How to grow lettuce from seed: When we cook vegetables, we waste its nutrients. However, there are some vegetables that can be eaten fresh. Lettuce is one such vegetable, which is used as a salad with tomatoes, onions, and peppers. As a result, its nutrition is intact. Lettuce is quite nutritious and increases appetite. It contains 990 micrograms of carotene per 100 grams of leaves. In addition, it contains vitamin-B 0.22 mg, vitamin-C 10 mg, sugar 2.5 g, protein-2.1 g, fat 0.3 g, calcium 50 mg, and 24 mg of iron. There is a huge opportunity to cultivate lettuce in the yard of every house. This will meet the needs of your family. Also, you can get cash by selling as well.
Cultivation time
It is cultivated all year round in winter-prone countries.
Varieties of lettuce
There are different varieties of lettuce. Notable varieties are Big Boston, White Boston, Paris White, Grand Baptist, New York-515, Imperial-54, Simpson, King Crown, Queen Crown, Dark, Green, Great Lake, etc.
How to grow lettuce from seed
The land should be well prepared for cultivation. Seeds can be sown directly in these lands. Again, seedlings of suitable age (one-month-old) have to be sown in the seedbed and then planted in the mainland. In this case, the distance from the line to line should be 12 inches and the distance from seedling to seedling should be 8 inches. For this 4 grams of seed is required for each percent of the land. However, 20 grams of seed are required in the seedbed. Lettuce seeds are very small. So soil particles or ash should be used with seeds during sowing.
Fertilizer application
The amount of fertilizer required for each percent of land in lettuce cultivation is- 20 kg of dung 600 grams of mustard oil cake, 400 grams of urea, 100 grams of TSP, 100 grams of potash. Among these, cow dung should be applied at the beginning and then TSP and potash fertilizers have to be mixed well with the soil at the ending. However, urea should be divided into two equal parts and applied to the soil in two installments (10 days old and 20 days old of seedling).
Caring
The land should always be kept free from weeds to get the expected yield. It is necessary to irrigate the land if there is no enough moisture in the soil. In the same way, if water accumulates, drainage should be done immediately. As the plant grows, the soil has to be added at its base. If necessary, it is recommended the thinning out of the seedlings. These results, the plant will grow properly.
Pest management
Lettuce leaves can sometimes cause ‘umbrella’ disease. The symptoms of this disease are bending of the leaves and burning of the apex of the leaves. In that case, the affected plants must be destroyed. However, it is possible to get relief from this disease by sterilizing the seeds and soil. Among insects, aphids are very harmful to lettuce. They eat and suck the sap from the leaves of the plant.
Also, the secrets a type of fluid to come out of the insect’s anus, which sticks to the leaves and causes a type of black fungus called ‘sooty mold’. As a result, the photosynthesis of the affected part is disrupted. So they must be controlled at the right time. However, if the number of insects is less, it is better to kill it by hand. Appropriate pesticides can be applied in recommended doses if the infestation is high. In this case, vegetables should not be eaten within 15 days of spraying. For this reason, pesticides should not be used.
Harvesting
Lettuce leaves are suitable for consumption one month after planting. At that time it is better to pick the whole plant, but it can be used by collecting the required leaves from one of the plants in the house. Its average yield is 40 kg per percent of the land.
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Keyword: Step-By-Step How To Grow Lettuce From Seed