Salad with pak choi is a new way for me to use this vegetable, I used to cook it (or her? what kind of pak choi?) in every possible way, cooked, fried and stewed, but now, finally, I have matured to try this product raw. Have you already tried? I never. To begin with, I tore off a leaf, washed it, took a bite - according to my ideas, pak choi, in fact, tastes more like a salad than a cabbage. Well, maybe there is still the very drop of a kind of radishness, but not bitter, but sweet. Surely Asia has its own traditional recipes with this ingredient, but I decided to make a salad with pak choy without looking into any national cuisines, just according to my own understanding. It seemed to me that any crunchy vegetables are best suited to it: cucumber, carrots, sweet bell peppers. Well, and a little hot pepper for spiciness.
The very first thing is to separate the pak choy buds into separate leaves and wash them very well. Washing with kocheskami is a waste of effort, they are not washed. The small inner leaves will go to my salad decoration, the large outer ones will be directly cut. All leaves need to cut off the hard bases from which the fibers stick out (and which, moreover, are dirty and poorly washed).
Large leaves cut into strips.
Cucumber cut into semicircles.
We cut the carrots into strips.
Pepper cut into strips.
Well, we mix the salad well with pak choi, seasoning it with vegetable oil, salt and finely chopped hot pepper.
We serve, having previously laid out part of the plate with small inner leaves. Delicious and beautiful without any sense of exotic and unfamiliar product. Pak choi salad is just a good green salad!
The Chinese have been farming for a long time and have grown many new varieties of vegetables that are now used by the whole world. Such plants include pak choi - leafy Chinese cabbage. It is also called mustard for its sharp unusual taste and celery. Let's figure out what an outlandish culture is, and what is the peculiarity of growing and cooking pak choi cabbage.
Features of an overseas guest
Unlike white cabbage, pak choy has several specific features:
- The plant does not form a head. Because of this, many consumers confuse pumpkin culture with lettuce.
- The vegetable is a compact rosette of green leaves with thick petioles pressed against each other.
- One of the best features of the novelty is the early ripening period - a month and a half after sowing the seeds. That is why summer residents immediately fell in love with pak-choi: it became possible to introduce fresh herbs into the diet of families and consumers (if cabbage is grown for sale) very early.
- High crop yield. In some regions, gardeners harvest several crops per season.
- Tolerant ratio of the plant to medium-fertilized soil.
For your information, cabbage contains lysine, a useful amino acid, which is the basis for building proteins in our body, which regulates metabolism. Many will be interested in the low calorie content of the overseas product - only 13 kcal per 100 g, which is the basis for including the culture in the diet of those who want to lose weight. Cabbage has a high content of vitamins A, B, P, C, trace elements. 
Variety of leafy plant
For those who are just starting to cultivate pak choy, it will be interesting to know that three types of pak choy are known:
- dark green appearance with white roots,
- light green plant
- green bok choy with dark purple leaf tips.
The size of the rosette, reaching a diameter of 40 cm, the height of the crop (from 10 to 50 cm), its early maturity, the safety of the crop, and resistance to pests depend on the type and variety.
When buying seeds of a certain variety, pay attention to these qualities, choose the ones that suit you. Here are some examples of different varieties:
Stages of growing a crop
The technology of growing pak choi cabbage is not much different from the production of cabbage in general. Includes the main steps:
- Preparing soil and seeds for planting.
- Sowing seeds for seedlings or in open ground.
- Care of young sprouts:
- Abundant watering without waterlogging.
- Loosening, weeding.
- Thinning in the phase of 2-3 leaves at a distance of 15-20 cm (then the rosettes will be large).
- Fertilizer supplements.
- Pest control.
- Harvesting.
Land preparation for planting
There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding where to plant pak choy:
- Cabbage loves sun or partial shade.
- Crop rotation rules affect the degree of crop yield. Onions, legumes, grains, pumpkin will be good predecessors of the Chinese woman. It is desirable that cabbage does not grow in this area before, since they have the same pests and diseases.
- If there is no suitable place, it is worth treating the soil with a disinfectant, for example, 1% farmiod.
Land for planting pak choi should be prepared in the fall. They dig it up, applying fertilizers (approximately 10 kg of organic matter and 1 tablespoon of superphosphate per square meter). If the soil is acidic, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of lime or wood ash, approximately 200 g per square meter.
In the spring, the soil is loosened, spring digging for sowing is done to a depth of 15 cm. 1 tsp is added. urea per square meter of soil.
