romain lettuce is very tall

by Angela
(Ashland MA)

Our romain lettuce is about 3 1/2ft tall. Leafy (no head of lettuce forming, does it form on the end of the stalk?) I've been using it for salads etc. Now need to get stakes it is so heavy. What do you think is going on. Oh yeah and alot of grass has grown in under my irrigation system covered with plastic. Looking forward to an answer.

Comments for romain lettuce is very tall

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Aug 20, 2010
 Romain
by: Anonymous

Hello, from Indiana.
I have grown several different types of this lettuce and the only time it gets this high is if it has already passed through it's regular growth stage. Mine don't form a head. Instead we cut the leaves off at the base with a razor knife or a pair of scissors not too close to the base and the plant will usually grow some more new leaves in a week or so. Does yours seem to grow back new growth how ever you have been harvesting it? Maybe the heat has caused it to bolt going towards producing seed heads only. The first year I grew a variety, which I cannot recall the the name, it got pretty tall, maybe two feet itwas really nice, but it all grew from a base. But not seeing these you have it is hard to judge well. Over crowing amidst tall and closely growing plants can cause plants to get spindley and malformed. I am not sure if this adds anything to your hoped for answer.
But enjoy its taste and rejoice in the fact that you have a green thumb after all.
Apr 13, 2011
 Bolting lettuce
by: Kathy

Lettuce is a cool-weather crop. Once it gets warm, the lettuce will put up a tall flowering stalk, bloom, and set seed. Generally, once this process begins, it's best to pull up the lettuce, because it usually develops a very bitter taste. I live in Wyoming, generally I plant lettuce seeds in the garden around the end of March. Even though we have some snows and frost after this time, the lettuce is able to weather the cold and produces beautifully until the beginning of July, which is when our really hot weather (what little we have of it) starts. I'll then plant more lettuce seeds about the end of July, for a fall/winter crop.

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