Like every living thing, lettuce has to ensure its reproduction. This happens in the course of the so-called bolting, during which the lettuce grows in height and finally blooms.
When the days get longer and warmer, you can literally watch the plants in the garden grow. Unfortunately, it also often means that the lettuce plants are acting strangely. The plump head, which was just beautiful, lengthens and the lettuce suddenly grows taller. In this article we will answer what this is all about and whether you can prevent the premature shooting of lettuce. We also clarify whether you can still eat a lettuce that has been shot.
Why is lettuce shooting?
First of all, lettuce bolting is a natural part of its development cycle. After germination, vegetative growth follows first. This is mainly about the formation of plant mass. So the lettuce leaves grow on the compressed shoot axis, which leads, for example, to the formation of the head of lettuce. Like most plants, lettuce propagates from seeds. Therefore, at some point it goes from the vegetative to the generative phase, which is used for reproduction. In the case of lettuce, the shoot axis stretches and grows taller. Eventually the lettuce flowers and completes its development with seed production.
For the transition to the generative phase, plants need certain stimuli. Many lettuces are optional long-day plants. They start shooting automatically when the days are longer than 14 hours. Others recognize that it is time for flowering by the right temperature. However, it can also happen that the flowering of lettuce occurs prematurely. The reason for this is usually that the lettuce plant was under stress, for example it was exposed to heat, cold or drought. A pest infestation or disease can also cause lettuce to shoot prematurely.
Tip: Among the salads there are suitable ones for every season. Iceberg lettuce (cornucopia, Batavia) grows well almost all year round, only midsummer leaves themshot. They even tolerate one or the other frost, which is why they are the first lettuce in the bed. However, in summer the two can no longer be grown well as they start to flower before head formation in long-day conditions. From May onwards, romaine lettuce plants (Lactuca s. var. longif.webpolia) or lettuce (Lactuca s will migrate) var. crispa) into the bed. These tolerate the high temperatures in summer. For example, endive and chicory lettuce (Cichorium) and winter lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata nidus jaggeri are suitable for autumn cultivation. ). You can also find out more about this in our guide to planting lettuce.
Can the shooting be prevented?
Every lettuce will shoot at some point, as flowering is part of the natural development of lettuce plants. This means that if you leave lettuce in the bed for too long, shooting is inevitable. However, there are major cultivar differences in timing and propensity to shoot early. Premature flowering of lettuce due to stressors can be prevented by trying to avoid them as much as possible. We have put together some tips for you below.
Prevent lettuce from shooting:
- Salad should only be sown or planted in the time windows specified for the variety.
- Pay attention to the right location. For example, the floor should not be too heavy. If this is the case, it makes sense to mix it with our Plantura lawn sand and loosen it up. In light soils, it is advisable to mix in some potting soil - such as our Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soil - before planting. Among other things, this improves water retention.
- If the plants are spaced correctly, there is no crowding in the bed and the plants do not have to compete for light, water and nutrients.
- Water lettuce regularly to avoid drought stress.
- If lettuce is planted in late spring or summer, it should be planted in partial shade. Even extreme heat stresses the plants and can cause lettuce to shoot.
- In the greenhouse, lettuce often shoots due to the very high temperatures that prevail there in summer. Pay attention herepay particular attention to heat-tolerant varieties and ventilate the greenhouse regularly.
- Even poor conditions during young plant propagation can cause lettuce to shoot early. Therefore, you should rely on high-quality lettuce plants from the gardener you trust and pay attention to a continuous supply of water and nutrients during pre-cultivation. Also, don't put the plants in the bed too late.
Can you still eat lettuce?
In principle, lettuce is still edible and non-toxic, but the leaves often become tough and bitter during the shooting, so that they no longer taste good. The plant stores bitter substances in order to become less appetizing for predators. So just do a taste test before using the salad. Usually some leaves are already bitter, while other leaves of the flowering lettuce are still edible and tasty. Shooting lettuce and flowering lamb's lettuce are also edible. However, the above applies: Try it first before deciding whether you can still use the lettuce or not.
Tip: If lettuce has been shot and can no longer be used in the kitchen, you can always leave it on the bed and harvest the seeds after flowering. However, if you take seeds from fast-shooting or very small heads of lettuce, there is a high probability that these properties will also be present in the coming generation of plants. The seeds of a prematurely sprouting lettuce also tend to quickly form a flower instead of a stately head of lettuce. Therefore, the most beautiful and largest heads should actually be allowed to blossom. If you just leave the lettuce plants to their own devices, they can even self-seed. Then you can be surprised next year when young lettuce plants start to sprout in your garden.
Choice of varieties is a crucial factor in preventing lettuce from shooting. But even apart from this property, it is worth bringing a bit of variety into the bed. We have put together recommended lettuce varieties of almost all types in one article for you.