Cultivation

Lettuce Sowing Time

Lactuca sativa L.

Planning lettuce sowing dates is critical to prevent premature bolting under high temperatures and to ensure continuous crop production.

In the reference 30 varieties crop Lettuce, where this is mentioned in the description.

When selecting sowing dates, the crop's high sensitivity to photoperiod and temperature regime must be considered. Temperatures above +25 °C and long day length trigger the transition to the flowering phase; therefore, the main growing season should occur during cooler periods or involve the selection of resistant cultivars. A key factor is seed thermodormancy, which limits sowing during hot periods without prior treatment.

Cultivation technology involves staggered sowing at 1–2 week intervals for a continuous supply of produce. Early spring sowing is possible immediately after the soil thaws due to the crop's cold hardiness, as it can withstand frosts down to –5...–6 °C. Summer cultivation requires shading, while in winter-spring protected cropping, sowing dates are strictly tied to solar radiation levels and the need for supplemental lighting.

The selection of the optimal sowing date also depends on the plant variety type. Leaf types are characterized by high plasticity, whereas head-forming varieties have a long growing period and require strict adherence to an optimum temperature of 12–18 °C to ensure marketable quality, which often necessitates the use of the transplanting method.

General information about the subject — on the page Sowing date.

Sources8

Varieties of Lettuce mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.