QUESTION : Why is my lettuce growing so marvellous ? Can I still glean the leaf ? -Tina R

ANSWER : lolly plants that suddenly start stretching toward the sky and grow extra tall are potential to be bolt . In the absquatulate microscope stage , a flora block focus so much on producing foliage and starts to turn its attention toward reproduction , sending out a efflorescence stalk that will finally dry to give up ejaculate . When yourlettuce bolts , the efflorescence chaff imbibe energy and nutrients forth from the dinero leaves , make them more vitriolic and reducing their caliber the longer the stalk remains on the plant . However , the leaves of decamp lettuce are edible .

When your moolah absquatulate , you have three paths to choose between . you may draw up the plant and reseed a novel batch of lettuce , snip off the flowering stalk and keep the flora in your garden , or you may leave the heyday stalk where it is and wait for the plant to produce seed so you may accumulate them after the flowers flower . From the time decamp begins , it take six to eight weeks for come to maturate .

tall lettuce plants bolting

It ’s unacceptable to keep your cabbage from bolting because bolt is a necessary part of the plant ’s growing cycle . But there are some things you’re able to do to stave bolting off as long as potential . Whenever potential , choose diverseness of lettuce that are tiresome to gobble . Keep your plants as cool as you could — some specter help keep lettuce tidy and slows down decamp . Trimming off the unfolding stalk as soon as it appears aid to slow the summons down . And when you glean your lettuce , do it the right way . For guide varieties , utilize clean-living , desexualise shear to veer the top two third base of the flora off . When harvest other type of lettuce , take the outer , lower leaf first and work your path up the plant . Always leave at least a third of the works behind so it has some foliage to continue its growth . For more information on delaying the bolting appendage , refer to our articlePreventing Bolted Lettuce .

harvesting lettuce seeds

tall lettuce with text overlay bolting lettuce why are lettuce plants getting tall