[Alzera]

I planted this crop 1 May 09, we are currently in winter season here in SA, it is almost 3 months now and they are not forming heads. Does anyone have any advice for me, I planted 15,000 of them...

[azubah]

15,000!!! That's a big allotment. Could it be anything to do with the temperature or daylight hours? I have never heard of that variety so I have never grown them.

[Yorkie]

Unless they are a variety specifically grown for outdoor winter planting, I think the season may well be your difficulty as azubah says.  Not a lot of growth when it's rather cold and short days. 

[SnooziSuzi]

How cold does it get in a South African winter?

[Alzera]

Hi All,

Ok when I planted the sunlight hours were 6 and will remain 6 until end of this month then go to 7 Aug, 8 Sep, 9 Oct....Our area's average winter temperature is 7- 21, we occasionally get snow on the mountains, but hasnt snowed yet this year. This is predominantly a citrus and grape farming area called Robertson.

This variety of lettuce is a crisp head winter variety, another is called del rio...maybe our names differ with your available.... I aint sure if its a Spanish or Brazilian variety.
My crop is planted in a shadenet structure...white netting which is 40% shade I think, and the plants are planted in long plastic troughs with gravel at the bottom and a mixture of soil and bark chippings above. They are irrigated by means of a computerized dripper irrigation system, and get fertigation that way too. But, I did give it an extra foliar feed to boost it a bit, they were lovely and green and became a bit leafy so I stopped doing that because it was not allowing the inner to grow as it should....well thats how it seemed to me...lol

I planted so many to overlap continuosly as I have supermarket chains that are interested in buying from me on a regular basis... but i cant start picking as the heads are not properly formed yet. Could it really perhaps take up to 110 days. I have no clue, looking for ideas.

[lisa80]

im no expert but my first lot of little gem took 90 days! planted in april were ready in mid to end of june later sowings took less time due to rise in temp . my marvel which is a large butter head took 90 days too so wouldnt panick too much

[Alzera]

  Thanks for the ray of hope!! Another person I phoned suggested I do a foliar spray with a fertilizer that has at least more than 15% K.... Potassium, that this would react quickly, forming the heads and I could commence picking within the next 7 to 14 days. So, I sprayed yesterday and six hours later it rained, so will be doing a second spray on sat. Let"s see if this works..