Growing lettuce in a greenhouse - preparation, planting and care
Growing lettuce in a greenhouse is a very responsible procedure. After all, the level of growth and productivity of a given plant depends on it. In order to grow a luxurious salad with large leaves, you need to know some aspects of this procedure.
Content:
Preparing the soil for salad
Even an inexperienced gardener can grow a salad in a greenhouse even in winter. For this, it is necessary, first of all, to prepare the soil qualitatively. This plant loves soil, which is characterized by the presence of a large amount of organic matter. When choosing a soil, it must be borne in mind that it must have a slightly acidic or neutral reaction.
It is best to add fertilizer to the soil before planting the lettuce.
For this purpose, the most commonly used superphosphate and potassium chloride. If you do not have these fertilizers, then you can use lime, the action of which is aimed at eliminating excess acidity. Very often, compost is added to the soil when preparing the soil.
Introduction fertilizers into the soil is produced in the autumn. In the event that you did not manage to process the soil in the fall, then this action must be performed in the fall.
Features of planting lettuce
Tips for growing lettuce in a greenhouse:
- Lettuce, which belongs to the category of leafy varieties, is planted immediately into the ground.
- There should be a distance of at least 10 centimeters between the rows of this plant.
- One square meter of land requires half a kilogram seed this culture.
- Depth of disembarkation seed should not exceed an indicator of 1-2 centimeters.
- Lettuce is grown within one month. When growing this plant in winter, it is produced mulching soil. For this purpose, humus is most often used.
If you want to grow a head lettuce, you can use the method of planting seeds in the ground or pick... Planting of head lettuce must be done in the same way as other varieties. It should be borne in mind that the distance between the rows should be at least 25 centimeters.
If the planting of lettuce seeds was carried out directly into the ground, then after its germination, the rows are thinned out.
In order to ensure good growth and development of the plant, it is necessary to thin the crop at least twice. The first thinning is done when the lettuce has three leaves, and the second when the plant has five leaves.
Lettuce planting can also be made from seedlings:
- Growing seedlings can be carried out in wooden boxes or in plastic cups.
- It is necessary to plant the seeds of this plant in early spring. At the same time, the salad is provided with a temperature of 20 degrees.
- The seed is sealed to a depth of no more than one centimeter.
- They must be covered with foil or glass before the first shoots appear.
- Seeds are planted in the ground after 2-3 leaves appear on the plant.
There are two ways to plant a salad - seeds and seedlings. The choice of the disembarkation method is carried out depending on the wishes and requirements of the user.
Features of salad care
Caring for this plant is simple. First of all, he needs to ensure timely watering... Often this procedure is not worth it, as this can lead to decay of the plant roots. The frequency of watering is determined by the level of dryness of the soil. Watering lettuce is best done in the morning. The salad is watered between the rows so that the water does not get on the plants. When growing lettuce, it must be remembered that with a lack of moisture, its yield will significantly decrease.
To ensure good harvest this culture must be provided with an appropriate temperature.
This plant is able to fully grow and develop at a temperature of 18-20 degrees. At night, it is necessary to make sure that the temperature in the greenhouse gradually drops to 10-12 degrees. When caring for the plant, it is also necessary to fight against weeds... For this, periodical weeding of the row spacings of the greenhouse is carried out. This will allow not only to remove weeds, but also to fill the soil with oxygen, which will fully affect the growth and development of the plant.
When growing lettuce, it is also necessary to produce it. top dressing:
- For this purpose, urea is most often used, or potassium chloride and ammonium nitrate.
- Top dressing must first be diluted with water. The resulting mixture is used to water the plants.
- Top dressing is done during the growing season 1-2 times.
Lettuce is very sensitive to:
- Gray rot
- Slugs
- Aphids
- Snails
- White rot
At the first manifestations of this diseases it is imperative to combat them. In order to limit their appearance, it is necessary to maintain the correct temperature and humidity in the greenhouse. Also, when planting this plant, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the turnover of garden crops. Planting salad in the same greenhouse several times in a row is strictly prohibited. This can lead not only to the spread of pests and diseases, but also significantly reduce the yield.
In order to avoid the appearance of pests and diseases, it is necessary to loosen the soil in a timely manner and remove weeds.
Harvesting of this plant is carried out only after its leaves reach 8 centimeters. This plant is pulled out along with the root. The earth is shaken off from it and the lower leaves are removed. Harvesting of cabbage varieties is carried out by cutting them above the soil surface. The best time to harvest the salad is in the morning. This is due to the fact that during this period the plant retains a lot of freshness. Harvesting lettuce after watering is strictly prohibited. If the lettuce leaves are wet, they will rot very quickly. If this plant is grown in a greenhouse that is heated, then the first crop can be harvested in April.
Salad is an unpretentious dacha crop, the cultivation of which can be carried out even by inexperienced gardeners. This plant only requires compliance with the temperature regime, watering and weeding.
More information can be found in the video.