Lettuce has no special nutritional requirements. Nevertheless, there are subtle differences depending on the variety. In order to harvest juicy and aromatic leaves, a little more attention should be paid to soil preparation in spring.
Lettuce needs few nutrients and almost no fertilizer
What Salad Needs
Salads are generally considered undemanding and easy to care for. Since they hardly remove any nutrients from the soil, they are well suited for post-culture on beds that have already been harvested. Sowing between demanding cultures is also possible in order to be able to harvest fresh green at different times.
Varieties and their needs:
- pick lettuce: thrives in any soil and benefits from being cultivated in mixed cultures
- lettuce: feels at home among demanding vegetables and requires hardly any nutrients
- iceberg lettuce: is a little hungrier and thrives in humus rich soil
- chicory: likes nitrogen in low concentrations
compost
In order to harvest juicy leaves, it is advisable to improve the soil before sowing. Enrich the substrate with compost and dig up the bed. In this way you promote mineralization and ensure that rainwater seeps away better.
vegetable manure
Brews made from nettle leaves strengthen the plants with regular use. They become more resistant to pathogens and pests. Depending on the variety, watering with diluted plant manure every two to four weeks is recommended.
rock flour
Slightly more demanding lettuce varieties are grateful for the administration of a mineral soil additive. Rock powder enriches the soil with valuable trace elements and minerals. Their effect unfolds over time, so that you can spread the powder with the compost in the spring.
horn meal
This nutrient supplier is a by-product of meat production and is used to supply plants with nitrogen. Horn meal is broken down by microorganisms in the soil, which make the nutrients available to plants. As the recycling process takes time, you should work the flour into the soil at the beginning of the season. Regular watering promotes decomposition. It is suitable for salads that place greater value on the nutrient supply.
avoid problems
The wrong fertilization can prove to be problematic for lettuce. Lettuce reacts sensitively to a supply of fresh manure and is prone to pest infestation. Growth depressions quickly occur on over-fertilized beds.