How to Grow Lettuce from an Old Lettuce Stem

A simple way to regrow lettuce

Reviewed by Ben Barkan

Last Updated: June 16, 2022 Approved

If you have ever bought a pack of romaine lettuce from the store, you probably threw away the stem at the end. However, the stems have the potential to regrow their lettuce leaves, using only water and sunlight. This simple project can be a fun way for children (and adults) to learn how to reduce kitchen waste by improving the yield of a single plant.

Steps

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Make sure you don’t cut the stump to an excessively small size. About 1-2 inches of leaf should be left.
Ensure that the water level will cover the roots. Use approximately 1/2 inch of water.

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A window that receives light for at least a few hours a day should suffice.
This is to prevent the water from becoming dirty and mouldy. Unclean water can cause the lettuce to rot.
Within 2 days you should see the first few leaves grow out of the center of your stem. You may find that some of the leaves leftover from the last stalk will start to turn brown and spotted.
After about 1 week or when the leaves have reached about 3 inches above the cut stem, it should be ready for planting. Make sure the soil covers the roots but not the old leaves.
Water daily to keep the soil moist.
There may be a period where you do not notice much upward growth. Check the center, and you may find smaller leaves are being produced instead!
Begin collecting leaves once they are big enough to make a small salad. Pluck or cut off the leaves and compost the stem. The average harvesting height is 8 inches.

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Tips

There are many other vegetables that you can re-grow from scraps. Carrots, celery, peppers, garlic, ginger, and potatoes are common foods that can also regenerate. Find out what type of growing conditions these plants need, and start your very own garden!

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Helpful 7 Not Helpful 0
The lettuce does not grow back to the original size, so it's best to grow multiple stems at once to have enough for one normal-sized salad.

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Warnings

Only use Romaine lettuce. Iceberg lettuce will start to grow, but the leaves will quickly turn brown and die.

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Helpful 21 Not Helpful 0
Letting the lettuce grow for too long will result in it flowering and producing bitter leaves. Harvest the leaves before this occurs.

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Helpful 13 Not Helpful 2