Pak Choi (Brassica rapa chinensis, also called bok choy, pak choy, or bok choi) is an Asian vegetable used in stir-fries. This Baby Pak Choi Green Fortune is ready only 45 days after transplanting. It is not as picky as Chinese cabbage (also called Napa cabbage). Regular-sized varieties can grow up to two feet tall and spread up to one and a half feet wide. Dwarf varieties like this one are smaller.
When To Plant
Pak Choi can bolt prematurely if exposed to frost. On the other hand, it will bolt when exposed to hot temperatures. Start the plants indoors about four weeks before the last frost. Plant the transplants after the last frost date for your area. If it gets hot early in your area, you should plant the seedlings about a month before the last frost. In the fall, start directly in the garden by seed about three months before the first frost. Transplants can be put in about two months before the first frost.
Where To Plant
While most vegetables need full sun, you can get away with afternoon shade if it is hot in your area. This is especially true for spring gardens. The soil should be well-drained but rich in organic matter. Pak choi grows best in soil with a pH of 6.0-7.5.
Space transplants four to six inches apart and place rows 18-30 inches apart. Dwarf varieties can be spaced closer than regular varieties. For seeds, plant 1/4-1/2 inches deep and about one inch apart. Thin to the recommended spacing when the plants have two true leaves.
How To Care For Pak Choi
All vegetables are heavy feeders and need a constant supply of water. Pak choi is no exception.
Water
Keep the soil moist but not soggy. You need to water the plants every several days to keep the plants from wilting. The plant will become fibrous and bitter without consistent moisture. The tips may brown, too, because without enough moisture, the calcium gets out of whack.
Fertilizer
Use compost to enrich the soil where you are planting pak choi. Do not use uncomposted manure. That can spread diseases such as E. coli and make you sick. Getting a soil test after you enrich the soil with compost will tell you what fertilizer to use. Soil test instructions and sample bags are available from your Extension agent.
If you do not have a recent soil test, use a fertilizer designed for vegetables, such as Espoma GT18 Garden Tone. Put the fertilizer down at the rate directed on the package and water it in. Fertilize at transplant and every four weeks after that. If you direct seed, mix the fertilizer in the top two to three inches of soil before planting. Water the seeds in and it will water the fertilizer in, too.
Pests
Pak choi has the same pests as cabbage and napa cabbage. These include flea beetles, cabbage maggots, imported cabbageworm, cabbage looper, and diamondback moth larvae.
Diseases
Most diseases are caused by watering from the top and letting the leaves sit overnight while wet, or watering too much. Crown rot, alternaria leaf spot, black rot, black leg and clubroot cause problems with pak choi.
Crop Rotation Importance
Pest problems and diseases tend to build up over seasons. Do not plant pak choi where related plants such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, turnip, rutabaga, collards, mustard, and kohlrabi have grown in the past three years.
Harvesting
Most people harvest pak choi when it is mature. You can, however, harvest a few leaves at a time by taking the outermost leaves. However, do not wait so long to harvest the plant that the outer leaves get old. The taste does not improve with time. If the plant bolts harvest immediately. Use the flower stalk as you would broccoli.
Storage
Pak choi does not store well fresh. Blanch and freeze, ferment into kimchi or use fresh within a few days of harvest. Kimchi can be stored fresh in the refrigerator or canned for longer storage.
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