When it comes to harvesting lettuce, there are a few different methods you can use. One of the more popular methods of harvesting lettuce for the at home hydroponic gardener is the cut and come again method.
About The Cut And Come Again Method
Instead of harvesting the whole plant, larger leaves of the lettuce are harvested while the smaller leaves are allowed to grow longer. The process can be repeated several times to get multiple harvests out of the lettuce plant. Using the cut and come again method is often more efficient than growing from seed after each harvest. Another benefit to the cut and come again method is that it can reduce waste. If you allow your whole garden to grow the full amount of time and harvest all at once, you may not be able to eat it all before it spoils.
How Do You Know When Hydroponic Lettuce Is Ready For Harvest?
One of the great things about lettuce is you can harvest it when you want to. Whenever there’s enough leaf growth to supply the amount you need, you can harvest it. How many plants you have in your garden can be a factor. Harvesting a few smaller plants can equal the harvest of a single plant that has grown longer.
How Many Times Can You “Cut And Come Again”?
Using cut and come again you can get several harvests out of each plant. You can keep coming back until the plant starts to bolt, at that point the lettuce will begin tasting bitter.
How To Harvest Hydroponic Lettuce Using Cut And Come Again Method
This is a 2 x 3 ft flood and drain system I have set up in the corner of the garage. The lettuce had been growing for roughly a months time.
April 28, 2018 at 11:48 am
I have hydroponic lettuce growing and I’m curious how many times you can cut it before you should replant I’ve already cut it four times and it’s come back full growth each time.
Is there a point where I should just pull out the old roots and replant. So far the lettuce taste pretty good I’ve had no issue with the way it tastes, but is there any chance of there being any kind of fungus or viral things that I should worry about being that the root system gets pretty cluttered I’ve been using purified water and organic fertilizer in the water.
July 8, 2018 at 3:32 pm
You can keep harvesting your lettuce as long as it tastes good. There is not risk of fungus or virus by keeping the harvest going. As the lettuce gets later in it’s life cycle it will start to bolt and become bitter. When you notice the taste’s not meeting your liking it’s time to start new plants.