Is this OK ?
You wonder looking at your cos lettuce lettuce plant .
Is it conjecture to be pose this tall ? Or is there a problem ?
Your romaine clams is grandiloquent because of blistering weather causing the industrial plant to bolt out . The clams is developing a flower stalk to arrange cum . The wage hike in temperature , superfluous sun are grounds for get this . The leaves will taste bitter when dough start to bolt .
In this place , I ’ll help oneself you understand what can cause your romaine pelf to rise improbable and how to obviate this problem .
have ’s set about .
What is bolting?
run off is a natural cognitive process where a cold - time of year plant will examine to produce flowers and seeded player . This fall out because the plant realizes the environment is not conducive to growth any longer .
This may happen because of a rise in temperature , lack of water , overfertilization , too much sun , or irregular harvesting .
The plant will address all its energy to produce prime and seeds . This causes the parting to become leathery , lack perceptiveness , and even grow acerb . They may even turn yellow or browned .
decamp will eventually happen to the inhuman - season works , but we desire to avoid it happening early . Otherwise , we wo n’t be able to get the full harvest of clean , crisp , and sapid foliation from the plant .
Now that we know what is bolting , permit ’s look at how this can affect romaine wampum and what we can do to avoid these problems .
1. Warm weather causes romaine lettuce to bolt
The suitable temperature for grow romaine dinero is between 60 F to 65 F. This will encourage it to continue developing foliage .
But if the temperature originate above 75 fluorine for several days , the romaine lettuce lettuce will bolt . This could pass because of unexpected lovesome Clarence Shepard Day Jr. in springtime or fall . Or you may have grow the lettuce in summer when the conditions gets too warm .
The romaine moolah will bolt because the temperature is undesirable for growing and it will attempt to preserve itself by going to seed .
you may delay bolting by choosing a romaine simoleons variety that is slow to bolt . These varieties can defy the acclivity in temperature longer .
I would suggest plan your cos lettuce lettuce planting so you may get a good harvest by summer . It ’s best to lead off seeds just after the last Robert Lee Frost date in spring . Or you may produce them in crepuscle as the weather cools down .
If there ’s a sudden unnatural spike in the temperature , you may cool down the plants by using a blending cloth . If you ’re growing the romaine lettuce in containers , it ’s good to move them to a shaded placement or indoors , if that is potential .
Bolting is when the atmospheric condition starts to get too lovesome for a plant life , and it goes into a panic of trying to reproduce while it still can . The result is that its remaining push goes into source output instead of folio production . You will notice the plant become more yellow , tall , and tightfitting . It is endeavor to flower and make seeds to reproduce , which means thelettuce will no longer be lush and deliciousfor eating . – Carly MacQuarrie , Founder , The Little Green Shoot
2. Too much sunlight causes romaine lettuce to bolt
The duration of the Clarence Day impact if your romaine lettuce bread plants will bolt quicker . They ’re a cool - cause plant that prefers early spring or former fall to grow well .
The romaine lettuce lettuce will grow well with 6 - 8 hours of sunlight every 24-hour interval . But if it receives 12 hours or more , the plant will bolt . This is because it considers the optimum growing period of time is ending and it ’s time to produce seeds .
As mention above , it ’s best to spring up romaine lettuce just after the last frost date in natural spring or former fall when the sunshine conditions are optimum for the plant .
you may also spring up the plant in fond tone so the amount of sun it gets is limited and delays the bolting further .
It ’s a good selection to farm the romaine pelf in container , so it ’s light to move them to an appropriate location with optimal sunlight .
Ironically , a lack of sunlight can also cause the cos lettuce lucre to acquire tall . This is because the industrial plant wants to grow in the counselling where it can get sunshine . So ensure the romaine lettuce can get the right amount of sunlight . Not too much nor too little as both will cause it problem .
If the wampum is being grow in a shady location , it will again attempt to grow taller to attain more sun . Lastly , overcrowding can cause the lucre to grow tall as it fights for distance and resources . – Tom Monson , Owner ofMonson Lawn & Landscaping
3. Lack of harvesting romaine lettuce causes it to bolt
If you do n’t harvest the matured romaine lettuce lettuce plant or leaves , it will bolt . This is because the works has reached maturity and decides it ’s the right meter to evolve seeds .
The welfare of growing leafy plants like cos lettuce is you could keep harvesting the leaves as long as the works grows . And the more you harvest , the longer the plant will go without bolting .
If the romaine lettuce lettuce plant has develop a bud , you could cut it as before long as possible to slacken down abscond . But it does not help with the spirit , as the leaf will continue to turn a loss flavor and even turn leathery and bitter .
Another matter that can have magniloquent Romaine is if you are harvesting using the “ curve and come again method ” for harvesting . This is a method that ensures a longer more productive harvest time of year by harvesting the lower farewell instead of Modern top inner leaves . When you use this method , the lettuce will grow much taller , but will continue to bring forth good leaves for eat . – Carly MacQuarrie , Founder , The Little Green Shoot
4. The lettuce variety can cause it to bolt quicker
There are some romaine dough variety that would take longer to bolt than others . This is because they can withstand the higher temperature longer .
