10 Best Lettuce Varieties for Hydroponics

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I hope you are doing well in your gardening field. Do you know about the lettuce crop? If yes, then you should know about the best varieties of lettuce to grow for hydroponics. What are some of the Best Lettuce Varieties for Hydroponics?

Lettuce is a great vegetable for the garden that has the ability to grow with good speed and can survive in low food as well. These plants are one of the top choices of gardeners for hydroponics.

Quick takeaways:

• Hydroponics is a type of technique of growing plants in which the plants are grown without the soil, by growing in an aqueous solution containing the nutrients. Hydroponics is similar to Aquaponics.
• This is a type of horticulture.
• The lettuce has varieties that grow faster and some at a normal pace while some have a bitter flavor and some with a nutty flavor giving a hint of butter.
• If you are a sandwich and burger person you might know that lettuce has colors like burgundy, pale green to regular green color.
• These plants are so easy to care for that they are often grown hydroponically.

Let’s look at the varieties of lettuce best for hydroponics. 

10 Best Lettuce Varieties for Hydroponics

1. Salad bowl lettuce 

One of the most ideal lettuces that you can grow in your home. Lettuce is a fast-growing and loose leaf type that needs 50 days to mature. The salad bowl can be grown in hydroponics really easily, even in a container or in the garden. The plant has a really good tolerance for heat. Most of the lettuce gets bitter in taste in high temperatures and heat. But salad bowl lettuce will not have a bitter taste in high temperatures. The plant has leaves in a rosette form, oak type, and can be harvested in a month. Though the plant gets fully mature in 50 days which reduces to 40 days if you are growing it hydroponically.

2. Parris island

Parris Island is A romaine type that needs 60 to 70 days to get mature. The leaves are dark green colored with white bottom or heart. The head looks a lot like a vase having huge heads about 30cm tall. The leaves are soft yet crunchy and full of flavor. The lettuce has good nutritional value and also doesn’t turn bitter that easily.

3. Buttercrunch

The buttercrunch is from the type of Butterhead that matures in 60 to 70 days, popular for the soft and butterfly leaves. The leaves of Buttercrunch have buttery flavors that have softness and crunch. The buttercrunch is popularly added to sandwiches and burgers. They make delicious kinds of pasta. The buttercrunch lettuce is grown in a tight rosette and has good heat tolerance. This lettuce needs to be eaten just after you have picked it fresh. The head is small and loose and might be the color purple in a few conditions.

For more such plant related-articles, you may also read, How to Make a DIY Jar Hydroponic Garden? (Easy Way)

4. Little Gem

The little gem is the dwarf variety of Romaine lettuce type. The lettuce matures 50 days after planting. Little Gem as the name indicates is really a gem that is little and cute. The leaves are full of flavor and can be grown in very little space. The flavor is sweet and the leaves are full of crunch, so ideal to be used in the roll, wraps, etc. These are literally loved by gourmets. 

5. Winter Density

The winter-density lettuce is from Romaine lettuce and takes 55 to 65 days to mature. The lettuce is known to tolerate heat and even cold as it can grow in winter. 

6. Deer Tongue 

A loose-leaf variety, deer tongue lettuce needs 50 days to mature. The deer tongue lettuce is an heirloom bibb type that has a mild flavor with crunchy ribs and gives a buttery sense to our tongue. The leaves are narrow and tongue-shaped. They are also perfect to grow in small-sized farms and hydroponic gardens. 

7. Bronze guard 

The bronze guard lettuce is of type oak leaf variety and the plant takes 70 days to mature. The leaves are tender, juicy, and bronzed colored full of green color. The leaves have a bit of bitter flavor making it ideal to bring a unique flavor to the salads. 

8. Arugula 

One of the popular lettuce, arugula lettuce belongs to the Brassica group, and another popular name is called rocket. This lettuce is very closely linked to mustard and is popularly used in salads. The leaves have a hint of spiciness and savory flavor with a slight tart flavor in them. 

9. Webb’s wonderful 

Webb’s wonderful lettuce belongs to type Iceberg and needs 65 to 70 days to get mature. The leaves have an almost similar flavor to buttercrunch, mostly used in making tacos. This lettuce has a good heat tolerance and produces crunchy buttery leaves. 

10. Dynamite 

The dynamite is a star in butterhead crop varieties that need 70 days to mature. Full of sweet flavor, good crunch, and high blight resistance make them a good option for hydroponics. 

Harvesting hydroponic lettuce 

Do you know how to harvest hydroponic lettuce? If you know about it then it’s great but if not, then you should know about it. Harvesting is a simple exercise to do but when you add re-growing with it then it becomes a tricky task, especially from the same root system. The same is the scenario with the lettuce plant.

Most of the growers will remove the full plant and then they will sell them but some of the growers will use the plant and then they will cut above the root after disposing of the root system. At the time of harvesting, you may dispose of some leaves.

Does Lettuce Grow Well In Hydroponics?

Yes is the answer. Lettuce will grow well in hydroponics. All the varieties of this crop will grow amazingly in the hydroponic systems. How lettuce grows great without soil it is with the help of the ideal conditions provided to identify the iconic systems that help the plants to grow at their best.

The systems Are best known for the production of high crop yields that require less maintenance and resources as compared to other crops. Therefore, it is best to use hydroponic systems as compared to traditional systems. 

How Long Is Hydroponic Lettuce Good For?

As you know, hydroponic letters are best known for their long-lasting effects as compared to that of market lettuce. It is because in hydroponics it is easier to minimize the time it takes for plants to go from the forest to your plate.

Lettuce will last longer in your fridge and will taste fresh. It will even contain a good amount of nutrients. If the period between harvest and consumption for the plants is more the quality of the plant becomes less.

Why Is My Hydroponic Lettuce Dying?

You need to know why is your hydroponic lettuce dying. There might be some of the problems that are being faced by this crop. so you should know about those signs and causes that are ruining your plant. They are as follows:

• You will observe wilted leaves in the plant which shows that the plant is not receiving enough calcium for its growth.
• After observing limp leaves in the plant, you should come to know that it is not receiving a good amount of water, and sunlight, or it is suffering from fungal infection.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Lettuce?

Some of the health benefits of lettuce are explained beautifully in the below points. they are as follows:

• It is one of the good sources of fiber that is required by the plant. 
• Also, it is a good source of potassium and folate.
• It will help you keep your hydrated all along.
• It even helps in improving the digestion of a person.
• If you’re looking for weight loss, then it will help you in doing so.
• It has all the nutrients that are required for maintaining good health.
• It will help in lowering the cholesterol level of a person.
• It is rich in vitamins A, C, and E which are good sources of antioxidants.

Final thoughts on the context

In this article, we have put in front the 10 best lettuce varieties that you can grow in hydroponics. The lettuce plants are added to the indoor garden as they are highly delicious and healthy, plus you can make yummy salads, wraps, and tacos anytime you want.

The lettuce plants need a good amount of watering, so make sure you moisturize the soil and do not keep the soil wet for long but just moist. We hope you like the information in this article. Do let us know. We are happy to help you guys. Happy growing up! 

Thanks for reading! Happy Gardening!

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