With a scientific name of Lactuca Sativa, buttercrunch lettuce is a perfect type of lettuce to make salads with because its leaves are dark green in color and thicker than any other variant of lettuce, and secondly, because of that wonderful crisp texture in your mouth every bite .
This variety of lettuce is referred to as a loose-leafed one, and people love it because harvesting buttercrunch lettuce is just a piece of cake.
Planting Lettuce Indoors Through Hydroponics
For someone who was living in a city or urban community, it used to be difficult to find a place with good soil for planting crops, but no one can stop a heart with a great passion for planting.
With the latest advancement in technology, growing healthy and good quality crops is now within your reach. So, if you want to grow some plants in spite of the lack of space, you can try planting indoors!
Hydroponics is defined as an art of growing plants without soil, which means that your plants will grow in an aquatic based environment.
So, how does the plant grow without soil? You will use a mineral nutrient solution to feed your plants in the water. Lots of hydroponic system types are available in the marketplace that suit different plants.
For buttercrunch lettuce, water culture, specifically deep water culture, is the best type of hydroponic system for a lettuce plant. It is even called “raft lettuce system.”
How Does Water Culture Work?
This water culture works when a Styrofoam raft is placed in a shallow pan of nutrient solution (water and the mineral nutrient solution) where the raft should float.
Net pots are where the roots will grow right through up to the solution pan. as shown in the figure, the air pump will keep the nutrient solution well aerated. It is the one that delivers the oxygen to the roots of the lettuce.
How To Harvest Buttercrunch Lettuce In 2 Ways
A variety of lettuce can be grown, and then harvested quickly. Harvesting buttercrunch lettuce comes in 2 ways: with roots and without roots.Normally, a hydroponic buttercrunch lettuce is ready for harvest after 35 days from the day you started to grow the seed.
The freshly harvested lettuce is good enough for making healthy salads and sandwiches.
If it is produced commercially, it is advised to harvest the lettuce together with its roots, but if the buttercrunch lettuce is harvested for home use, it is better to harvest the leaves slowly and one at a time, and leave out the roots so that it can continue to grow.
How To Harvest Buttercrunch Lettuce With Roots
- 1.Clean Your Working Space
Stay away from bacteria and germs, as well as pests and insects. Keep in mind the sanitation of your working area. Always wash your hands before and after, especially if you are growing lettuce in your outdoor garden.
- 2. Prepare A Clean Container
This is where you put the buttercrunch lettuce leaves you will harvest.
- 3. Spray Water Gradually
Spray some water on the leaves before removing the plant from the soil. Keep on spraying occasionally while holding the lettuce’s leaves.
- 4. Slowly Withdraw The Lettuce Plant
Remove the plant from its nutrient solution. Let all the nutrient solution drain and place the plant in your prepared container. The lettuce that retains its roots will not rot for up to three weeks.
How To Harvest Buttercrunch Lettuce Without Roots
- 1. Clean The Surrounding Area Of The Lettuce
Whether you are harvesting the lettuce with or without the roots, you must follow suit this step. Always wash your hands before and after.
- 2. Prepare A Container
I suggest you choose an airtight transparent plastic container that you can easily store up in your fridge.
Since you are harvesting the lettuce without the roots, it might rot more quickly than the one with the roots. The transparent container will help keep the lettuce’s freshness and crunchiness.
- 3. Mist Before Harvest
If you are planning to harvest the plant early in the morning, make sure to mist the lettuce with fresh water hours before doing the harvest. Only pursue the harvest when the leaves are well hydrated.
- 4. Use A Scissor Or Knife
Before using any scissor or knife to cut out the leaves, make sure that you clean the tool thoroughly.
- 5. Start Cutting The Leaves
Cut the leaves, starting with the outermost leaves and then go for the inner ones. Make sure not to cut the central leaves. Just leave it because it will continue growing. Be careful not to bruise the remaining leaves.
Other Tips On How To Harvest Buttercrunch Lettuce
- 1. Look For Firm Heads
For a better taste, it is best to harvest buttercrunch lettuces with firm heads. You can have a sense of the firmness of the head by feeling it in your palm, but make sure that it is not too mature.
- 2. Cut The Leaves One By One
Cut one leave at a time using a knife. To avoid bruising the center leaves, I suggest you cut the leaves individually. This will not only leave your lettuce healthy enough to grow back, but it will also give you a crisp and clean cut lettuce.
- 3. Cut The Leaves Before The Flowers Bloom
After cutting the inner leaves, wait for the new batch of buttercrunch leaves and slowly cut them just right before the lettuce flowers bloom. This is because letting the flowers bloom will make the leaves taste bitter, which you don’t want in your salads.
- 4. Harvest Time
How to harvest buttercrunch lettuce without losing its crunchiness? The best time to harvest a buttercrunch lettuce is during the morning just right before the sun rises.
Don’t let the leaves be exposed to the sun before harvesting because this will make the leaves dry and lose its crunchiness .
- 5. Refrigerate
Put the freshly cut leaves in a plastic container or zip lock bag. Remember to use loose plastic, and you can store them for a maximum time of two weeks.
Conclusion
Planting requires patience and also a lot of time, especially if you are growing temperature-sensitive crops like lettuce.
However, if you have the passion and heart for gardening, how to harvest buttercrunch lettuce will surely be fun. There will always be ways on how to grow plants even without soil and even without a wide outdoor garden. You can always do it indoors, soilless, and controlled.
Hopefully, this content has given you some essential tips on how to harvest buttercrunch lettuce both with roots and without roots. Let me know if you’ve tried some of the tips above by commenting below!
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