Planting and Harvesting : Lettuce is a healthy salad and vegetable that keeps our health strong and maintains it at all times. In order to inform you about growing lettuce from seeds, we have created this blog.
Especially in this era of covid, living a healthy life is everyone’s need. Among the things we do to accomplish this is eating healthy food. The key to a healthy life is eating healthy food. Let’s get started right away.
What is Organic Lettuce?
In the Asteraceae family, lettuces are leafy, self-pollinating annuals that are native to the Mediterranean region. A two-month flowering period can be expected from this indeterminate plant. The world consumes a lot of organic lettuce.
Different types of lettuce ( Varieties of lettuce)
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Loose-leaf (Red and Green Leaf) – This type of lettuce has a delicate taste.
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Cos or Romaine – This type of lettuce is a classic Greek salad with a sweet and crunchy taste.
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Crisp head or Head lettuce – This type of lettuce has a crisp texture and mild taste. It is white on the inside.
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Butter head – This type of lettuce has large green leaves which are sweet and soft.
Process & Cultivation of Organic Lettuce Farming
What is the best way to harvest lettuce? The following are step-by-step instructions on how to cultivate organic lettuce in India:
1. Cultivating organic lettuce: requirements
Make a list of the soil, conditions, and plant spacing requirements before you start organic lettuce cultivation. High productivity and high income are the results of good soil, suitable weather conditions, and exact plant spacing.
- Lettuce Cultivation Requirements in Organic Soils
To grow well, lettuce also needs a great, loose, rich soil. Fertilized soil or decayed excrement-altered soil. In order to keep these shallow-established veggies happy, soils rich in natural or organic matter hold moisture better. Organic lettuce thrives in warm climates, regular rainfall, and sandy soil. Rake the soil smooth before planting.
A raised bed, a mixture of manure and compost, or a container for lettuce planting are all alternatives if you have poor soil in your farming field. At least four inches of depth should be provided in the container.
- Spacing of lettuce plants
The lettuce leaf is directly seeded and planted on 40-inch beds using a four-bed precision planter. Between late December and mid-August, organic lettuce was planted.
2. The process of planting lettuce
planting lettuce - Planting indoors begins
The best time to plant lettuce is late December. Plant lettuce seeds in a container or small area (such as a greenhouse). It is important to keep the soil cool, below 21°C. Put them in a bright window or begin them under lights to make sure they get plenty of sunlight.
- Plant outside now
Start seeding lettuce outdoors when the soil is quite cool, lettuce won’t germinate in hot soil (over 80°). Seed can be sown in rows and blocks using tractors and farm equipment.
- Plants for transplant
Lettuce farming can be improved by transplanting. Plants can be purchased and transplanted indoors for this purpose. Dig a deeper hole and place the Lettuce plant in it. To settle the soil and remove air pockets, water them properly.
3. Growing Lettuce
Water, fertilization, mulching, and pest control are also essential for growing lettuce in India. For high production, you must follow these steps.
- Water
A proper irrigation system and moisture are essential for the growth of organic lettuce. Almost 95% of lettuce’s water needs come from shallow roots. Dry soil will not support it.
In the top three to four inches of soil, lettuce roots reside. In hot and dry weather, it needs to be watered frequently.
- Fertilization
Soil quality is maintained by fertilization, resulting in good production. You may not need to fertilize if your soil is rich in organic matter. You can keep your lettuce plant growing well by fertilizing it with nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Natural fertilizers or compost such as fish emulsion are excellent for lettuces. Half the recommended dose of fish emulsion should be used. Diluted fish emulsion should be applied directly to dirt. Make sure you wash your lettuce incredibly well before eating it and use it as a foliar feed.
- Mulching
Keeping soil moist and cool is one of the functions of mulching. In addition to stopping the dryness, wind, and hot sun from penetrating the soil, mulch also protects the soil from insects. Rain and wind erosion are prevented by the mulch layer.
Make sure you leave some space around the lettuce to prevent rot, and use organic mulches such as straw, wood chips, leaves, and grass around the lettuce. Keep the lettuce clean by preventing soil from sprinkling upon the leaves by adding mulch to keep the soil from retaining moisture, keeping the soil cool, and reducing weeding.
- Pests
Slugs are the biggest enemy of lettuce farming, and only a few diseases and pests affect lettuce farming. Establishing a saucer of beer that controls or traps these pests. Lettuce is heavily affected by aphids. These pests can be removed with a water blast from a hose.
Lettuce is plagued by cutworms. If lettuce seedlings were recently planted, a collar made of thick paper or cardboard would be ideal to secure against them.
4. Harvesting Lettuce
Organic lettuce can be harvested in two ways. There are two types of harvesting: hand and tractor. Plants should be harvested by hand when planted indoors.
If you are planting indoors, cut the heads or pull them out by their roots with a pruning knife. To cut lettuce leaves for outdoor planting, use tractors with farm equipment.
Benefits of Lettuce
- Lettuce is a low-calorie content and zeroes fat vegetable which is a good source of vitamins and minerals.
- It helps in weight loss and reduces anxiety.
- Lettuce protects neuronal cells and keeps the heart healthy and contains omega-3 fatty acids.
- Lettuce helps in sleep disorders with insomnia.
- The vegetable has good antioxidant properties, and it prevents cancer cell growth.
- Lettuce reduces blood cholesterol levels, and it is good for diabetic patients.
Which Country Produces Most Organic Lettuce ?
Organic lettuce is primarily produced and consumed in Europe and the United States. There are 91,000 hectares of organic lettuce farming in the USA, of which 60,000 hectares are in California, and 80,000 hectares in Europe. The areas of lettuce grow in southeastern Australia, Japan, China, Israel, northern Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, India, and Peru in addition to these countries.
Lettuce Local Names List in India
- Salad Ke Patte – Hindi
- Lettuce Keerai – Tamil
- Uvarcheera / Uluva Cheera – Malayalam
- Lettuce Koora -Telugu
- A Lettuce Soppu – Kannada
- Lettuce – Bengali
- A Lettuce – Gujarati
- Saladchi Paane – Marathi
- Lettuce – Odia
A guide to lettuce cultivation from seedlings and growing lettuce from seedlings. We hope you enjoy reading this blog. Stay tuned with us or visit Aarug Agro for the latest updates.
