Do you want to transplant lettuce plant seedlings, but don’t know when the best time is to?
Transplanting lettuce plants is not as easy as it seems.
Here’s why:
- New lettuce plants must be consistenly watered, receive at least 8 hours of sunlight a day, & be kept at a temperature of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit both inside and in a garden.
So if you don’t consistently water them they will quickly wilt. If temperatures consistently fall below 70 degrees Fahrenheit they won’t grow and may even die. And if they don’t receive at least 8 hours of sunlight the plant itself won’t grow.
- Because Illinois’ growing season is not long enough, you have to start your lettuce plants indoors and then move them into a garden.
Because of this, I’m going to teach you the ideal time to transplant lettuce seedlings:
- To Learn More About HOW to Grow Lettuce, Check Out This GUIDE!
When to Transplant Lettuce
There are two different times you’ll need to transplant lettuce plants.
First, you should transplant your lettuce plants from a peat pot to a larger (5 gallon) gardening container once your lettuce plants get between 3 – 5 inches tall. This will take approximately 6 to 8 weeks after you first plant your lettuce seeds.
The second time you should transplant your lettuce plant is when you move it from indoors to your outdoor garden. You should transplant your lettuce plant into a traditional garden or raised garden 10 – 14 days after the average last frost.
To help ensure the greatest success of your lettuce plant thriving you should:
- Slowly acclimate your lettuce plant to the outside environment. Move your lettuce plant outside for one hour a day and increase this an hour every day until it can withstand mother nature for 8 straight hours.
- After transplanting your lettuce plant into your garden provide a thick covering of mulch to help it ward off cold, disease and pests, and better retain water during the summer months.
- Cover your lettuce plants with burlap or a protective covering if you notice that a late frost may occur to protect it from wilting and dying.
If you want to learn WHEN to start ANY Vegetable Seed in Illinois, head over to HERE and just type in the vegetable you want to grow.
