If your lettuce looks like this, four feet tall and looking more like a christmas tree than something you can eat, there is a good chance that it has bolted. The central stem or flower stalk has formed and shot up towards the sky before the outter leaved have fully developed. Bolted lettuce is bitter and not good to eat. Lettuce bolts for a couple of reasons, mostly because it is too hot. Lettuce will also bolt if it is not getting enough water or nutrients. I planted this bunch of lettuce during our july heat spell in an area next to the herb bed where I had not ammended the soil. I didn't fertilize the plants and I'm pretty sure the area wasn't getting adaquate water. Plants are usually able to adapt to conditions that are not perfect, but these conditions were ridiculous. I'll have some work to do before I plant anything else in there.
No comments:
Post a Comment