What causes stem splitting in celtuce

Celtuce is an annual or biennial crop, grown on a large scale in various parts of China. It is crisp and tasty, and can be used in cold dishes, stir-fries and more. It aids digestion and helps sober you up. It is a fairly common vegetable. But during cultivation, celtuce often develops split stems, so what causes the splitting? Let's take a look.

1. Variety issue

After finding split stems, the first thing to consider is whether the variety itself is prone to splitting. This is because experimental survey results have found that different varieties differ in their resistance to stem splitting. For example, purple-leaf varieties with purple leaves have higher yields, but they split their stems more easily, while conversely, green-leaf varieties have lower yields, but the occurrence of stem splitting is also reduced.

2. Uneven fertilizer and water 

During planting and care, if the fertilizer and water supply for celtuce is uneven, alternating between dry and waterlogged, and if water is insufficient in the early stage of stem swelling, the stem's skin will harden. Then, upon noticing the lack of water, many growers immediately water heavily, and the flesh inside the stem begins to expand, but because the skin has hardened, it grows more slowly. It cannot keep up with the growth rate of the flesh, causing the stem to split. Secondly, if the soil lacks boron and the number of crop rotations is low, celtuce will also split its stem. This is because a boron deficiency lowers the vitamin C content in celtuce and reduces the plant's resistance, causing the celtuce stem to split.

3. Unsuitable temperature

Celtuce is a vegetable that likes cool conditions and fears heat. When the flesh is forming inside the stem, 20 degrees during the day is the most suitable temperature, and around 14 degrees at night. But when planted in spring, because the temperature is too low, low-temperature weather persists too long while the celtuce is swelling. The growth and development of the stem is hindered, but then the temperature suddenly rises, and just like when the temperature drops during drought, the flesh inside the stem grows rapidly, while the skin's growth rate cannot keep up with the flesh's growth rate, so it cannot bear it and stem splitting occurs.

4. Improper management

Many growers apply large amounts of fertilizer in pursuit of high and abundant yields, but if fertilizer is applied excessively or the farmyard manure applied is not fully decomposed, and too much nitrogen fertilizer is applied, it will cause soil compaction and salinization, and so on, which will make celtuce split its stem. Also, excessive or too-late watering, large amounts of continuous cropping, delayed harvesting, and a whole series of other management problems will all cause celtuce to split its stem.

The above four are the basic causes of stem splitting in celtuce, because the growth rates of the celtuce skin and flesh are inconsistent, with the flesh faster than the skin. So in daily care you must pay attention to this point and must not apply excessive fertilizer. As long as you pay attention to the problems I mentioned, you can basically greatly reduce the occurrence of stem splitting in celtuce.