So you’re thinking of planting some lettuce hydroponically or you’re about to chop off a beautiful lettuce head and wonder if it will regrow.
The good news is that lettuce is a great hydroponic vegetable. It is fast growing, has shallow roots, and does extremely well in hydroponic systems.
This begs the question, will hydroponic lettuce regrow after you harvest it?
Hydroponic lettuce will re-grow as long as the plant itself has green leaves remaining. Lettuce can be harvested by removing most of the leaves and leaving a few behind so the plant can continue to grow. However, if the head or entire plant is harvested then the plant will not regrow. A common trick to regrow lettuce is to place the base of a chopped lettuce head in water to grow a new lettuce plant.
So lettuce can be regrown after harvesting in hydroponic systems. Let’s cover the basics of hydroponic lettuce.
How To Harvest Hydroponic Lettuce
Depending on the lettuce variety, there are a few different ways to harvest lettuce. However, I am going to focus on harvesting the leaves so the lettuce plant itself can continue to regrow.
Harvesting Lettuce Leaves So The Plant Can Regrow
When harvesting lettuce, simply cut the leaves near the bottom or base of the plant first before removing any closer to the middle or crown.
When this process is followed, the lettuce plant will continue to grow indefinitely if the conditions are suitable for the plant.
In the photo below, you can see how a hydroponic red lettuce stem will continue to get taller as the plant continues to grow and I continue to harvest the bottom leaves.
This lettuce plant is grown in a tote that is covered with aluminum foil to reflect the light. The hydroponic lettuce plant is growing via Kratky method so its just sitting in nutrient solution.
This lettuce plant is over 3 months old and has produced countless salads for my family.
Starting Hydroponic Lettuce From A Lettuce Head
A common question folks have when trying to regrow lettuce is to see if they can regrow lettuce from a store bought lettuce head.
In fact, this is a common hydroponic trick. You can start a new lettuce plant from a store bought lettuce head. Simply place the chopped lettuce head in a cup or bowl of water and the plant will start producing new leaves after 2 or 3 days.
As you can see in the video, the plant will continue to regrow since it has green leaves. Without the green leaves the lettuce plant will not regrow.
Starting Hydroponic Lettuce Directly In Hydroton
Another common way to start hydroponic lettuce plants is from seed.
Many hydroponic growers will use starter plugs, growing trays, and other fancy tools. Personally, I prefer to drop my seeds straight into the hydroton itself since it is the easiest way and, quite frankly, I’m a lazy gardener.
Here’s my step-by-step guide to Starting Seeds Hydroonically In Hydroton with photos.
The jist of that whole guide is that you can start lettuce plants directly in a net cup of hydroton by dropping seeds into the hydroton.
Final Thoughts
Lettuce is a great plant to grow hydroponically especially if you’re a beginner.
There’s a lot of ways to regrow lettuce hydroponically whether you’re growing a new plant or allowing an existing one to regrow.
Just make sure to give your lettuce plant the occasional tender, loving care so it can continue to produce delicious salads for you in the future.
