HOW TO GROW LETTUCE FOR FUN AND PROFIT

Lettuce is a perennial favorite in the kitchen as a salad dish or as vegetable in lumpia and other dishes.

The versatility of lettuce has captured the imagination of housewives, thus the great demand for it. But the supply of lettuce is limited, and this is how you can grow lettuce to earn you some extra income and supply your kitchen needs of chemical free and fresh vegetables.

Although lettuce grow in cool and high places, it yields to green thumbs and proper management. By following the right cultural practices, lettuce can be grown anytime of the year and anywhere in your backyard or any vacant space in your home.

4 types of lettuce grown locally

Of the four types of lettuce (head, leaf, romaine, and asparagus) only head and leaf types are the ones in demand. The head type forms a head-like cabbage while the leaf develops only loose leaves.

Lettuce adapts well to any kind of soil, from clay loam to sandy loam types, which can’t be said of any other vegetable. However, it is ideal to plant lettuce on fertile loam soil with plenty of organic mater. If your soil is poor, fertilize it by adding animal manure or compost.

If you want to plant lettuce during the warm months, you must plant them on heavy soil, since heavy soil have better moisture retention and thus are cooler. During the cool season, it is best to grow lettuce on light soils. Clay soil, though hard to work on, produces an excellent crop.

Last reminder, is to plant lettuce on soil that is well-drained and holds just enough water. To be safe from water logging, make a raised beds or plots to have a good drainage.

Best Climate for lettuce

Lettuce thrives best where the soil and air are moderately cool. The head and leaf types differ somewhat in their temperature needs. Ordinarily, the head type is best grown during the cool months (October-February, Philippine condition). But it can be grown during other months with proper care or planted in green house.

When grown in season, the head type lettuce develops a large and heavy head but not always so when grown off-season.

The leaf type, grows more successfully all year round. However, it develops better if grown during the cool months when the rain is moderate and the soil holds just enough water.

Preparing the land for planting

Preparing the land for lettuce can be done either by the plot or by the bed-and-furrow system. If you’re growing lettuce on a small scale and your drainage is poor, you can  use the plot system.

Otherwise, use the bed-and-furrow system. Whichever practice you follow, however, you must prepare the soil properly.

Preparing the plot.

When lettuce is to be grown  on raised plots, cultivate and pulverize the soil properly. Make each plot 80 cm wide and 10 cm high. Level each plot thoroughly and break all the big clods on the surfaces. It’s difficult to do good seeding on cloddy soil.

Preparing the beds and furrows.

Plow the soil and harrow the land several times until the soil particles become fine. Make the furrows and beds with the plow at an interval of 60 cm between furrows.

You have to make your furrows in an East-West orientation. This is to provide the plants equal distribution of sunlight during its growing stage.

You may choose to make either one or two rows on a bed. If you decide on double rows, provide 45 cm space between rows and plant the seedlings alternately (triangular fashion), not directly opposite each other.

In bed-and-furrow system, it’s easy to irrigate and drain since it’s raised. Also, the space between the rows gives the plants plenty of air and room for you to move about when tending the plants.

Plant Nutrition

Lettuce is a poor food absorber because of its small root system. It can only use the nutrients within the reaches of its roots.

Thus, it’s practical for you to supply the surface soil with adequate food nutrients. Before planting, you have to mix manure or compost combined with commercial fertilizer in the plots.

This method should be followed through up to the growing period.

Application of the basal fertilizer is done at the rate of one handful compost and one tablespoon of complete fertilizer (12-12-12 or 12-24-12) per hill. Cover the fertilizer with soil before planting.

Drench with Urea or Ammonium Sulfate every week during its growing period at the rate of 75 gm/16 L of water- first week, 150 gm/16 L water- 2^nd week, and 225 gm/16 L water- 3^rd week).

Planting Method

You can plant lettuce in two ways:  direct seeding and transplanting methods. Direct seeding is usually practiced when you’re raising lettuce on a large scale production while transplanting method is practical to use in a small scale raising.

Steps in direct methods.

• Sow 5 to 10 seeds per hill at a distance of 25 X 30 cm apart.

• Or drill the seeds thinly in the furrow.

• Cover the seeds with fine soil to insure germination.

• Water the seeds after sowing if the weather is dry.

• As soon as the seedlings are 3 cm high or have developed 2 pairs of leaves each, thin them to 25 – 30 cm apart in the row, leaving only one plant in a hill.

• Don’t delay the thinning as overcrowding will give you thin and weak plants.

• You may transplant seedlings thinned or removed in the thinning to other beds or plots although they may not turn out as good as the plants left on the hill.

Note: You’ll need about 400 grams of seeds to plant a hectare.

Steps in transplanting method

• Sow one seed each  on the hole of the germinating tray one month before transplanting.

• If you raised the seedling in a seedbed or seed box transfer them to the field when they are 5 to 8 cm tall at a distance of 25 to 30 cm apart.

• See to it that the soil is kept intact in the roots when pulling the seedlings and transferring to the field.

• Water the plants immediately after transplanting if the weather is warm and dry.

Plant Management

Water Management

Water the plant as often as necessary especially where it does not rain regularly. Moisture is all important to lettuce for growth. During the dry season, water them twice a week and weekly as the plants grow older. When the plants overcrowd, thin them as suggested earlier.

Mulching

Installing plastic mulch to your plots gives some benefits and reduces additional cost in weeding which eats-up your maintenance in your garden.

Advantages of plastic mulch.

• Controls weeds growth.
• Retains soil moisture
• Prevents soil erosion
• Prevents soil leaching
• Provides soil aeration
• Insect repellant
• Prevents or limit the possible virus attack or infection.

