Crystal Lettuce Varieties: How To Choose?
Crystal lettuce — also known as ice lettuce — has become very popular addition to our selections for greenhouse and plant factory production. Its jewel-like, translucent leaf cells, crisp texture, and quality make it a premium product for fresh market, foodservice, and processing channels.Paramount Seeds
At Paramount Seeds, we carry four Rijk Zwaan crystal lettuce varieties suited to a range of production systems, light environments, and market destinations. Here's how they compare.
The Paramount Seeds Crystal Lettuce Lineup
1. Lalique F1 — The Year-Round Workhorse
SKU: RZLALI | Type: Green crystal | System: Hydroponic, indoor & outdoor
Lalique F1 is our most versatile crystal lettuce — exceptionally crisp, juicy, and disease-resistant, with reliable performance across seasons. Its untreated, pelleted seed supports consistent germination in both indoor and outdoor setups. Flavor and texture are standout: ideal for premium salads, burgers, and sandwiches where presentation matters.
- Year-round hydroponic production
- Strong disease resistance
- Excellent fresh market and foodservice appeal
2. Hydrolique F1 — Built for High-Density & Artificial Light
SKU: RZHYDROL | Type: Green crystal | System: Indoor, artificial lighting
Hydrolique F1 is engineered for vigorous, high-yield performance under artificial lighting — making it a natural fit for plant factories and year-round indoor operations. It shows strong resistance to glassiness and tipburn, two of the most common quality defects in enclosed lettuce production, and performs well at high planting densities.
- Optimized for LED and HPS supplemental lighting environments
- Tipburn and glassiness resistance
- High-density planting compatible
3. Scamander F1 — Intense Red, High-Density & Machine-Harvestable
SKU: RZSCAMDR | Type: Intense quadruple red crystal | System: Indoor hydroponics, plant factory
Scamander F1 is the red crystal specialist in our lineup — delivering intense, dark red color even under low-light conditions. Bred for high-density cultivation (toddler, teenleaf, and salatrio formats), it features smooth, crispy leaves that are easy to handle and machine-harvestable, making it well-suited for processing and fresh market operations at volume.
- Intense red color stable in low light
- High-density formats: toddler, teenleaf, salatrio
- Machine-harvestable
- 35–50 day crop cycle | ~200 g average head weight
4. Sungari F1 — Red Crystal for Seasonal & Plant Factory Production
SKU: RZ44CL5535 | Type: Red crystal | System: Hydroponics, plant factory, outdoor
Sungari F1 is an attractive red crystal lettuce with broad production flexibility. It performs from September through April under artificial light in standard hydroponic systems, and is suitable year-round in Salatrio format or in plant factories. Outdoor production is also viable from late spring through summer. A compact variety at ~150 g average head weight, Sungari is a strong option for growers who need seasonal flexibility across multiple production environments.
- Red crystal — attractive color for fresh market
- Flexible: hydroponics, plant factory, outdoor
- Year-round in Salatrio and plant factory formats
- ~150 g average head | ~40 days to maturity
Quick Comparison: Which Variety Is Right for You?
| Variety | Color | Best System | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lalique F1 | Green | Hydroponic, indoor/outdoor | Year-round versatility & flavor |
| Hydrolique F1 | Green | Indoor, artificial light | Tipburn & glassiness resistance |
| Scamander F1 | Intense red | Plant factory, processing | Machine-harvestable, high-density |
| Sungari F1 | Red | Hydroponic, plant factory, outdoor | Seasonal & system flexibility |
Need Help Choosing?
The right crystal lettuce variety depends on your production system, light environment, target market, and harvest format. If you're running a plant factory or high-density indoor system, Scamander or Hydrolique are strong starting points. For year-round fresh market production with maximum flexibility, Lalique is hard to beat. And for seasonal flexibility across multiple environments, Sungari is worth a trial.
Contact us to discuss your operation and we'll help you identify the best fit — or request a sample pack to trial multiple varieties side by side.