This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional.
▷ IDENTIFICATION🔍
Common Name: Kale ‘Lacinato’
Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Lacinato’
Family: Brassica family (Brassicaceae)
Herbaceous annual or biennial for Zones 3 to 10
PRECAUTION: Not appropriate for all, allergies are uncommon. Consider consulting a doctor first. See section “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION > Animal Toxicity and Medicine Interactions”.
▷ OTHER NAMES & LOOKALIKES 🏷️
Other Names 🏷️
◦ Tuscan Kale
◦ Dinosaur Kale
Lookalikes 🔎
◦ Cabbage: Immature plants resemble kale plants, however fully mature cabbage plants have thick, wide leaves.
◦ Kohlrabi: Immature plants resemble kale plants, however mature plants develop a white, edible bulb from which foliage continues to grow from.
◦ Broccoli: Similar foliage to kale, the flower buds of broccoli are edible, distinctive, and nutritious.
◦ Brussel Sprouts: Young plants have a similar appearance with leaves, however mature brussel sprout plants have tall stalks with brussel sprouts growing directly on the stalk that have the appearance of very tiny cabbages.
◦ Collards: Similar appearance, mature plants have leaves which are thicker and wider.
▷ APPEARANCE 🪞
Plant Description🌿🗒️
Variety of kale with fibrous white stalks from which dark green, white-veined, smooth to bumpy and wrinkle textured leaves grow Leaves are lanceolate in shape, appearing in an alternating pattern, reaching 10″ to 18″ length and 3″ to 4″ wide. Flowers are clusters of small, tubular yellow blooms. White, papery, long seed pods form after flowering, containing tiny black seeds. The first year of growth creates foliage, the second year produces flowers after exposure to cold weather.
Dimensions, Root Depth, and Spacing 📏↔️
Height: 2′ to 4′
Width: 12″ to 14″
Root Depth: 12″ deep; Ideal minimum container size 7 gallon or 8 gallons. Larger containers allow plants to grow taller and wider!
Spacing: 10″ to 18″ apart
Flower Season and Fruit or Seed 🌻🍎🫘
Flower: Small, yellow flowers during Spring
Fruit: Long, papery, white seed pods
Seed: Small, round, black or dark brown-red
▷ REPRODUCTION🌱
Sexuality: Hermaphroditic
Pollination: Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators
Growth Rate: Fast
Propagation:
◦ Roots: Not applicable
◦ Cuttings: Not applicable
Seed Germination: Soil pH 6.0 to 6.8 at preferably 65°F to 75°F, kept moist, however not wet or dry. Plant seeds ¼” deep, emerges 7 to 10 days after being sown. Germination rate of 80% to 90% (depending on producer).
Indoor Planting: Grow plant for 1 year prior to transplanting outside 10 weeks after last frost date.
Outdoor Planting: Plant seed 10 weeks after to last frost date.
▷ REQUIREMENTS❤️
Sunlight, Water, Fertilizer, and Pruning ☀️💧✂️
Sunlight: Prefers 6 to 8 hours full sun
Note: Avoid aerial watering, which encourages fungal growth and disease.
Outdoor Watering: Water regularly during Summer (every 2 to 3 days) and less frequently in the Winter (once a week). Tiny pots and K-cup seed starters need water every day during Summer and every 2 days during Winter. Small pots require watering more often, especially if exposed to full sun, while large pots and shaded pots need less water.
Indoor Watering: Deep and infrequent, allowing for soil to dry on the top layer prior to more water.
Drought Resistance: Moderate drought tolerance
Fertilizer: At the start of the growing season, apply fertilizer every 4 weeks to 6 weeks. Scatter evenly at the base of plants, avoiding clumps of fertilizer and preventing contact with stalks and stems. Large clumps of fertilizer won’t evenly supplement nutrients into the entire soil surface after it mixes with water from rain or irrigation. Fertilizer clumps around the base of plants may cause the main stalk to rot or have contact burns, which could damage or kill the plant. Do not throw fertilizer over plant tops, as the clumps of fertilizer caught in between leaf nodes and on foliage may either burn or rot the foliage.
Pruning: Avoid pruning during Winter as it may kill the plant. This same rule applies for the Fall in northern climates. Remove withered flowers, dead leaves, and leggy stems to enhance plant’s appearance. This also promotes new stems to appear with more leaves and flowers.
