CACA or is it CAGA?

[veggiechicken]

CACA = Cut and Come again

CAGA = Cut and Grow again

Is there a difference, I don't know, but today I realised that I've been CACA-ing wrongly

I thought CACA meant taking a few leaves off several plants at a time - like lettuce, rocket, kale and other leafy veg. This meant you didn't overcrop a plant and could keep picking it over a long period.

Today, I read about CAGA, cutting off the complete head of a plant, leaving behind the growing point which will re-grow.

I know that this happens and that lots of plants will regrow in this way but I've never thought about doing this to, say, a row of lettuce.

The article that made me think is at https://seaspringseeds.co.uk/growing...and-grow-again

I know lots of us CACA in some way but I'd be interested to know whether you CACA or CAGA. (Still with me?)

[mcdood]

Nicely described.
I CACA salad leaves, kale and chard, but have recently seen some interesting stuff on CAGA for spring onions and leeks which I might try this year especially if the leeks get leaf miner.

[burnie]

I have done CACA on lettuce last year, not tried CAGA properly, have taken centre out of Broccoli, but I think we all do that.

[Guest]

My CACA is your CAGA and your CACA I thought was me just being selective and not depleting the plant

[veggiechicken]

Thinking about it more, when I CACA i'm always taking the oldest leaves and letting the younger ones grow on.
With CAGA, you cut the lot, old and new including the heart, so you'd have a head of lettuce but the leaves wouldn't be joined at the base.

[Guest]

Thinking about it more, when I CACA i'm always taking the oldest leaves and letting the younger ones grow on.
With CAGA, you cut the lot, old and new including the heart, so you'd have a head of lettuce but the leaves wouldn't be joined at the base.

Yep, so it is like growing your shop bought veg stumps and scraps. So technically you did it before it had a fashionable name

[4Shoes]

With CAGA you need to take care and not cut too much or it will be cut and die. I'm thinking coriander.
More a CACA, need enough leaf to continue to grow.

For salad leaf, cut at about 1" to 1.5" above soil. - But that's just me. CAGA

[Small pumpkin]

I'm more of a CAGA on my baby salad leaves

[veggiechicken]

Yep, so it is like growing your shop bought veg stumps and scraps. So technically you did it before it had a fashionable name

There are 2 fennel bulbs sprouting on the windowsill as I type!

[veggiechicken]

With CAGA you need to take care and not cut too much or it will be cut and die. I'm thinking coriander.
More a CACA, need enough leaf to continue to grow.

For salad leaf, cut at about 1" to 1.5" above soil. - But that's just me. CAGA

Does coriander grow as a rosette? I've never really grown it as a plant.

[Bluenowhere]

I’ve done CAGA with my lettuce. The second crop doesn’t heart up in my experience (might be the variety) but then I CACA with the leaves that form on the cut off stalk which seems to work fine.

[rary]

I generally go CACA, though with cabbage I have went for CAGA by cutting the head off slightly higher than the head base, which leaves a little bit of leaf on the stalk, but then cut a cross on the stalk which as most will know gives you four little growing points these I have removed as salad leaves

[Penellype]

With lettuce I usually just pull off a few leaves, but if I need more I sometimes cut the whole top. As long as you leave some buds (between the leaf stalks) most will sprout again with smaller leaves which are fine to eat. If you cut the stem below all the leaves they will die. The same applies to cabbages. You have to leave a bud otherwise there is nothing to grow back.

[Bren In Pots]

It depends on the plants, I've only ever done CACA with my lettuce and Kales but with pea shoots and micro greens its CAGA.

[veggiechicken]

I have a Plan - a cunning Plan

I'm going to sow CACA/CAGA seeds in those plastic mushroom/spring onion trays (I've acquired a few)
Line them with cardboard to stop the compost falling through, and sown directly into them.
Some seedlings will be CACA'd and a few will be left to CAGA.
If I keep them on racks in the GH they'll be off the ground away from slugs, will stay clean and can be netted against flying pests.
When the weather improves, the trays can move outside onto a table where the crops will be easy to pick and be away from mud splashes and dogs and chooks.

May start tomorrow as I have a lot of self seeded lettuce that can be transplanted to give me a start.

Hope you don't think I've gone GAGA.