How to grow Iceberg lettuce on the windowsill: care at home

Iceberg lettuce is used for preparing many vegetable dishes, serving the table or for filling well-known burgers.

Perhaps the most popular dish in which it comes in is Caesar salad.

So that you can always afford cooking delicious and healthy dishes with the participation of this plant, let's talk about growing Iceberg lettuce at home.

Soil mix for growing lettuce at home
Capacity Requirements
Seed preparation before planting
Scheme and depth of sowing of iceberg lettuce seeds
Conditions for germinating seeds
Care for iceberg lettuce at home
Harvesting lettuce

Soil mix for growing lettuce at home

Landing Iceberg lettuce on the windowsill, we begin with a selection of soil. When growing in open soil, a variety of fertilizers and humus are used, however, we do not need such top dressing and should not bother the plant once again, because it does not tolerate any interference with the root system.

Therefore, we go to the flower shop and buy fertile loose soil that has an acidity in the range of 6-7 pH (neutral or slightly acidic).Give preference to such a soil that has the highest fertility rates, since the salad needs a lot of nutrients to grow and develop. An alternative option is a mixture of biohumus and coconut fiber. Such a composition in all respects surpasses black soil and does not saturate the plant with unnecessary nitrates and other harmful substances. Preparing the mixture as follows: to create 1 kg of substrate, we take 350 g of biohumus and 650 g of coconut fiber, mix them carefully and leave them for some time.

Important! Buying ready-made soil in the store or from individuals, do not be lazy to warm it in the oven to disinfect. A mixture of biohumus and coconut fiber does not require heating.

Capacity Requirements

As we mentioned above, the head lettuce does not like being disturbed by its root system, and even more so removed from the ground.

That is why the pot must be selected on the basis of the maximum possible size of the plant so that it does not have to be replanted.

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This capacity should be wide, with a minimum volume of 1.5 liters. Choose a pot whose height will be 10-14 cm, so that the root system can develop normally.

If you are going to grow many plants in one pot, then pick up a pot of larger diameter, otherwise the salad will be very close.

Important! When buying a pot, push off the fact that drainage will be laid on the bottom of the vessel. Therefore, choose a pot with an optimal bottom diameter.

Seed preparation before planting

Continuing the topic of how to plant Iceberg lettuce, let's talk about preplant seed preparation. First of all, it is worth remembering that some varieties or hybrids are bred specifically for growing in pots. Therefore, preference is given to such seeds. If a similar seed cannot be found, buy seeds of early ripening varieties.

Now about preliminary preparation. Before sowing, you need to hold the seeds for about 15 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate, so that they sprout better and do not suffer fungal diseases.

If you use fertile soil or bio-humus mixture, then after soaking, we immediately sow.If you use a mixture of garden soil and store soil, then you will have to postpone the landing of the Iceberg and buy peat cubes, in which we will deepen the seeds and plant in the soil mixture.

Did you know? Salad got its name when the American company "Fresh Express" decided to carry greens across the country in cars with ice. People, seeing such a picture, shouted "The icebergs are coming". After that, the name stuck and everyone began to call the salad "Iceberg".

Scheme and depth of sowing of iceberg lettuce seeds

Growing lettuce on the windowsill requires adherence to the scheme and planting depth, which will be discussed further.

Regardless of whether you use peat cubes or not, the seeds are placed at a depth of 1-1.5 cm. We do not recommend burial them more than 2 cm, otherwise they may not have enough strength to overcome the soil layer.

There is no definite planting pattern, but we advise to retreat between the seeds of 2-3 cm, otherwise young plants will begin to interfere with each other. If you want to make a row planting, then we recommend between the rows to retreat 3-3.5 cm, and between the plants in the row to leave a gap of 2 cm.

Conditions for germinating seeds

After sowing the iceberg requires a certain microclimate. It is at this stage of cultivation that the slightest non-compliance with the instructions will lead to the death of germinated seeds.

Immediately after sowing, moisten the soil with warm, settled water and cover the pot with foil. Then we transfer it to a cool place where the temperature should not rise above +18 С. In such conditions, keep the pot for 2 days.

As soon as the first shoots appear, the film needs to be removed.

Important! If the temperature rises above +20 ° C until the first shoots appear, the plants may die.

Next, we raise the temperature to +20 ˚ С and leave it at the same level until the shoots reach a length of 8 cm (4 leaves should appear on them).

Care for iceberg lettuce at home

Now you know how to grow Iceberg lettuce on your window sill or balcony. Therefore, we will talk further about the proper care of the formed salad.

Immediately it is worth remembering that this is an annual plant, so after the formation of the arrow it must be disposed of. When real leaves grow on it, the plant needs to be sprayed daily with a spray bottle, increasing the humidity.For rapid growth, daylight hours should be at least 12 hours. In winter, it is possible to extend it with the help of additional lighting (it is better to use light bulbs that give light close to the sun; pure white light or with unnatural shades is not recommended).

Learn more about the cultivation of cress, savoy cabbage, romaine lettuce, arugula, lettuce, Chinese cabbage.

Pot soil should always be wet, but not too wet. For the rapid formation of the leaves of the plant requires a lot of moisture, and its absence leads to the exit in the arrow, after which the leaves grow coarser and become bitter.

Also do not forget to loosen the soil, so as not to form a crust. Do this carefully, otherwise you may damage the root system.

Did you know? 1 cup of Iceberg lettuce provides about 20% of the daily requirement of vitamin K, which strengthens the bones and prevents the formation of fractures.

Harvesting lettuce

Finishing the article, we will talk about how to cut a ripe Iceberg salad and when to do it.

You can cut a head of cabbage at the moment when its diameter will be about 8-10 cm. This should be done early in the morning so that the leaves are juicier.Breaking out the head is not recommended, it is better to use a sharp knife. After cutting, the plant must be quickly used or placed in a cold place with a temperature of not more than +1 ˚C (do not allow freezing, otherwise the salad will rot). In such conditions it can be stored for another week. I think everyone knows how useful the Iceberg lettuce is and how well it complements almost any dish. That is why after cutting the first head of cabbage, continue to care for the plant, and a few more small coaches will appear on it. If you are lucky, you will be able to harvest another crop of tasty leaves.