Can lettuce be grown in winter?

Lettuce prefers a cool environment and is not cold-resistant or heat-resistant. The temperature is lower in winter. Therefore, when planting lettuce in winter, the temperature needs to be kept within a suitable range. It is best to plant it in a greenhouse or on a balcony. So can lettuce be grown in winter? Let’s take a look with the editor below.

1. Can lettuce be grown in winter?

Lettuce can be planted in winter, but it is sensitive to temperature changes and is not very cold-resistant. Therefore, when planting in winter, you should choose varieties with strong cold resistance. Lettuce prefers a cool environment and is neither cold-resistant nor heat-resistant. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 18-20℃. The germination rate is higher at 15-25°C. Therefore, when growing lettuce in winter, the temperature needs to be kept within a suitable range. It is best to grow it in a greenhouse or on a balcony to keep the temperature at 15-20 degrees, and not more than 25 degrees.

2. How to plant lettuce in winter

1. Variety selection

You should choose varieties with stronger cold resistance, such as "Selenium-rich" and "Huagai". Different varieties of lettuce have different tolerance to low temperatures. Some cold-resistant varieties such as "Winter" and "Hardy Green" can grow in lower temperatures.

2. Sowing time

Generally, sowing is carried out from mid-to-late November to late January, and the specific time depends on the local climate and greenhouse conditions.

3. Choose the soil

Lettuce grows best in loose, fertile and well-drained soil. After thinning, make it into a flat bed. Apply 100 kg of sifted high-quality manure and 0.5 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per 10 square meters, mix thoroughly and level the bed surface, water and sow seeds after the water seeps in.

4. Sowing method

You can use dry seeds for sowing or soak the seeds for germination before sowing. When sowing dry seeds, first mix the seeds with 75% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder equivalent to 0.3% of the seed weight, and then sow them on the seedbed, sowing 3-5 grams of seeds per square meter of seedbed. After sowing, cover with a layer of 3-5 mm thick fine soil. For soaking seeds for germination, first soak them in 20℃ warm water for 6-7 hours. After taking them out, wrap them in a cloth bag and place them at 20℃ for germination. Rinse them with clean water once a day and sow them after all the sprouts have come out after 2-3 days.

5. Seedling management

After sowing, attention should be paid to keeping warm, covering the film tightly, covering with straw at night, and keeping the indoor temperature at 20℃-25℃ to speed up germination. After the seedlings emerge from the soil, the daytime temperature drops to 12℃-20℃, and the nighttime temperature drops to 5℃-8℃.

6. Thinning and weeding

When the seedlings grow to two leaves and one bud, thin them out and keep a distance of 4-5 cm between them. At the same time, weed in time to prevent weeds from competing with lettuce for nutrients.

The above is an introduction to whether lettuce can be planted in winter. Lettuce grows fast and requires sufficient water and nutrients. When watering, be careful not to overwater, which can cause root rot. When applying fertilizer, be careful not to overdo it to avoid burning the seedlings.