possible in several ways:
- rassadnym;
- seed.
The bed is organized in open ground, greenhouse and even on the windowsill. The seedling method is more suitable for regions with a harsh climate and in those cases when there is a desire to get an early harvest.
Springtime is characterized by inconstancy of weather, and a high probability of night frosts.Seedlings should be planted on an open bed, when the threat of frost penetration of young shoots has passed.
Rassadny way allows you to get an early harvest, which is ahead of the usual terms by 3-4 weeks.
The most popular varieties of leaf lettuce for growing in the country
A variety of varieties will satisfy the needs and desires of the pickiest gardener. And for those who are just beginning to master the technology of growing vegetables, it is recommended to purchase proven varieties.
Passion
Excitement - a plant of medium early ripening period with a growing season 64 days. The size of the fan-shaped sheet is quite large, the edge has a characteristic waviness. The structure of the greenery gentle semi crispy. The bush reaches a height of 25-27 cm, outlet diameter - 30-32 cm.
The weight of the head of the average size - 250 gr. Terms of landing: April May.
After the emergence of seedlings in the phase of formation of the first leaf, thinning the beds is performed, leaving an interval between shoots of 5-7 cm. After 2 weeks, extra sprouts are removed by selecting underdeveloped ones. The distance between the remaining - 25-30 cm.
Features of culture: a positive reaction to fertilizing and watering, but do not abuse food.Excess water leads to rotting of the roots.
Dubrava
The growing season lasts 65-80 days. Variety refers to the oily variety of lettuce. Mature shrub is characterized by a large size and semi upright shape. Yellowish-green sheets have a folded surface, but the structure is delicate. At the height and taste.
Benefits of Dubrava: resistance to gray rot and leaf burn.
The planting is recommended at the beginning of May according to the scheme: 25x30 cm, the depth of seeds is 2 cm. The yield per square meter reaches 2-2.5 kg.
Iceberg
Appearance of lettuce is like white cabbage. The leaves during the formation of going to the core, forming a ball. The color of juicy crunchy greens has a whitish hue. The plant is weighty, large specimens reach 1 kg (average 300-600 gr.).
Technical ripeness of culture comes in 75-90 days. A special feature of the Iceberg is resistance to chaff and downy mildew. The value of the variety: high commodity and taste, a long period of storage of the fresh product (up to 3 weeks).
Romain gelbus
The culture of the average term of aging, vegetation lasts 85-90 days. Oblong leaves grow strictly vertically. The structure of the greenery is crisp, but gentle on perception. The popularity of the variety is due to a very pleasant taste and juiciness.
The variety is very demanding for irrigation, it is impossible to allow the soil to dry out, the plant will wither. Feature of culture: high and stable yield (1-2.2 kg per 1 m2).
What kind of soil does a plant love?
Culture responds well to fertilized soil with drainage, which is enriched with mineral additives. If the medium is acidified, then it must be neutralized by introducing dolomite flour or chopped lime.
The place to plant is chosen well lit and ventilatedbut without drafts. Culture grows well in scattered penumbra. If there is a choice between a hill and a lowland, then preference is given to a hill. This reduces the risk of decay of the root system.
How to prepare a bed for planting
Preliminary soil needs to be prepared. In the autumn it is appropriate to enrich the future garden bed. humus. And in the spring, 2-3 weeks before the planting works, they dig up the earth again and bring in mineral fertilizers, in particular potassium salt, ammonium sulfate, superphosphate and etc.
Preparation should begin in the fall, making fertilizer when digging the ground. In spring, the landing site must be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boiling water.
Before seeding, you need to level the ground well, break all any large lumps with a rake. Salad loves loose soiltherefore the dense ground makes it easier peat, river sand and humus.
Proper seed preparation before planting
Quality seeds are chosen for planting. high germination rate (not less than 80%).
Initially, the seed passes calibration: from the total, healthy and undeformed specimens are selected. Sorting also includes the rejection of small grains.
As practice shows, shoots sprouted from them are weak and small. The size of the seeds complicates the task, so gardeners use this method:
- to cook salt solution (3-5%);
- fill them with seeds and leave for 15-20 minutes;
- pop up seeds remove (those that remained at the bottom are considered suitable);
- gently drain and rinse the remaining seeds under running water through a sieve.
After drying, the seeds should be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes.
To do this, select a few pieces of each class and wrap them in a damp napkin. If after 1-2 days the seeds have spiked, you can plant them into the soil and count the number of sprouts.
The spring period is characterized by a deficiency of vitamins and valuable microelements for any person, so the early harvest will be good and, most importantly, a useful addition to the table. Speed up the development of lettuce will help soaking seeds in the nutrient fluid.
The following fertilizers are recommended for this:
- Ideal (teaspoon per liter of water);
- Epin (2 drops in 100 ml of water);
- Epin-Extra (30 drops in a glass of water).
Other drugs that are aimed at plant growth promotion.
What scheme can sow seeds
There are several schemes of planting lettuce, the option is chosen depending on the characteristics of the variety.Summer residents who own small plots of land, manage to sow the plant in the rows, along the fence, between the beds of vegetable crops.
The bed is formed in the loose way and ordering. The interval stipulated by the salad planting scheme is observed only when transferring seedlings to open ground or a greenhouse. When sowing, the distance between the grains is no more than 3 cm.
The scheme intended for low-growing plants, recommends sticking to the interval between the bushes not less than 20 cm (20x20 cm). For tall crops the distance will be optimal 25-30 cm (25x30 cm). In the greenhouse, make furrows for rows with an interval of 10-15 cm. Seeds are immersed in the ground at a depth of 1-2 cm. It is impossible to replant the plant.
The technology of growing lettuce is quite simple, you only need to adhere to general rules and comply with the regime. And the harvest obtained through our own efforts is always tastier than purchased greens.