The right way to Plant and Develop Parris Island Cos Lettuce

This cultivar is immune to bolting and might tolerate some drought and loads of warmth, all whereas forming flavorful heads made up of completely cupped leaves.

On the lookout for among the best romaine choices on the market? You discovered it. This information will clarify every part you must find out about rising this stellar cultivar.

Right here’s what’s on the menu:

Earlier than we get our palms soiled, it helps to know a bit about the place this plant comes from, and that’s what we’ll focus on first.

Cultivation and Historical past

‘Parris Island Cos’ is the kid of ‘PI 120965’ and ‘Darkish Inexperienced Cos,’ the latter of which is thought for its darkish inexperienced, candy, delicate leaves which can be good in Caesar salads.

It was bred by Clemson Faculty’s Agricultural Experiment Station in 1951 in Charleston, South Carolina, to thrive within the warmth and humidity of the southern local weather; and was launched by Ferry Morse in the identical 12 months.

It’s a romaine-type that was named for Parris Island in South Carolina, and “cos” is one other identify for romaine.

Generally, this cultivar is simply listed as ‘Parris Island.’ Don’t fear if the “cos” is missing, it’s nonetheless the identical superb plant.

Propagation ‘Parris Island Cos’

If you wish to begin plenty of crops, seeds are the best way to go. In the event you simply want one, search for a seedling at your native nursery.

However, since they’re really easy to begin from seed, may as properly go that route. Let’s speak about seed beginning.

From Seed

About 4 weeks earlier than the final predicted frost date, begin your seeds indoors. You may as well begin them indoors within the late summer time for rising within the fall.

Fill seed trays or particular person four-inch pots with seed beginning combine and sow the seeds three inches aside. Or, you’ll be able to scatter them over the tray with the thought of thinning the seedlings in a while. The seeds ought to be about an eighth of an inch deep.

Place the containers or seed-starting trays in an space that receives just a few hours of direct mild or shiny, oblique mild. Hold the soil moist however not moist till they germinate, which ought to solely take per week or so.

When the seedlings are about two inches tall, skinny them to about three inches aside.

As soon as the seedlings are about three or 4 inches tall and the final predicted frost date has handed, you’ll be able to transplant them out into the backyard. Earlier than you try this, harden the seedlings off. This course of is straightforward nevertheless it takes a couple of week, so you’ll want to plan forward.

To harden them off, take the seedlings exterior for an hour in the course of the morning or early afternoon and set them within the space the place you propose to plant. Then, take them again inside.

The subsequent day, add one other hour. Hold including an hour every day over the course of per week. Now the crops are able to go to their everlasting dwelling.

You may as well direct sow seeds after the final predicted frost date.

Both broadcast the seeds and bear in mind to skinny them after germination, or area your seeds six to 12 inches aside. Hold the soil evenly moist and free from weeds till the crops are established.

From Seedlings

In the event you begin your personal seedlings indoors or buy nursery begins, you’re going to wish to get them within the floor or a bigger rising container in some unspecified time in the future.

Once I say a bigger container, don’t panic. This cultivar solely wants a container that’s about six inches in diameter for every plant. An important factor is that it has drainage holes.

One of many glorious traits of ‘Parris Island Cos’ is that the heads develop extraordinarily compact and upright.

You possibly can actually pack them into the backyard and develop quite a lot of crops in a small spot.

Plant them about 12 inches aside, however you will get away with half that for those who promise you’ll be watering on the soil stage and never on the leaves. Anticipate barely smaller heads for those who pack them in.

Whenever you’re able to transplant, amend the soil with some well-rotted compost to enhance drainage and water retention, and so as to add vitamins.

Dig a gap the dimensions of the rising container and gently take away the seedling from its rising pot.

Decrease the plant into the outlet you made and agency the soil or potting combine across the roots. Water properly so the soil is moist however not moist.

In the event you’re aspiring to develop your lettuce in containers, use a potting combine formulated for greens.

The right way to Develop ‘Parris Island Cos’

As I discussed, this cultivar was bred to thrive within the sizzling, humid local weather of coastal South Carolina. That’s not the sort of local weather that almost all lettuces sometimes thrive in – they usually like cool climate finest.