Determination of planting time
Pak-choi reacts to the increase in daylight hours. If it is planted in May, the culture will begin to grow actively, form a stem and bloom.
The best time for planting is April, mid-July. For the southern regions, landings are possible in the second half of August-early September.
Vegetable seedling preparation
Despite the fact that the root system of cabbage is very delicate, the seedling method of growing is practiced. The sequence is followed:
Sowing seeds of Chinese cabbage
The time for sowing seeds is chosen in early April before the active increase in the day begins or already in July. When sowing, follow the instructions:
- In the case of sowing seeds immediately in open ground, a distance of at least 30-40 cm is made between the beds, depending on the variety of cabbage.
- The depth of material embedding is 1-2 cm.
- It is recommended to sprinkle the crops with ashes to protect against the cruciferous flea.
- Cover the grooves with plastic wrap to promote seed germination.
- Shoots appear on the 7-10th day.
For your information, pak choi leaves quickly coarsen when they reach maturity. Do not sow a lot of seeds at once, it is better to sow in a week and a half.
To the two methods of planting cabbage described above, one more can be added: obtaining a seedling based on a stalk.
Plant harvesting and storage specifics
Harvesting can begin even when the plant reaches full maturity, cutting off a few young leaves for lettuce.
Young pak choi is cut at a height of 2-3 cm above the ground, an adult - a little higher. The stem is left to regrow and obtain a secondary crop.
Pak choy should be consumed immediately after cutting, as it has a short shelf life. You can wrap the washed cabbage leaves in a damp towel and place them in the refrigerator for a day or two, which will slightly increase the shelf life.
For your information, breeders have bred varieties that have a longer shelf life. For example, Pava is a hybrid of pak choi with Beijing cabbage. 
The main crop pests and their control
Growing pak choi is not without pest control. The most dangerous for cabbage, especially for young sprouts, are cruciferous fleas, cabbage whites and slugs.
cruciferous fleas
They overwinter in the ground, so loosening the soil and abundant watering of the beds can prevent plant damage. Agrofibre will also save cabbage if young crops are covered with it.
Fleas gnaw large holes in the leaf, the leaf gradually dies off, which significantly weakens the young sprout, depriving it of good nutrition.
Having found the symptoms, sprinkle the planting with ash or a mixture of ash and tobacco dust, taken in the same amount. spraying with tobacco infusion will also help.
cabbage white
If you see fluttering white butterflies over cabbage, then you must immediately take action. Sprinkle, for example, with tobacco dust to repel. Butterflies do not harm, but caterpillars emerging from oviposition on the inside of the leaf. Eggs must be removed.
Slugs
Rain snails can significantly spoil the presentation of the product and disrupt its nutrition. They must be removed from plants. To help summer residents, bran baits infused with alcohol are sold. Lay out on the beds in accordance with the instructions.
In addition to the simple techniques described, there are many chemical pest control products that you can buy in specialized gardening stores. 
cooking chinese vegetable
Both the cultivation of pak choi cabbage and its preparation has several specific features:
- Most often young heads of cabbage are used. Their leaves are tender and tasty.
- Petioles and leaves are most often used in different ways. The leaves are consumed fresh, the petioles are boiled, stewed.
- The raw vegetable product is most useful, it is an excellent addition to any dish.
- Note that during heat treatment, lysine, the most valuable element of cabbage, is destroyed. Therefore, the plant is used in combined salads, as well as a vegetable side dish for meat or fish.
- Traditionally for salads, pak choy is thoroughly washed, disassembled into leaves. Coarsely cut if necessary.
- When fresh, the taste of a Chinese woman has a specific bitterness, like that of arugula.
- The Chinese woman does not need long-term heat treatment during stewing. First, cuts from the thicker petioles of the plant are laid out on the pan, then after 2-3 minutes of stewing, leaves are added to process for 30-40 seconds. After processing, the taste of kale changes, it becomes pleasantly sweet.
Use, for starters, the simplest recipes for cooking novelty cabbage dishes.
Cooking Recipes
Chicken soup with pak choi
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- Chicken fillet (without skin) - 2 pcs.
- Pak choi - 6 bunches.
- Potatoes - 4-6 pcs.
- Small carrots - 4 pcs.
- Celery - 2 stalks.
- Onion - 1 head.
- Garlic - 2 cloves.
- Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp.
- Bouillon cubes - 2 pcs.