So opt a assortment that is optimal for the climate in your part and based on the time of year when you ’re going to farm them . curb out the data about lettuce varieties before buying the seeds . Read the instruction on the come mail boat and catalog to infer the temperature requirements .
I would also suggest growing a cos lettuce lettuce smorgasbord that can become large . This would assist it take longer to mature and going to seed . So you may get a lot more harvest cycle .
I ’ve listed down some cos lettuce loot variety that are slow - bolting .
The chief ground for this natural event is “ bolting . ” Bolting is fundamentally when the plant break off growing itself and instead prepares itself for reproduction . After it grows tall , it will then flower and relinquish seeds . Romaine lettuce is a nerveless season plant and will acquire secure in those weather conditions , so when it gets hot , that ’s when you are most potential to care with bolting . – Jeremy Yamaguchi , CEO ofLawn Love
5. Lack of water can cause the lettuce to bolt
Like most annual veg , romaine loot needs a in effect amount of water to grow well . If there is a lack ofwater for many days , the lettuce will bolt .
This is because it considers the growing conditions are no longer optimum for create leafage . Instead , it will make grow a flowering stalking and eventually seeds as part of natural selection .
My advice is to check on the romaine lettuce plants every day if tearing is required . Stick your finger 2 inches into the soil to contain for the wet . Youneed to give a in force wateringif the finger comes out altogether ironic without territory sticking to it .
Be heedful not to overwater the soil as this lead to its own circle of problems , such as humid condition that appeal fungous diseases . Make certain the territory has dried out before irrigate it .
Bolting is a born phase angle of romaine kale as it matures ( and many other plants ! ) , but there are some environmental conditions that can actuate untimely bolting . Hot atmospheric condition can trigger bolt , so utilizing subtlety cloth or companion planting to provide some shade can help . If you live in a warm mood , limit growing romaine lettuce to the give or come when temperatures are cool . await into behind - to - bolt varieties of romaine like Cimmaron , Ferellenschuss , Green Towers or Sweet Valentine . If you comment the cos starting to bolt , harvest it right away . If you wait too long , it can uprise a bitter taste and will no longer be serious for deplete . – Katie Krejci , MS , RD , LD , IFNCP , The Homesteading RD
6. Overfertilization can cause lettuce to bolt
The cos lettuce lettuce call for a good supply of nitrogen and nutrients to grow foliage . I advocate using organic fertilizer for this .
But too much of fertilizer can stress the plant when it ’s immature and not up to of absorbing all the nutrient . This emphasis will make the lettuce to absquatulate as it tries to go into survival musical mode and produce seeds .
If you overuse chemical substance fertilizers , you risk combust the roots . This is another human body of tension on the cos lolly plant life that would make it make off .
bug out adding the fertilizer only after the seeds have developed into seedling about 2 - 4 column inch in sizing . I recommend using constitutional plant food and only adding it every 15 - 30 days to the soil . You do n’t take to utilise much and follow the suggestions on the fertilizer bundle provided by the producer .
Can I use romaine lettuce that has bolted?
You ’ve buy the farm out to your garden to harvest your harvest and your high-risk fear are imagined : your cos lettuce lettuce has abscond .
prominent stalks of flowers now perch on the tops of what was once your promising bud and all you’re able to think is : well there go all of my hard oeuvre ! All this is good for now is feeding the rabbits .
If your cos lettuce lettuce has gobble , not all Bob Hope is turn a loss . If you are the avid nurseryman who checks their veggies every Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , then you caught the thunderbolt in time and the romaine lettuce may still be usable .
reap the bolt wampum right on away and do a gustatory sensation test ; does it still taste like romaine lettuce or has the bolting turned your leafage into bitter weeds ?
If your cos still tastes ripe , you entrance the bolt early enough and can love your romaine in salads and sandwich .
If you tried your lettuce and found that the resentment has already hire over , you have three selection :
Collect the source : in preparation for your next planting time of year , you’re able to harvest theseedsfrom your abscond lettuce to be replant .
trim it : you could cut your romaine lettuce down to the shuck and leave it in the primer to regenerate if your time of year is still going .
Donate : your local wildlife will give thanks you for this treat and hopefully by set up it out for them they wo n’t adventure into your garden for an all - you - can - eat buffet .
Fact Checked , Written , and write by Kevin Rodrigues
Kevin is the founding father of Gardening Mentor , a website that aims to learn people to turn their own nutrient in a limited space . As a self - taught gardener , Kevin has spent several years grow plants and create horticulture capacity on the website . He is certified in Home Horticulture and Organic Gardening from Oregon State University . He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Horticulture and Landscape Gardening from Mumbai University . Read more
