Secrets of the successful cultivation of iceberg lettuce at the dacha

Iceberg lettuce looks like white cabbagetherefore it is easy to confuse them. The taste of a vegetable resembles a leaf lettuce, but differs in a crunch, which is not at all characteristic of the latter. Because of its neutral taste, Iceberg lettuce goes well with other products.

What is useful iceberg salad? He took the highest stage in cooking as an excellent ingredient for a variety of salads due to its beneficial properties. It is best to eat the Iceberg in its raw form, because during heat treatment it loses more than half of the vitamins.

Such a storehouse of vitamins can be grown independently. We will tell about when and how to properly plant and grow Iceberg lettuce on seedlings and in the garden.

The choice of location: soil and lighting

To grow Iceberg lettuce in the open field, you need to choose the right soil. Fertilized areas with drainage, as well as all the necessary mineral supplements, are best suited. The soil should be moderately wet, without high acidity.

And Iceberg lettuce loves the sun, so choose a well-lit place, without drafts.

Seed preparation before planting

Each seed consists of a supply of nutrients and the embryo, which are under a dense skin. The larger the seed, the more nutrients it contains.

To seedlings were friendly, and the disease is extremely rare, the seeds need to be sorted by size. Deformed, damaged specimens are immediately discarded.

To accelerate the seedlings in more than two times, they need to wet. Thus, the essential oils that inhibit germination are washed out with water and in the end nothing hinders the growth of the seed.

Experienced gardeners soak the seeds in warm water - 18-22 ° C, which is saturated with oxygen or air using a compressor. This technique is called bubbling. This process accelerates the emergence of seedlings and disinfects the seeds.It stops when germinates from 2 to 5% of seeds. The duration of the bubbling of lettuce seeds is 10-12 days.

Another way for quick seed shoot - germination. The most convenient way to do this is in sawdust. In shallow boxes we place sawdust scalded with boiling water with a layer of 5 cm, with a cloth on top of the bed. Pour wet seeds over the cloth and cover with a cloth again, and sprinkle with sawdust on top. Leave the seeds in this form until they give white shoots with a length of 1 mm.

Iceberg lettuce planting

With early planting an important aspect is hardening lettuce.

If you use a seedling of a two-week period, which grew in another region, you need to leave it to adapt and plant only three days later. It is recommended to fertilize the soil well before planting.

Usually Iceberg lettuce is planted according to the scheme 30 x 40 or 40 x 40.

Growing through seedlings

It is best to use coated seeds. They are comfortable when sowing and germinate well. Seeds should be placed in extruded peat cubes and do not fall asleep.For the first landing period, you will need five-centimeter cubes, and in the future - four-centimeter.

Tanks with seedlings put for germination in a place where the temperature is 16-17 ° C. The maximum germination time is two days. In the future, the ideal temperature for seedlings is 15-25 ° C.

The age of the seedlings is also an important factor that affects the timing of planting. In the first two stages, plants that have reached 8-9 weeks of age are planted. If the air temperature increases, then younger seedlings (three weeks) will do.

Sowing seeds in open ground

Before growing Iceberg lettuce in the open field you need to prepare pits 5 mm in diameter. It is better to sow seeds at different times, so that the harvest is from early spring to mid-summer. When the seedlings grow a little, spread them out from each other at a distance of 7.5 cm. Plants should be thinned periodically, watered regularly and loosen the ground.

Care and cultivation of lettuce Iceberg

In order for your vegetable to grow tasty and healthy, you must first become familiar with the technology of growing lettuce Iceberg.

Shelter

Early planted seedlings are covered with perforated film or agrofibre. For the earliest landing dates, it is recommended to make a double cover: the first layer of agrofibre, and the second - of the perforated film (500-700 holes per 1 meter). Two weeks later, the film is removed, and 10 days before the start of the collection, the entire shelter is removed.

In the early stages of the plant cover immediately after landing in the ground. Water the salad on top of the cloth that serves as a cover.

If the site is under the slope, then after planting the seedlings must first be watered, and only then covered.

Be sure to monitor the temperature in the shelter, if it is above 25 ° C, then the material must be removed. Too high temperature in the shelter will have a negative impact on the formation of heads. Covering material is removed not later than in a month, but the main factor for making this decision is the weather.

It is best to remove shelter when it is dull and quiet outside. Direct sunlight can immediately burn lettuce leaves.

Due to the high risk of infection with downy mildew under shelter, plantings should be regularly inspected.

Top dressing

For good growth requires special fertilizer for salad.

Nitrogen preparations should be added in two stages. Fill the first part of the fertilizer into the soil immediately before planting, and the remainder when the head is formed. In order to make the salad crispy, it necessarily needs supplements that contain magnesium, potassium, calcium, nitrogen and phosphorus.

All trace elements are added to the soil in a balanced manner. Magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and potassium are applied to the soil along with complex or mono-fertilizers during the entire growth of lettuce. Calcium soil can be enriched in the fall.

Regular watering

For the cultivation of a good crop of lettuce need regular watering. When the heads begin to form, the frequency of watering should be reduced by a factor of two so that the plants do not rot. In order to avoid leaf necrosis in the heat, it is advisable to water the salad at night.

Weeding and soil loosening

To loosen the soil should be 3-4 weeks after planting. This procedure will help get rid of weeds and remove the crust in the upper layer of the soil. Even loosening provides sufficient air flow to the roots.

Harvesting lettuce

Harvesting lettuce is best in the early morning. For processing plant folded in large boxes.Head out with a knife and remove two outer sheets from it. Then it is advisable to immediately put the salad in the cellar or refrigerator. The best temperature for the safety of this vegetable is + 1 ° C.