- Water - 1.5 liters.
Before cooking, cut the chicken and vegetables into cubes, garlic - very finely.
Boil the chicken in the pot for 10-15 minutes. Add vegetables - potatoes, carrots, celery, pak choy stalks. Put the chopped onion and garlic into the vegetable oil heated in a frying pan. Fry over medium heat until the onion softens. Transfer the contents of the pan to a saucepan and cook until cooked through for 10-15 minutes. At the end, add Chinese cabbage leaves and bouillon cubes, salt to taste. 
Pak choi salad
Ingredients for 8 servings:
- Young cabbage bok choy - 1 head.
- Green onions - 1 medium bunch.
- Instant Chinese Ramen Noodles - 1 pack (94g).
- Peeled chopped almonds - 0.5 cups.
- Roasted sesame seeds - 2 tbsp
- Olive oil - 5 tbsp.
- Lemon juice - 3 tsp
Cooking order:
- First you need to chop the cabbage and onion, cover with a lid.
- Then whisk in the olive oil, lemon juice, and noodle seasoning.
- Put the prepared vegetables and sauce in the refrigerator to cool.
- Break noodles randomly, add almonds and sesame seeds.
- Mix all ingredients well. Salad ready.
Pak choi is of great importance for dietary nutrition. Its regular use normalizes metabolism, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, promotes rapid healing of wounds.
Bok choy. The name itself suggests that it will be about something related to China. And this “something” is the most Chinese cabbage. But not the one that we call, but the Chinese - petsai, and the other - leafy.
What is bok choy
Bok choy (or pak choy) is one of the most popular vegetables in China, Vietnam, the Philippines and other East Asian countries. Not so long ago, the Western world also drew attention to this discreet outwardly, but very useful vegetable. The people of China and some other regions of Asia were the first to grow bok choy. And it happened, according to researchers, more than one and a half thousand years ago.
Bok choy is a leafy vegetable in the cruciferous family. Green spoon-shaped leaves with slightly flattened stems are collected in a rosette with a diameter of 30 cm and fit tightly to each other. Outside of China, as a rule, two varieties of this vegetable are common: with light green petioles and leaves, as well as a variety with dark green leaves and white petioles.
In different regions, this cabbage is called by different names, including pak choi, Chinese kale, mustard or celery cabbage, white mustard celery, Chinese chard. And in translation from Chinese, the name "pak-choi" means "horse ear", and I must say there is a reason - external similarities are obvious. And although in the official classification of plants this culture is credited to varieties of cabbage, but recently researchers who have carefully studied the characteristics of this culture have come to the conclusion that bok choy is not cabbage at all. Experts say that in fact, from the point of view of botany, this is a variety. Perhaps, over time, biologists will revise the official classification and enroll the “horse ear” to the turnip, but for now we continue to call this culture cabbage.
Chemical composition and nutritional value
The benefits of Chinese kale are determined primarily by the chemical composition of the product. This vegetable is rich in many vitamins and minerals. In particular, it is excellent as a source of vitamins A, C, and K, and contains surprisingly large reserves of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, and sodium. Interestingly, this leafy vegetable contains almost as much vitamin A as in, and bok choy surpasses all other salad crops in vitamin C concentration. In addition, bok choy is rich in fiber and essential amino acids.
| 13 kcal | |
| 1.5 g | |
| 2.2 g | |
| 0.2 g | |
| 95.3 g | |
| 1 g | |
| 0.8 g | |
| 2681 mg | |
| 0.04 mg | |
| 0.07 mg | |
| 0.75 mg | |
| 6.4 mg | |
| 0.09 mg | |
| 0.19 mg | |
| 45 mg | |
| 0.09 mg | |
| 45.5 mcg | |
| 65 mg | |
| 252 mg | |
| 19 mg | |
| 105 mg | |
| 37 mg | |
| 0.16 mg | |
| 0.8 mg | |
| 0.19 mg | |
| 0.02 µg | |
| 0.5 µg |
Beneficial features
In the East, the healing properties of kale have been known for several centuries. Modern research indicates that bok choy may be beneficial for the immune system, it promotes proper metabolism and supports the health of the body at the cellular level. It is known that this vegetable is good for the heart and eyes, removes toxins from the body and contains more than 70 antioxidant substances.