Soil, Planting, and Environment 🌄🏞️🏜️
Soil: Prefers well-drained, loamy soil
pH: 6.0 to 6.8
Planting: When planting a potted plant, dig a hole that’s as deep as the pot and have each side of the plant at least as wide as the pot. For plants with wide roots, dig a hole that is twice the width of the pot and gently space out the root system and then cover with soil to promote healthy growth. Burying tangled roots could cause health issues or stunted growth.
Habitat: This variety originates from Italy and thrives in cool environments
Temperature Preference and Temperature Tolerance🌡️
Temperature: Prefers 45°F to 75°F
Heat Tolerance: Warmer than 80°F may stunt growth or cause other health problems; Moderate drought tolerance once established
Cold Tolerance: 20°F; Frost tolerant
Salt, Wind, and Pollution Tolerance 🧂💨 ☣️
Salt Tolerance: Low tolerance
Wind Tolerance: Low tolerance
Pollution Tolerance: Low tolerance
▷ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION📚
Description 📝
Renowned variety of kale originating from Italy, grown for it’s nutrition content and flavor.
Attract and Repel Wildlife🐝🦋🐦🐌🪰🐇🦌
Deer Resistant🦌
Attracts: Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators
Repels: Not applicable
Diseases and Pests🐜🦠
Note: Proper care keeps plants resilient and healthy, preventing diseases and pests. This list details the potential threats, specific diseases and pests vary depending on environmental climate.
Diseases:
◦ Alternaria Leaf Spot
◦ Anthracnose
◦ Black Rot: Disease which causes leaf stems to turn black and fall off, due to warm, humid conditions.
◦ Club Root: Disease which causes stunted growth, reduced yield, and sometimes death.
◦ Downy mildew: A destructive disease that may become widespread if left uncontrolled.
Pests:
◦ Cabbage Worms: Butterfly larvae that are green with light yellow stripes, and appear in late Spring after white butterflies are seen in the garden.
◦ Cabbage Loopers: Larvae of a moth, a common pest of the brassica family of plants, including kale.
◦ Snails and Slugs: They eat a wide variety of plants, including young seedlings, mature plants, and turfgrasses, and may cause damage to gardens and flower beds.
Animal Toxicity and Medicine Interactions ☠️❤️🩹
Animal Toxicity: Toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.
Medicine Interactions:
Individuals may have a sensitivity or allergies to lacinato kale, consult a healthcare professional first and proceed at own risk.
WebMD Website – Kale “Interactions”
Use and Harvest⚕️🌾
Use:
◦ Leaves: Fresh organic leaves may be washed and used raw. Excellent in stir-fry, soups, salads, and as garnishes. High in manganese and vitamin K, moderate fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B9 (folate), and vitamin C, and low in vitamin B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pantothenic acid), vitamin E, copper, calcium, and iron, and magnesium.
Benefits: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory (reduces internal and external swelling), anticancer, detoxifying, supports muscle function, improves energy levels, circulation, digestion, heart health, skin health, eye health, bone health, regulates cholesterol, and helps lose weight
Dosing: 1 cup of lacinato kale each day for adults
Click Here for How To Harvest, Dry, and Properly Store Herbs and Seeds
Harvest: Never harvest more than 20% of a plant’s leaves or roots!
◦ Leaves: Harvest any time, keeps fresh refrigerated for 5 to 7 days.
◦ Seeds: Harvest the dry, white seed pods once the stalks have dried. Follow harvesting techniques in the link above to extract and properly store the seeds.
Aroma, Flavor, and Culinary Combinations🧼🍴
The flowering stage and warm weather may cause leaves to be bitter
Aroma: Not applicable
Flavor: Rich, herbaceous flavor
Culinary Combinations: Lacinato kale compliments herbs and spices (thyme, rosemary, mint, oregano, cilantro, parsley, sage, chamomile, goldenseal, cardamom, coriander, tarragon, lemongrass, chives, ginger), quinoa, whole wheat enriched pasta, wild rice, beans (sugar snap peas, green beans, chickpeas [garbanzos], black, pinto), legumes (lentils, mung beans), tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, nuts (roasted cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pine nuts), vegetables (arugula, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Winter squash [pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn squash], Summer squash [zucchini, straightneck, and crookneck], sweet potato, red potato, white potato, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, bell pepper, carrot, beet, asparagus, brussels sprouts, radish, tomato, and cucumber), and fruits (avocado, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, apricot, mango, citrus [lemon and lime], and figs)
History 📜
Lacinato kale originates from a cultivar from 18th century Italy.
Lifespan⏳
2 longevity for life expectancy. Healthy specimens may live for 3 years.
Vegan Botany 