‘Parris Island Cos’ can tolerate drought and warmth with out bolting. It may even tolerate poor soil, to some extent. Considerably sandy or clay soil gained’t section it a lot.

Nonetheless, in order for you the most important, sweetest, healthiest heads, present free, organically-rich soil. I don’t have good soil in my backyard, and I’m betting you don’t both.

However since lettuce doesn’t have a big root system, you’ll be able to amend your present soil fairly simply to make it good on your ‘Parris Island Cos.’

Dig down six inches deep and a foot large per plant, take away any rocks and work within the compost. Fill the realm again in with the combined soil.

It’s additionally simple to develop in a window field, container, or raised mattress full of potting or raised mattress soil.

Study extra about develop lettuce in containers in our information.

The crops want no less than 4 hours of direct mild per day, although as much as eight is healthier. In the event you dwell in an space that will get tremendous sizzling every now and then, even within the spring or fall, you may wish to give the crops some afternoon shade.

No matter the place you develop them, if the temperatures climb above 80°F for any size of time, put an umbrella or shade fabric over the crops and provides them an additional dose of water.

Talking of water, ‘Parris Island Cos’ will develop and style finest if supplied with constant moisture, by no means letting the soil utterly dry out or grow to be too moist.

The soil ought to all the time really feel like a well-wrung-out sponge. That mentioned, this cultivar will tolerate some drought with out compromising taste or texture an excessive amount of.

Because you used recent potting soil or labored in compost to the soil at planting time there isn’t any want for fertilizer.

Rising Ideas

• Present 4 to eight hours of solar per day.
• Hold the soil constantly moist.
• Shade crops when temperatures climb over 80°F.

Upkeep

From time to time, the outer leaves may develop spots, brown or yellow areas, or grow to be broken.

Pluck these off earlier than they grow to be a drag on the remainder of the plant.

In any other case, you don’t have to do something however water and maintain an eye fixed out for pests and illnesses when rising ‘Parris Island Cos.’

Or you may cowl them utterly in a wire cage. That gained’t defend them from slugs, although.

Slugs and snails are the opposite main menace to your lettuce harvest. If they arrive to go to, use your favourite pellet or different slug management methodology.

I usually develop my lettuce in wall-mounted containers as a result of the slugs in my space are relentless.

’Parris Island Cos’ is a tasty meal for every kind of pests, leading to holey leaves, yellowing, and spreading illnesses. Learn our information to lettuce pests to study extra in regards to the widespread bugs that feed on lettuce and cope with them.

This cultivar is immune to mosaic virus. It’s considerably prone to widespread lettuce illnesses like leaf spot, gentle rot, damping off, and downy mildew.

If one thing doesn’t look proper together with your crops, learn our information to lettuce illnesses to determine the issue and discover ways to deal with it.

Harvesting

The entire, mature heads are prepared in 70 days, however the younger leaves are good to go every time they attain a measurement that you simply like.

The younger leaves are scrumptious, and this cultivar is extraordinarily widespread as a child leaf sort. In the event you permit the heads to mature, they’ve a light taste and completely cupped form that makes them a go-to for stuffing.

Use a pair of fresh scissors to clip off leaves as you want them, or use a clear knife to slice off the complete head as near the soil as you’ll be able to.

Study extra about harvest lettuce in our information.

Preserving

In 2020, researchers on the USDA’s Agricultural Analysis Service led by geneticist Ivan Simko discovered that this cultivar retains higher than most different romaine sorts after harvesting.

I’ve been in a position to retailer the heads and leaves for a number of weeks within the crisper drawer with a desiccant.

I wrap them in a paper towel and put them inside a plastic bag, and so they keep recent for an absurdly very long time, in comparison with different lettuces.

Recipes and Cooking Concepts

Two phrases: Caesar salad. I’ve by no means discovered one other cultivar that works as properly in a Caesar salad as ‘Parris Island Cos.’

It doesn’t matter for those who like your salad anchovy-heavy (raises hand) just like the one from our sister web site, Foodal, or want a vegetarian possibility, this lettuce ought to be the bottom.

Actually, any salad tastes superior with ‘Parris Island Cos.’ In the event you like lettuce wraps, it’s additionally the right alternative.