Steps in Plastic Mulch Installation

• Excavate both ends portion of the plot with the use of a shovel or spade.
• Lay the end portion of the plastic mulch and cover with the excavated soil.
• Compact the soil by stepping it on to hold the plastic mulch in place.
• Insert a straight pole inside the plastic mulch just enough that 2 person can hold at both ends.
• With two people holding both end of the plastic mulch gradually lay on top to cover up to the plot end.
• Reserve one meter allowance before reaching the plot end.
• Stretch the plastic mulch to reach the plot end  extending up to the excavated portion.
• Cover with the excavated soil similar to the other plot end.
• Cut the plastic mulch at the end of the covered portion.
• Fasten both sides of the plastic mulch with a 6 inches tie wire or bamboo slots at two feet distance between fastener.
• Fasten in a diagonal position covering up to the plot end.
• Make holes on the plastic mulch in a triangle fashion using an empty sharp-edge big sardines can or tin can with heated charcoal.  A string is also laid to make the holes straight.
• The distance of the holes will vary according to the desired distant of planting for specific crop.

Pest and Disease Control

Management and control of Insect pests

Some common insect pests of lettuce are: Aphids, flea beetle, cabbage moth and grasshopper. These pests can be controlled by mechanical, cultural, physical methods, and chemical as the last recourse.

Controlling by mechanical, cultural and physical methods

Pest control of these methods can be executed by the following procedures:

• Use of resistant varieties. You have to select varieties that resists the pests. Purchase the seeds only from reliable source.
• Sanitation. The field should be clean from any waste materials, especially cut grasses or existing grasses which may host some destructive pests.
• Crop rotation. You have to practice crop rotation in your gardening activities. This method, reduces the accumulation of pests in the area because  every crop has its specific pests. Rotating your crops would minimize pests infestation.
• Crop diversification. Crop diversification is the planting of different crops in one place. This method is advantageous to you since if one crop is infested, you still have another plants to recover your looses.
• Weed control. Weed control and sanitation have the same purpose but differs in its function. When your field is free from weeds the occurrence of pests infestation would be lean.
• Proper timing of planting (Synchronize). You have to plant lettuce in its proper season of cropping. Though you can plant off-season when the needs so required, proper timing is necessary to avoid pest attack.
• Use of attractants. Attractants are hormones with chemicals placed within the plants population that attracts pests. Once the pests are attracted to the chemicals they are poisoned.
• Use of aromatic herbs and insect repellants.
• Smudging.
• Use of plastic mulch.
• Traps. Cut G.I. sheets 1 x 2 ft wide paint with yellow color place in between the rows and varnish with used oil or any paste to attract pests
• Baits.
• Use of physical barriers.
• Had picking.
• Wider spacing.

Controlling by the use of botanical pesticides

• Atis.
• Chrysanthemum. Powdered dry flower measure 4 tablespoon mix with 1 gallon water, soap powder and crushed hot pepper ad spray directly to aphids, red ants, and bugs.
• Cucumber.
• Derris root (Tubli)
• Tuba-tuba (Jathropa)
• Lagundi.
• Lanzones.
• Makahiya.
• Neem seeds.
• Papaya.
• Tobacco.
• Herba Maria.
• Lubigan.
• Sangig.
• Sudo-sudo.
• Red Pepper.
• Aromatic herbs.
• Soap + kerosene + water spray.
• Panyawan.
• Takyubong.flower.
• Herba Buena de Amo.
• Tigao.
• White flower leaves (cook as decoction)
• Acapulco (Sunting)

Controlling Diseases of Lettuce

The most destructive diseases that infest lettuce and causes serious damage are the following:

• Lettuce drop.
• Bottom rot.
• Gray mold rot.
• Brown light. Downy mildew. Cercospora leaf spot.

Most of these diseases are hard to control and some can’t be controlled at all. The only remedy to control the attack of these diseases are:

• Avoid having your plants under water.
• Check the growth of weeds as soon as they appear.
• Avoid hurting the plants as you go about tending them.
• Control insect pests promptly.
• Practice crop rotation. Change your crop every other cropping season.

Harvesting and Packing

The time to harvest lettuce depends upon the type and variety and purpose in raising them.

It’s best to wait and harvest lettuce of any type grown fro market purposes when they are fully developed. A fully developed head type produces a head-like cabbage while the leaf type develops numerous broad leaves.

Harvest lettuce for market in the afternoon. Cut the plant at the base with a sharp knife. After harvesting, leave the plants in the open at night and pack them early the next morning.

Trim to remove the dirty and diseased leaves before packing to enhance the market value of your product.

If it’s only for home use, you may harvest when the plant is large enough for use. The common practice, however, is to thin the plots at different times, removing the largest ones for use and leaving the small ones to develop. This practice insures your table with a continuous supply for a long time.

For Your Supply of Seeds

If you intend to have your own supply of seeds, you can produce them right in your garden. You need not to buy seed for your next planting if you’ll raise your own stock.

All you have to do is select the plants in your existing plant population and stake the best plants. Take care of them until they mature and develops seed stalks.

It takes from 3 ½ to 4 months from planting for the seeds to mature. Gather the pods when they are almost dry.

Choose only the healthiest seeds from the plots. Spread out the seeds on a winnower or any wide open instrument, and dry them under the sun or in warm place.

Storing the Seeds

Put the seeds and add a small amount of 50% DDT powder in a bottle and shake. Then put the seeds in paper envelops.

Store the seed envelops in covered jar. But first, fill one-fourth of the jar with dry crashed wood charcoal or ashes. Put a cardboard floor just above the charcoal or ashes.

Then lay the seed envelops on top of it. Close the jar tightly, label it and store in the coolest place possible. Seeds stored in this method at room temperature will keep for a year or more.

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, and also get lots of tips, tools, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com