Many gardeners wonder why cress doesn't grow back like other herbs do. These can be harvested continuously and still form new stems. Cress, on the other hand, has to be sown again after the harvest.

Why is it that the cress cannot grow back?

  • Growth point is too high
  • Removed at harvest
  • Plant cannot regrow

Whether a plant will regrow after being cut depends on where its growing point is. This point is the center of growth, here the cells divide particularly intensively.

If the growth point is cut off when harvesting, the plant cannot grow back.

Where is the growth point of the cress?

The growing point of most herbs, grasses and flowers is very low, just above the ground.

It's different with cress. Here, cell division takes place directly under the leaves. When harvesting, the leaves are cut off just above the ground, thereby removing the growth point.

As a result, the cress stops growing simply because its growth center is no longer there.

Only harvest the leaves of cress?

The reason cress is cut with the whole stalk is because the leaves have the best flavor and most of the ingredients right at the point of growth.

So if only the top leaves were harvested, the cress would not be as tasty or as healthy as the leaves that form at the growth center.

Even plucking the leaves very carefully will destroy the growth center and prevent the cress from growing back. Apart from that, this form of harvesting would be very expensive.

Simply sow new cress

If you always want to have fresh cress in the house for eating or seasoning, you should simply sow smaller amounts of cress at intervals of a few days.

However, too much cress should not be planted at once. You can only store cress for a very limited time.

The herb should be harvested before flowering as the flavor changes after flowering.

tips and tricks

There is a type of cress that you can keep for several years. The pepperwort (Lepidium latifolium) can be harvested for several years, but should be planted in the garden because of its strong growth in tubs.

Category:

Vegetable garden