How to Grow Lettuce (Stem Lettuce) Seedlings? Latest Technical Method Tutorial

Stem lettuce is a common vegetable. What appears on our dining table is not only the stem lettuce stalks but also the stem lettuce leaves, both of which are very delicious foods. Before planting stem lettuce, it is generally necessary to raise seedlings first, so how are stem lettuce seedlings grown? How can the germination rate of stem lettuce be improved? How can stem lettuce seedlings be made to grow better? Below, let us learn the seedling-raising techniques for stem lettuce together.

1. Seedbed preparation

Stem lettuce can now be seen on the market all year round, which is to say that by using different cultivation techniques, we can now grow stem lettuce throughout the year. But with different cultivation techniques, the seedling-raising techniques are largely the same. Before sowing, we need to choose a suitable seedling-raising site and then prepare it. The seedling-raising site should preferably be close to a water source, with good soil permeability, good drainage, fertile soil and sufficient sunlight. When preparing the seedbed, we need to add plenty of farmyard manure to the soil, then mix the soil and fertilizer evenly, and finally mix in an appropriate amount of phosphate fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer. Level the seedbed and make drainage ditches, and then it is ready for sowing.

2. Seed treatment

There are now many varieties of stem lettuce, so we need to choose a suitable variety according to the location and the growing season. For example, Queen and Emperor from the United States, and Olympia from Japan, are all excellent varieties. If saving your own seed, the seeds should be sun-dried before sowing, which can play a sterilizing role. Next, if we want to increase the germination rate of the seeds, we can also carry out seed soaking, placing the seeds in water to soak for four or five hours, and then putting them in a suitable environment for sprouting. Generally after two or three days, basically all the seeds will show sprouting points, and then they can be sown.

3. Scientific sowing

Before sowing, water the seedbed once, then scatter a layer of fine soil, then evenly scatter the treated stem lettuce seeds on the seedbed, and finally cover with a layer of fine, slightly moist fine soil to cover the seeds. If the temperature is too low, you can also cover the top with a layer of plastic film, or straw or the like, which can play a role in keeping warm and retaining moisture. Under such conditions, seedlings generally emerge in four or five days, so we must also remove the covering in time so as not to affect the growth of the stem lettuce seedlings.

4. Seedling-stage management

After the stem lettuce seedlings emerge, we need to foster the growth of the seedlings and improve their resistance as much as possible during the seedling stage. After the seedlings emerge, we first need to clear the weeds from the field, then water appropriately, but during the seedling stage we generally water by spraying, so as not to affect the growth of the seedlings. Then, in order to promote the growth of the seedlings and transplant them as early as possible, we can also appropriately apply nitrogen fertilizer as a top dressing. Also, for some very weak seedlings, we can appropriately pull some out. Finally, we must do a good job of pest and disease control; there are also many pests and diseases during the seedling stage, so field management must not be relaxed.

Stem lettuce is generally grown by raising seedlings and then transplanting them, so today the editor has only shared with you a foundation of stem lettuce cultivation, namely the seedling-raising techniques for stem lettuce. If you want to learn the cultivation techniques for stem lettuce, or want to understand more growing information, you can follow us.