Lolla Rosa Lettuce

An Intro to Lolla Rosa

MY STATUS: Grown Successfully to Harvest   

Lolla Rosa is a variety of loose-leaf lettuce with a deep maroon coloration, a slight tendency to curl, and a mild flavor. It's frequently used in gourmet salads.

SOIL

The plant likes well-drained, fertile soil and regular fertilizer.

HOW MUCH SUN?

Lolla Rosa is sensitive to heat. On Pohnpei, give it early morning sun and then keep it in open shade for the rest of the day. If the weather is too hot, the seeds might not germinate at all. Only one of my plants survived to maturity.

HOW MUCH WATER?

Keep the soil moist, not wet. Watering unevenly will make the leaves bitter. Watering too much will rot the roots.

GROWING IN CONTAINERS

I've had some success growing this plant in small to medium containers. The plant usually does not grow taller than 6 or 7 inches.

PESTS

The usual lettuce pests will attack Lolla Rosa--slugs, caterpillers, aphids, cutworms, and cabbageworms, and whiteflies. The latter is one you need to worry about on Pohnpei.

PICK OFTEN

Cutting leaves when they are small and tender is the best tactic. Young leaves are more flavorful, and the constant picking will stimulate the plant's growth.

HARVESTING

Lolla Rosa should be ready to pick about 6 weeks after germination. Individual leaves can be picked as needed.

What I Did

DAY 1 - SOWING

I sowed my Ferry-Morse StartSmart seeds in a shallow, rectangular container. I put a thin layer of gravel on the bottom and filled the rest with a standard mix of potting soil. Seeds were sprinkled on the surface and covered with a thin layer of soil. The container was kept in full sun until germination, after which it was moved to a shady spot. I put it in the sun early in the morning.

DAY 7 - GERMINATION

The Lolla Rosa took longer to germinate than some of the other lettuce species I'm growing, but not as long as the arugula.

DAY 12

Seedlings have increased in size and some are starting to see the development of true leaves.

DAY 19

Hot, sunny weather destroyed almost all of my seedlings. Only one survived.

DAY 49

My remaining plant gets an hour of direct sun early in the morning; I keep it in open shade the rest of the time. Today, I transplanted the young plant to its own pot. It's starting to look pretty good with nice ruddy leaves.

DAY 64 

The plant has tolerated the transplantation well and is growing much quicker now. I think  it's time to start harvesting.

DAY 107 (9/3)

Today I decided my plants have reached the end of their growth period. The hot weather has pushed them to go to seed in the last day or two, and though I've picked off the flower buds, the stems have lengthened, the leaves have darkened and become tougher, and the flavor of the leaves is getting bitter. It's been a great run--two solid months of fresh almost daily gourmet salads. I never would have expected the plants to grow here, much less be so productive and healthy. I'm considering a sowing again, but not until this hot weather subsides.