Growing Guidelines

Sowing and Growing:

Cortese lettuce prefers well-draining soil and partial to full sun. Choose a site that receives at least 4-6 hours of sun per day.

Cortese lettuce is a semi-head lettuce variety, meaning that the leaves form a loose head. The leaves are large and dark green, with a slightly wavy margin. The heads are typically 10-12 inches in diameter and weigh 1-2 pounds. Cortese is a slow-bolting variety, meaning that it does not go to seed as quickly as some other lettuce varieties. This makes it ideal for both spring and fall production.

Seeding and growing

  Germinate directly in the soil (Open Field)

If you plant the seeds directly in the soil, you will need a stock of seeds of about 2 kg/acre.

• sowing depth: 1 cm
• sowing distance among the rows: 40 cm
• sowing distance on the row: 25 cm

1. Prepare the soil mixture and plant the seeds at a depth of 1 cm in the soil, where the seeds must be covered with soil for the success of the germination process (Mixture of 70% cocopeat – 10% vermiculite – 5% perlite – 15% plant compost is preferred. It can increase the proportion of compost to 30% when the plant grows and add an amount of organic fertilizer to the soil when planting lettuce so that the roots do better into the soil.
2. Spray the soil and seeds with water using a spray bottle or a spray bottle and cover them with a plastic box or a plastic bag to speed up the germination process, do not forget to make holes in the plastic box so that the seeds can breathe. Germination takes about 3 to 15 days.
3. Examine the seeds once every 3 days and make sure that the soil has sufficient moisture for the seeds until germination. After germination, the plastic bag is removed and the plant is placed in a sunny place, don’t forget to water them well.

Germination in seedling trays or small containers:

It is preferable to plant in this way to achieve the highest rates of growth and to provide the appropriate conditions for seed germination in a better way, and this also encourages the seeds to grow better.

• Prepare the soil mix and plant the seeds at a depth of 1 cm in the soil, where the seeds must be covered with soil for the success of the germination process (a mixture of 70% cocopeat – 10% vermiculite – 5% perlite – 15% plant compost is preferred). By adding an amount of organic fertilizer to the soil when planting Lettuce so that the roots grow better into the soil.
• Spray the soil and seeds with water using a sprayer and cover them with a plastic box or a plastic bag to speed up the germination process, do not forget to make holes in the plastic box so that the seeds can breathe. Germination takes about 3 to 15 days.
• Examine the seeds once every 3 days and make sure that the soil has sufficient moisture for the seeds until germination. After germination, the plastic bag is removed and the plant is placed in a sunny place, paying attention to watering well.
• After 4 leaves appear, so that there are 3 real leaves, the plant can be moved to larger containers so that there is more space for the seeds to grow and mature.

Growth stage:

It takes about 60 days for lettuce to reach maturity, and during this stage, lettuce needs some important factors affecting its growth.

Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that the soil is rich in various nutrients, such as vegetable compost.

Some Plant Needs:

• Type: Leafy Green
• Pot size: 15 – 35 cm
• Maturity Days: 15 cm: 25 cm
• Planting: Feb – April / Sep – Nov
• Planting Depth: 1cm
• Plant Distances: 15 – 30 cm
• Preferred Soil when Planting: 70% Cocopeat 10% Vermiculite 5% Perlite 15% Plant Compost
• Germination period: 5 – 10 Days
• Preferred Soil when Transplanting: 60% Cocopeat 7% Vermiculite 3% Perlite 30% Plant Compost
• Light: Full Sun – Part Shade. Most varieties require a minimum of 2-3 hours daily and for winter variety (1-2 hours)
• PH: 6.0 – 7.0
• Electrical Conductivity (EC): 0.8 – 1.2 Ms
• Total Dissolved Salts (TDS): 512 – 768 PPM
• Color: Green