With a good selection of plants, the hobby gardener can enjoy fresh lettuce from spring to autumn. However, garden lettuces such as lettuce tend to shoot under certain conditions. The plant develops an inflorescence prematurely, which affects the harvest.
Premature flowering in lettuce can be prevented
Things to know about growth
Lettuce is an annual plant that completes its growing season within one season. First, depending on the variety, a loose to dense leaf rosette forms, which forms the head of lettuce. Lactuca sativa and its forms belong to the long-day plants. Flowering is stimulated as soon as the day length exceeds the twelve hour mark. This is the case from June to August. The middle shoot stretches and branches out from a height of 50 centimeters into a loose inflorescence.
That's why lettuce shoots prematurely
If flowers develop prematurely, growth has been negatively impacted by stressors. If the planting distance in the bed is too small, the lettuce plants compete for light, so they shoot up early. If the soil is too dry, there is also a stressful situation. The plants try to produce seeds as quickly as possible before they die off due to the lack of water. The same applies to excessively high temperatures. More rarely, an insect attack on the roots can lead to bolting.
What you can do
Note the specified sowing dates, which vary depending on the variety. When planting lettuce, make sure to space it out so that the seedlings have enough space to grow undisturbed. Set vegetable salads on loose and deep soil that is not too heavy. Humus-rich and low-nitrogen substrates are optimal.
Choose the right varieties
A successful grow is more difficult during the summer months when day length is over 12 hours. There are now a number of so-called day-neutral varieties that are not based on the number of hours of light. They do not tend to shoot and are designed for summer culture.
Bolt-resistant lettuce varieties:
- 'Ovation': can be sown from February to August
- 'Lucinde': Sowing takes place from mid-March to the end of August
- 'Pirat': Seeds can be planted from April to June
- 'Brauner defiance': Direct sowing between April and June
harvesting lettuce
Usually the lettuce plants are completely cut off as soon as a strong and juicy head has formed. If you harvest sporadic leaves from the outside in and leave the heart intact, the plant will grow back steadily. Harvesting is possible until flowering. As soon as inflorescences appear, the plants store bitter substances in the leaf mass. The lettuce is still edible. Before preparation, remove the bitter stalks and check the toughness of the leaf tissue.
tips
Harvest the lettuce in the afternoon or evening, because the nitrate level is higher in the morning than later in the day.