Tips on Growing Lettuce!

I've stopped growing lettuce for the past few months because of the larger demand for herbs. To make way for those herbs, i had to put my "lettuce production" at a halt. Ofcourse, a solution to that would be to make a bigger system - but as many people say, hydroponics is not exactly the cheapest of hobbies. Sure, there are DIY versions, but the nutrients, the framework, etc. are costly. So, i focus on culinary herbs for the mean time.

But all the experience in growing lettuces are still in this brain of mine, and in today's entry, i will be sharing a few tips on growing them! Many of my customers, aside from those who buy herbs regularly, are also beginners to hydroponics or enthusiasts. Some have never heard of it before - and have started the wonderful hobby after a few conversations and purchasing the equipment and materials from me.

One of the most FAQs is: "What plant do you recommend me to grow first?" My answer to that is "LETTUCE!". On a commercial scale, i'll leave you to research and discover on your own, since i'm not here to build my own competition  haha.. But on a personal-consumption and hobby-like scale, I would highly recommend Lettuce to be your first partner when starting a hydroponic garden.

Before I go onto the tips, let's first answer, "Why lettuce?"
1) Fast Yields & Short Growth Time: If you're a beginner, i would assume you were like me when I first started, to have the thinnest patience line EVER! And when dealing with plants, it takes one to understand that one HAS TO BE patient. Lettuce is one the few plants that you can harvest within 30 to 40 days (maximum) hydroponically. If you're thinking, "That's too long!!", like how I first reacted when I began my research, you'll be surprised that in the Gardening-World, 30-40 days is considered a short time. The real test of patience begins when you start growing tomatoes, melons, and other sorts of vegatables which take 3-6months! So yes... one reason to "Why Lettuce?", you will see results!

What is the importance of this, aside from catering to one's thin line of patience? If you're starting a hydroponic garden, let's assume that isn't one of those hi-tech ones within a green house and airconditioning and such, just a simple outdoor hydroponic garden, the environmental variables within your area can affect your plants easily. Since lettuces grow fast, you can see results quickly! If there is anything that you need to adjust or change in your garden, perhaps location and such, you will be able to see it within the first harvest and not after months of waiting.

2) Lettuces are sensitive! Enough to drive you up the wall! I have to admit, that growing lettuces for the first time DID drive me up the wall. Out of all the plants that i've grown, they are the only plants that react to even the slightest changes. Heat, humidity, location, nutrients- you name it!

If this is so, then why recommend it as a beginner's first plant? As mentioned above in number (1), you will see results. From growing lettuces, you will know and understand what you have to do in order to produce good quality plants- what variables to control, what systems to apply - it may be adding a cover, or changing the water, or moving the system to a cooler place, etc.

3) Self- Sufficiency: Lettuces arent exactly expensive, but they arent cheap either. If you're looking at the Ice Berg Lettuce Variety, then it wouldnt be too expensive. But if you're looking at Romaine and Lolla Rossa types, then the prices at the grocery stores can be quite a pinch! At high end grocery stores like Rustans, Ayala or SM, they can go up to Php295 a kilo! Also, these varieties aren't always available. So why not grow them yourself?

4) It's nice to show off! This doesn't seem like a very reasonable reason to start growing lettuces, but from my experience, my lettuces were the reason why my customers ventured into hydroponics in the first place. hahaha. When they see lettuces, and realize that it is possible to grow it at home, it's like love at first sight. Compared to seeing my herbs and other experiments, the lettuces are the ones that really pull them over to trying the hobby out.

How would you like to have your friends or family come over to your house to see a beautiful batch of Lettuces growing in your garden?


Now that I've explained some basic reasons as to why lettuces should be considered as a beginner's first plant, I'll start with those tips!.


HEAT MANAGEMENT:
You've probably wondered if Lettuces can be grown in Cebu in the first place. With our weather, it would seem impossible. Lettuces are usually shipped from the colder provinces or grown in the mountains.

It is good to note: Lettuces don't like heat. A little over just a bit can cause the leaves to wilt or sulk. However, once the clock moves to the late afternoon, the plants revive themselves. So one would ask, "If they revive themselves, why do i have to manage the heat?"

Answer: IT WILL CAUSE THE PLANT TO GO BITTER! Aside from wilting or dying, turning bitter is something you really really want to keep from happening. No one wants to dig into a salad that tastes a whole lot more bitter than Bitter Gourd/Fruit (A.K.A Ampalaya). That's right!

If lettuces are exposed to too much heat, it will cause them to go bitter. So bitter that it isn't worth eating anymore.

Solutions:   "So how do I keep them from wilting and going bitter?"
1) Spray with ice water-- You will notice nowadays that from 10-3pm, the sun is intense. The way i manage the heat is by spraying the leaves of the lettuces with ice cold water. This cools them down and keeps them from wilting. Spraying them every other hour until the intensity of the sun goes down is enough.