Think vitamin C is only found in sour fruits? Bok choy also has a lot of ascorbic acid, due to which the beneficial properties of the vegetable are significantly expanded. It is well known that vitamin C is essential for maintaining the immune system. But besides this, ascorbic acid is an indispensable participant in the process of collagen formation, which is necessary to maintain skin elasticity and elasticity of blood vessels. For the circulatory system, bok choy is also useful in that it prevents excessive formation of platelets, and also increases hemoglobin.
Pak choy is a low-calorie, high-fiber food. Because of this, it is useful for people who want to lose weight. In addition, dietary fiber makes cabbage good for the intestines. It helps to remove toxins from the body, and also helps to reduce.
How to grow
Pak-choi for our regions is still exotic. But its popularity is growing rapidly.
Since the climatic conditions make it possible to grow this vegetable in our gardens, many summer residents have begun to “populate” their gardens with this useful crop. And very successful. Bok choy is a frost-resistant early ripening vegetable (no more than 30 days pass from the day of sowing to harvest). In latitudes with a warm climate, 5 crops of kale can be harvested per year.
The most suitable for growing in our climatic conditions, cabbage varieties "Prima", "Swallow", "Gipro" and "Four Seasons". These varieties are resistant to pests, unpretentious to care for, have excellent taste characteristics and give good yields. But for a rich harvest, you should not plant bok choy in the garden where other varieties of cabbage grew before. By the way, the maximum yield should be expected from seeds planted in June.
It is also interesting that bok-choy in the garden pleases not only gardeners and cooks, but also landscape designers. They use leafy Chinese cabbage for landscaping flower beds. One of the most winning combinations is bok choy and marigold. And by the way, such a neighborhood will save cabbage from pests.
Chinese kale is rapidly conquering the Western world. Having tried this amazing salad vegetable once, it is difficult to refuse it in the future. Bok choy is the case when nature combined an incredible amount of useful properties in one plant. And a person has only to learn how to properly cook this greens and enjoy its benefits.
If salads from fresh white or Beijing cabbage regularly appear on your table, then you will certainly be interested in a close relative of these crops - cabbage (bok choy). This Chinese woman (Brassica chinensis) is still rarely found in our beds, which certainly needs to be corrected. After all, vitamin pak-choi, unlike its cabbage sisters, has a more accommodating character and begins to ask for a table a month after planting.
plant description
This leafy variety of crops of the Cabbage family is also called celery or mustard cabbage for the incomparable taste of juicy crispy leaves, characterized by soft spicy notes and a very pleasant aftertaste. Therefore, Asians - lovers of combining exquisite taste and a pile of vitamins in one dish, have long noticed this plant and have been growing it everywhere for many centuries.
And the health benefits of eating bak choy are truly priceless. Vitamins C, K, PP, A, B1 and B2, as well as essential phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium literally jump out of its beautiful leaves. The high content of lysine, fiber, pectin compounds, biologically active enzymes and citric acid adds to its merits. And the best part: pak choy can be consumed in unlimited quantities, thereby increasing the tone of the body. 100 g of this dietary product contains only 13 kcal, which will not affect the waist in any way.
In addition, this Chinese woman allows you to carry out a wide variety of culinary manipulations with her. Its leaves are suitable not only for preparing fresh salads and snacks, but also for cooking, stewing, frying, baking and marinating.
Delicious pak choi will decorate not only the table, but also the garden, as it forms a very decorative rosette of leaves, similar to a fancy vase. Depending on the variety, such a "vase" reaches a height of 20 to 50 cm, a diameter of up to 40-45 cm, and may have different colors of petioles and leaves.
In the first year of life, this biennial plant forms a rosette of leaves, and in the second season it throws out a tall peduncle. After flowering, numerous seeds ripen, which can be used for further reproduction.
cultivation
Pak choi is picky in cultivation and is highly disease resistant. It perfectly tolerates spring and autumn colds, so it will be an excellent addition to the usual diet during these "avitaminous" periods. Unlike the shrew, this one will tolerate any type of soil on the site and will not require such careful preparation of the beds for planting.
Amazing pak-choi feels great in cool, dank weather and can withstand short-term frosts down to -4 ° C without any problems. Therefore, the most favorable period for its sowing will be early spring, the second half of summer and autumn. During these periods, nature usually does not skimp on precipitation and reduces the length of daylight hours. But the long June and July days do not have a very good effect on the Chinese woman and often make her go into the arrow.
