Lettuce is a herbaceous plant in the composite family, also known as leaf lettuce. Lettuce can be divided into three categories based on the growth status of its leaves: head lettuce, loose leaf lettuce, and leaf upright lettuce. Lettuce is called lettuce because it can be eaten raw. Lettuce has high nutritional value. The content of vitamin A, vitamin A1, vitamin B2, calcium, and iron is higher than that of some fruits and vegetables. Its leaves are crispy, sweet, and refreshing, often used by people in Europe and America to make delicious salads.
Lettuce is suitable for hydroponic cultivation. Its hydroponic cultivation cycle is short and its economic benefits are high; The yield is high-quality, and the yield of hydroponic lettuce is 1-3 times higher than that of soil cultivation. Hydroponic cultivation of lettuce in container farms is a common form of hydroponic cultivation, and many people also choose to hydroponic lettuce in greenhouses. Container farms and greenhouses are both planting modes of vertical farms, which efficiently utilize vertical space and effectively alleviate the problem of shortage of arable land resources.
Today we will introduce hydroponic lettuce cultivation in NFT system containers, which is a shallow liquid hydroponic cultivation technique. It uses an extremely thin nutrient film instead of a fixed bottom, which can temporarily suspend the plant roots in the subsurface flow. The advantage of NFT technology is that it allows the root system of plants to have a certain activity space in the liquid, which can effectively improve the growth and development of plants. It can also reduce wastewater discharge, provide plant irrigation, and control suitable plant environments.
Precautions for NFT system container hydroponic lettuce:
1. Seedling management. Soilless cultivation of lettuce seeds requires light for germination, and germination is inhibited in the dark. Avoid sowing too deep. The seedling cultivation method uses a seedling tray and vermiculite as the seedling substrate.
2. Planting and post planting management. The planting of hydroponic lettuce requires placing the cultivated seedlings into the planting holes. Usually, 2-3 true leaves are recommended for planting seedlings, and the maximum number should not exceed 4-5 true leaves. After planting, only nutrient management and temperature management are required, without the need for intercropping, weeding, or spraying.
3. Temperature management. When cultivating lettuce in water, it is important to pay attention to its habits. During the growth process of lettuce, 15-25 ℃ is the most suitable habitat, while a small temperature difference between day and night and low temperature at night contribute to high yield and quality. The temperature inside the container should not be too high or too low. If it is below 15 ℃, the growth will slow down, and if the temperature is above 30 ℃, it will cause poor growth.
Hydroponic lettuce has a short growth cycle, is labor-saving, and has good benefits. The growth cycle of lettuce is about 50 days, and it can be planted continuously in multiple crops. Moreover, the management is very simple, saving a lot of labor costs. The NFT system container can not only be used for hydroponic lettuce, but also for fruits and herbs. From this perspective, the NFT system container is an efficient vertical hydroponic planting farm.
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