Lettuce Production

Pgina 1 de 6

LETTUCE PRODUCTION

The rockwool slabs (holding 7

by 14 plugs) are wetted with tap
water. The slabs were placed in
plastic trays for easy
transportation.

Using a small vacuum seeder,

the (naked) lettuce seeds are
sown in the rockwool slabs.
Little suction holes in the seeder
tray line up with small
indentations on the rock wool
slab.

Care is taken to make sure only

one seed is positioned over
each suction hole in the vacuum
seeder. This occurs just before
the vacuum is released after the
seeder tray is placed over the
rock wool slab.

http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~horteng/lettuce_production.htm

19-04-2016

Lettuce Production

Pgina 2 de 6

The plastic trays with rockwool

slabs are placed on ebb and
flood benches in the growth
room. The plastic trays are
covered with transparent covers
for the first three days after
sowing to maintain high humidity
levels.

The seedling trays are placed on

an ebb and flood table in the
growth room and bottom
irrigated. The nutrient solution
tank is located directly
underneath the bench. Some of
the seedling trays in this picture
are covered with transparent
covers to maintain high humidity
during germination.

Close-up of lettuce seedlings

growing in a rock wool slab.

http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~horteng/lettuce_production.htm

19-04-2016

Lettuce Production

Pgina 3 de 6

After 12 days, the seedlings are

taken out of the growth room,
transported to the greenhouse,
and transplanted onto
Styrofoam floaters (2 by 4
feet). Blue plastic rings hold the
individual seedling cubes in an
upright position. These rings
allow for bigger hole sizes in the
Styrofoam floaters, reducing
root damage during the
respacing operation.

Close up of seedlings on
StyrofoamTM floaters in the
greenhouse.

http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~horteng/lettuce_production.htm

19-04-2016

Lettuce Production

Pgina 4 de 6

The Styrofoam floaters (2 by 4

feet and holding 60 [6 by 10]
seedlings in a rectangular
spacing pattern) are placed on
top of the nutrient solution in one
of the four ponds.

After 10 days at the initial

greenhouse spacing, the plants
start to crowd each other and
they have to be respaced. In this
picture, a Styrofoam floater
with 60 plants is taken out of
one of the ponds.

The final plant spacing is 21 (3

by 7) plants on a 2 by 4 feet
Styrofoam floater in a
rectangular spacing pattern. In
this picture, the plants are
transferred from a floater with
the initial spacing density (7.5
plants/square foot) to a floater
with the final spacing density
(2.63 plants/square foot).

The plants remain at the final

spacing for another 14 days.
After a total of 36 days, the
plants are ready to be
harvested.

http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~horteng/lettuce_production.htm

19-04-2016

Lettuce Production

Pgina 5 de 6

At an age of 36 days after

seeding, the plants are ready to
be harvested. Each lettuce head
weighs at least 5 ounces (150
gram).

Harvesting 36-day old lettuce

plants.

After the lettuce are harvested,

the head is cut from the roots
and placed in a plastic bag.

http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~horteng/lettuce_production.htm

19-04-2016

Lettuce Production

Pgina 6 de 6

The freshly harvested lettuce

heads are placed in cardboard
boxes (three layers of eight
heads). The boxes are placed
on pallets (42 boxes per pallet)
and the pallets are placed in the
cold storage room (at kept at 33
38F) for at least 24 hours to
remove the so-called field heat.

Back to FH Greenhouse

http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~horteng/lettuce_production.htm

19-04-2016