One of the best known types of lettuce that can be consumed throughout the year is the wonder lettuce. Its scientific name is lactuca sativa. It can be consumed throughout the year thanks to the fact that there are some varieties of this lettuce known as 4-season wonder lettuce which is harvested during the months of December to March and the summer wonder lettuce that is available during the months from May to October.
In this article we are going to tell you what are the characteristics of wonder lettuce and what you should take into account for its cultivation.
Key features
The leaves of this type of lettuce form a fairly dense bud. The general shape of this vegetable is thick, large in size, curly and green in color.. This color becomes more intense as it reaches the extremes where it can finally be seen with a reddish coloration. Some of the varieties do not have to have this coloration on the ends of the leaves. However, it is one of the characteristics by which this type of lettuce can be differentiated from another.
The texture of the wonder lettuce is very crunchy. When this lettuce is chewed, the amount of water inside it can be noticed much more than in other lettuces. For this reason, it is considered one of the juiciest, sweetest lettuces, although it has a slightly astringent touch.
As with other varieties of lettuce, the major composition of this organism is water. In this case, we have 95% water in the entire product. Depending on the valid type of lettuce that we are treating, we can see that some have more nutrients than others. These nutritional values depend on the variety and the soil where they are grown. There is not a big difference between them since almost all offer the same benefits to the body. Perhaps, among all the lettuces, the iceberg is the one with the least nutritional value.
Properties of wonder lettuce
This type of lettuce is used to enrich and refresh some of our dishes. It has quite beneficial properties for the organism as it is a high content of folic acid, vitamin C and pro vitamin A. In addition, it has high levels of minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, iron, other amino acids, high fiber content, low carbohydrates and even some vegetable protein.
It is a lettuce that can be used regularly to make soups or hot dishes that contain lettuce. Normally, lettuce is a crop that is usually used raw to consume in salads so it had to be chopped roughly with the hands as if it were cut with a special knife for presentations that we have to do.
One of the important aspects in the culinary field is to color the dishes. This variety of lettuces, along with others such as oak leaf lettuce, have this characteristic of reddish appearance at the ends of the leaves. This aspect can help, not only to give an exquisite flavor, but also to beautify and give color to salads.
A mix of these more colorful lettuces is ideal for the tasting of a salad can offer different nuances in flavor. This is because each variety of lettuce offers a different texture, a point of sweetness and bitterness. If they are eaten together, our palate will have many nuances to savor. This will add a little more level to the dish other than beautify it.
Growing wonder lettuce
Requirements
If we want to plant wonder lettuce, we must know that it is not very resistant to low temperatures. Therefore, if we do not have a home greenhouse, the most favorable thing to plant is the summer season. We have already commented at the beginning of the article that there is a variety of this wonder lettuce known as summer wonder.
Before planting the lettuce we must prepare the ground. The first thing we have to do is level the ground, leveling it and avoiding possible unevenness where water can accumulate. We need a soil that has good drainage so that irrigation water does not accumulate. This lettuce not only does not withstand low temperatures but also does not tolerate waterlogging. Once we take into account the leveling of the land, we must make the furrows and then prepare the ridges.
The cultivation of wonder lettuce can be analyzed both in ridge and in plain. The important thing is that a distance between each lettuce of approximately 30 centimeters must be maintained. In addition, we must avoid slopes where water can accumulate at all times. It is advisable that the ridge be about 25 centimeters high to prevent the leaves from being in contact with moisture.
Irrigation
The growth of wonder lettuce in summer is quite fast. The first watering must be done at the time of planting. This is how we help the roots to strongly aggravate the soil. Thanks to this watering, the plant can take root in good condition. After the first watering, it is only necessary to water it once a week for the first 3 weeks.
The best system for watering wonder lettuce is drip. In this way it can be filtered in the earth and does not accumulate, avoiding the contact of the water with the leaf and the neck of the lettuce. It is a question of a frequent irrigation but with little quantity to avoid the superficial puddling of the soil.
Most of the nutrients are absorbed in the bud formation period. Excess nitrogen fertilization should be avoided.
Plagues and diseases
One of the pests that most affects lettuce is the trips. These types of pests can cause the leaf tan virus. It can also be affected by White fly and the miners.
As for the most common diseases of the leaf are the mildew and botrytis. The lettuce harvest should be done when the bud is completely closed the compacted. To do this, we must cut it at the base to eliminate the outer leaves. It is advisable to plant lettuce every 15 or 20 days to have it throughout the year.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about wonder lettuce.