Landing
Pak-choi seeds can be sown in the garden as early as April - they germinate at a temperature of +3 ... + 4 ° С. At the same time, sowing is best done in small batches with an interval of 7-10 days. This will allow you to get a conveyor of juicy vitamin greens, because bak choy is most delicious at a young age, and quickly becomes coarse when overgrown.
If spring planting is planned, then it is better to prepare a bed for this crop in the fall. To do this, you need to choose a well-lit area on which solanaceous, pumpkin or legume crops have grown before. It is important that water does not stagnate on the selected bed after precipitation.
Then you need to make for each m² 0.5 buckets, 2 tbsp. spoons, 1 tbsp. spoon (or replace mineral fertilizers with 1-1.5 cups of wood) and dig the soil onto a shovel bayonet.
If the soil in the area is acidic, then hydrated lime, chalk or dolomite flour are additionally embedded in the soil according to the instructions. On heavy soils, it is better to loosen the soil by adding coarse sand or rotted sawdust for digging.
In the spring, with the onset of favorable weather, the beds are loosened, leveled and shallow furrows are made at intervals of about 30 cm. The seeds are moistened and planted to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. In order for the seeds to germinate faster, it makes sense to soak them in the solution 1-2 days before planting trace elements. With this approach, friendly shoots will appear already in 3-4 days.
When the seedlings form a pair of true leaves, they need to be thinned out, leaving an interval of 20-40 cm between the sprouts (depending on the strength of the rosettes of the planted variety).
seedling method
If you want to get appetizing leaves of this crop early, it can be grown through seedlings and planted in the garden at the age of 15-20 days, when the temperature in the greenhouse or on the street (when grown in open ground) rises to + 15 ... + 17 ° С. In this case, the soaked seeds are sown in a pre-prepared container from the end of March to mid-April (depending on the region of cultivation and the expected date of planting the plants in the garden).In order not to disturb the seedlings with a pick, which they do not tolerate very well, it is better to sow the seeds immediately in separate containers. To do this, two seeds are planted in each pot or cell of seedling cassettes, and with the advent of sprouts, a stronger specimen is left.
Pak choi seedlings are cared for in the same way as white cabbage seedlings. In the phase of 4-5 true leaves, the hardened seedlings are transplanted into a prepared bed in a greenhouse or open field.
Care
In order for the leaves and petioles of pak choi to turn out juicy and tender, it must be provided with regular watering. In this case, you need to adhere to the golden mean: the soil under the plants should always be in a moderately wet state. With frequent drying of the soil in the garden, the Chinese woman will grow rough and tasteless, and in a waterlogged area she can rot.
If you fertilized the soil in the garden with humus and mineral fertilizers before planting, then there will be no need to feed early-ripening plants. On poor soil, to get more lush rosettes, you need to carry out 1-2 top dressings, giving preference to natural fertilizers. Pak-choi responds well to a solution of mullein (1:10), on a bucket of which a glass of sifted wood ash is added.
To protect plants from other pests that encroach on all members of this family, it is necessary to dust the plantings with a mixture of tobacco dust and wood ash (1: 1) at intervals of a week. And as usual - the removal and loosening of row spacing after irrigation. To avoid this, you can mulch the soil in the garden with any available material (weeds), straw or rotted sawdust, which at the same time will reduce the amount of watering.
These simple procedures will make it possible to serve crispy vitamin pak-choi of early ripe undersized varieties to the table in 25-30 days. Tall varieties ripen a couple of weeks later, but they make it possible to get larger rosettes.
Harvest
Harvest this leaf crop as it matures. You can tear off individual outer leaves from plants, or you can rip off the entire rosette, then cutting off the roots.
Pak choi is best cleaned in the morning when it is most saturated with moisture. The ideal option is to immediately prepare a vitamin salad or other appetizing dish from it. But if you wash the outlet, dry it, wrap it tightly with cling film and put it in the refrigerator, it will be perfectly preserved for another 10-14 days.
Varieties
There are no problems with buying pak-choi seeds today - everyone will be able to choose for themselves the variety of “vases” of one size or another that they like. In addition, pak-choi may differ in the color of its ground part. Some varieties are completely light green, others stand out with snow-white petioles, and in others, green petioles are crowned with bright red-violet leaves.You can choose suitable seeds of this crop in our market, which unites large online stores. Take a look at the collection.
Chinese cabbage Pak-choi is widespread in eastern countries, Europe and North America, but is almost unknown to us. What is special about this vegetable, why it is worth growing it in your backyard and whether it is difficult to do it - read further in the article.
