Lacinato Kale

How to grow Lacinato Kale growing and care:

How to grow dinosaur kale
Rich soil, moist soil, Clean Larvae from the leaves, mulch

How to care Tuscan kale
fertilizer 2-3 a year, prune dead leaves in case of pieris better to prune all the plant to cut all the leaves and wash the plant well and check that there aren’t any more eggs

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seedling / Seed (sowing care bellow) / Vegetative

Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No, but it’s possible

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Sensitive to hot temperature, white butterfly can eat a lot of leaves and cause irreversible damage

Planting season:
Spring as annual plant in hardiness zone 2-6 (possible in the summer but will die anyway in the autumn), autumn as annual in hardiness zone 11, as perennial spring to summer in hardiness zone 7-10a, autumn to winter in hardiness zone 10b (also possible to sow in the spring will germinate well but will grow slowly especially in location with hot summer)

Pests and diseases:
Pieris (butterfly), prodenia (Spodoptera)

Pruning season:
When it’s start to bloom unless you want the seeds

How to prune:
Prune the beginning of the inflorescence

Size of the plant?
30-80 cm, 12-32 inches

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Fast growing / Medium growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water / Big amount of water

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun / Half Shade / Full Shade (in hardiness zone of 11, it’s highly recommend, and in hardiness zone 10b better to plant it in shade because the leaves become bitter in the summer in the sun)

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
Yes, but need a lot of light

Growing is also possible in a pot / planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes, start with container that bigger than the plant at least 50-70%, need to switch the soil once in a few years by new soil, better to do in summer, when the plant arrive to the desirable size need to prune the root and prune the plant, use potting mix or peat soil with perlite and mix it with hummus and organic matter, use chopped mulch to keep the soil moist, let the bottom of the pot fill in water but dry in the same day, fully mature plant will grow well in container 25L (6.5 gallons).

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Summer to autumn, possible that it will bloom in the spring in hardiness zone 10b-11

General information about the flower
Small yellow flowers grow on inflorescence

Thinning the bloom:
Unless you want to save the seeds recommend thinning

Pollination is done by:
Bee and butterfly

Edible leaves

Leaves harvesting season:
All year, but better not to harvest when bloom (or prune the bloom stems) also better to prune in hardiness zone 10b-11 in the autumn to early spring, the leaves become bitter in the heat of the summer

How to harvest the leaves?
Trim in the base of the leaf

Information about leaves:
Leaves with curly edges the leaves with bumps and remained dinosaur skin, the color of the leaves: green blue depend the cultivar

Uses of Lacinato Kale leaves:
Eaten raw, Salad, Used for cooking

How to grow and care for Tuscan kale seeds

Sowing requirement:
Planting when it’s started to be cold

Saving and care seeds until sowing:
Dry, cold temperature

Sowing season:
Spring as annual plant in hardiness zone 2-6, autumn as annual in hardiness zone 11, as perennial spring to summer in hardiness zone 7-10a, autumn to winter in hardiness zone 10b

Planting spacing:
30-50 cm

Depth of Sowing:
0.5-1.5 cm

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist drained soil

Watering requires for Seeds:
Big amount of water

Germination time:
7-20 days

Condition of seedling:
Fertilized ground, light shade, regular watering, and cold temperature

Do the seeds require burying?
No

Vegetative Reproduction

How to make Vegetative Reproduction in?
Cuttings

The best time for vegetative reproduction:
Spring / Autumn

How much time does it take to grow roots in vegetative reproduction?
2-4 Weeks

What is the treatment for vegetative reproduction?
Put the cutting in water, moist soil shade and vegetative hormones

Scientific name:

Brassica oleracea – Acephala Group