2) Cover the Hydroponic System -- you will need to cover the system with either transparent plastic, thin cloth, mosquito net, or UV ray sheets to buffer the intensity of the sunlight. I'm quite a picky person when it comes to prices, so i went with the cheapest solution here -- i went to national book store, got a massive roll of plastic that i usually use to cover my college text books, and used that to cover the system. (this goes well with keeping the rain out as well).

***TAKE NOTE: If you've tried growing lettuces before in Cebu or in a hot climate and had them die or note grow at all after they've reached 3-5cm of height? Too much cheat can cause STUNTING. This is where the plant will no longer grow. As for lettuce, it may continue to live for 2 months, but stay at the same size for the entire time. You wouldn't want that.



SUFFICIENT SUNLIGHT:
Just like any other plant, lettuces need sunlight. It is an essential component in the making of chlorophyll.
My first experience with lettuces, i assumed that since they like cool environments, it would be best to keep them shaded. WRONG!

"What happens if the lettuces don't get enough sunlight?"
1) Pale leaves:Without chlorophyll, leaves will turn pale. This signals a malnourished lettuce.
2) In Search for sunlight: lettuces are known to look like big green flowers. They grow OUTWARDS. If they do not have sunlight, they will look for sunlight - they do this by growing very very long stems and move around to look for light.

You will eventually have snake-like lettuces with pale leaves as hair.

Below is a picture of my first try at lettuce - my first failure.

What meant to be Lolla Rossa (red) lettuce, ended up with a scrawnly plant, growing outside of the cup. It looked like it went to the parlor for a nice blonde hair dye, but ended up looking like a huge mistake. hahaha - Taken January, 2011.

SOLUTION: "So what do I do to ensure enough sunlight and not too much heat?"
If you've been reading carefully, i mentioned earlier to cover the overall system. Notice that the alternatives that I mentioned as a cover were all either transparent or some-what transparent? This is to allow the sunlight to seep in, as well as buffer the heat.

***TAKE NOTE: Lettuces need 4-6 hours of sunlight every day. The best times for this is 7-9am, and 3-6pm.

On my side, I have placed my system under my huge chestnut tree. Early in the morning, the sun rises and allows sunlight to hit the plants. As it goes to noon, the tree casts a shade over my plants as the sun moves. You may want to use this strategy when planning a location for your plants.

***ANOTHER NOTE: Seedling sprouts need sunlight too!
Many people believe that seedling sprouts need to be in the shade - since they're too young, they cannot live under hot and intense sunlight. This is partially true - however, they are still plants in the making, thus they need sunlight. What happens when they don't have sunlight? They too grow thin and long stems, in search for sunlight. THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING!!! Many may think, "oh, the longer it grows, the better, since it's growing bigger".

Seedling sprouts will grow long and tall without sunlight - since they do not have enough nutrients and energy to grow thick stems, their stems are weak. This will result into them falling over and dying. So keep them under partial sunlight, at least 2-3 hours a day will be enough.



HARVEST EARLY:
I made the mistake of thinking , 'The longer the plant grows, the bigger it'll get, and thus - the higher the value".

It is hard to think that plants have an expiration date. As for lettuces, look at them as if they DO have an expiration day. Their expiration day is 40 days. Growing them in the ground, however, may vary. But hydroponically, you MUST MUST MUST harvest them before 40 days.

"What happens if I dont harvest them sooner ?"
1) BITTER: Just like the instance with too much heat, old lettuces will grow bitter. Very bitter.
2) MILK-LIKE SAP: Have you ever tried cutting through a bark of a tree or a plant, and have a milky, sticky sap come out of the wound? Old lettuces will develop a similar reaction, but this time, it's not the stem of the plant that will create the sap. Bite into the leaves, and not only will you have a bitter treat, but the leaves itself will produce this sap. Anywhere on the plant that experiences a wound will produce this sap. Now, don't panic if you do happen to eat a lettuce during this phase; the sap isn't poisonous. It's just not as pleasant to eat.
3) BOLT INTO SEED: If you are growing lettuces to for consumption, then you don't want this to happen. Old lettuces will eventually grow upwards and flower. The flower will then produce seeds.
"How can you tell if they are bolting into seed?"  -- I mentioned earlier that lettuces are known to grown outwards. When the plant bolts into seed, it grows upwards, and produces smaller leaves. What you will end up with is a christmas tree - like image. The tip of that image where one would normally put the start at the top, will produce flowers.




And that ends this entry. It may have not been much, but these are my notes in growing lettuces. it sure did help me when growing mine. :)

Do take note that this is just for reference, and i'm not telling you to do every single thing mentioned here. I do this to enhance your gardening experience and perhaps, keep you from making similar mistakes as i have done. haha.. Remember, IT'S YOUR GARDEN! You tailor it to your preferences and yours only.


Happy gardening! 'Till next entry!



Ulyssa