What is pak choi?
Pak choi or bok choy (Brassica rapa chinensis) is a leafy annual plant of the cruciferous family. It is especially popular with residents of Southeast Asia and southern China, and is increasingly capturing the markets of Europe and the USA.
In our country, the plant is not very popular. It is often called: petiole cabbage, Chinese leaf or simply Chinese. The last name is not very true, since Beijing cabbage is called Chinese.
Botanical description
Pak choi is an early maturing variety. An adult plant does not create a head of cabbage, but forms a lush rosette of leaves, which reaches a height of 20 to 60 cm, a diameter of 40 to 45 cm. It looks more like a lettuce than a cabbage. The leaves are located on thick and fleshy cuttings with an external bulge, tightly pressed against each other. The sheet is large, delicate, slightly corrugated. According to the color of the leaf plate and petioles, 3 main types are distinguished:
- Joi Choi. Bright dark green leaves grow on white petioles.
- Shanghai Green. Both leaves and petioles are light green. The leaves are a little darker.
- Red Choi. The petioles are green, and the leaves are green below and red-violet above.
Sort Joi Choi
Shanghai Green Pak Choi
Variety Red Choi
After germination, the cabbage forms a leaf rosette, and after full ripening, it throws out an arrow with flowers. After the peduncle ripens in varietal cabbage, seeds can be collected.
Pak choi has a branched, thin, shallow root system. The depth of occurrence does not exceed 15 cm.
Historical information
Pak choi is known as one of the first vegetable crops to be grown in China, where it still occupies a special place in national cuisine and medicine.
In the 19th century, it was brought to Europe, where it was liked and successfully grown.
Popular varieties
The State Register of Breeding Achievements includes many varieties of Pak-choi. All of them are recommended for cultivation in private farms and consumption.
Pak choi cabbage varieties table:
| Variety name | Vegetation period, days | Productivity, kg / sq. m | Plant weight, g | Description |
| Alyonushka | 45 | 9 | 1800 | Semi-spreading socket. Small dark green leaves with a grayish tinge, the petiole is fleshy. |
| stonefly | 25-35 | 2,7 | 250 | The socket is semi-raised. The leaf is light or green in color, slightly wavy along the edge, the central vein is fleshy, juicy. |
| Vitavir | 25-35 | 6,2 | 500-700 | Low, semi-folding socket. The leaf is short, somewhat pubescent, with a wavy edge. Petiole of medium thickness, short, green. |
| Golub | 25-35 | 6 | 600-900 | Rosette with a diameter of 40 cm. The leaf is medium, light green, smooth. Petiole of medium thickness, wide, short. |
| corolla | 50-60 | 5 | 1000 | The socket is sprawling, small. The leaves are rounded, smooth along the edge, dark green. Petiole narrow, short, white. |
| Beauty of the East | 35-45 | 6 | 700 | The socket is vertical, average size. The leaf is smooth, with smooth edges, green. Petiole medium, light green. |
| Martin | 35-45 | 10 | 1500-3000 | Semi-raised socket. Leaves are smooth and green. Petioles are fleshy, juicy, green. |
| Swan | 50-60 | 5-7,5 | 1100-1500 | The rosette grows horizontally. Leaves are oval, entire. Petiole fleshy, white, long. |
| Peahen | 50-60 | 10 | 1000-2000 | Semi-straight socket. The leaves are oval, smooth, green. The petiole is fleshy, without fibers, crunches. |
| In memory of Popova | 35-45 | 10 | 800 | Semi-folding outlet of medium size. The leaves are green, smooth with a slight wave along the edge. Petioles are white, flat, medium in size. |
| Chill | 50-60 | 6,5 | 1500 | The socket is semi-folding, medium-large. The leaf is light green, smooth. Petioles of the same color as the leaves are flat. |
| four seasons | 35-45 | 7,5 | 1350 | Semi-folding outlet of medium size. The leaf is green, smooth. Petioles lighter than leaves, thick, wide. |
| Chingensai | 35-45 | 3 | 120 | The outlet is compact. The leaves are even along the edge, smooth, green. Petioles of medium thickness, lighter than the main color, short. |
| Yuna | 50-60 | 5 | 800-1000 | Half socket. The leaves are medium in size, dark green, dissected, wavy along the edge. Petioles narrow, green. |
Useful properties of Pak-choy and its harm
95% of Pak-choi cabbage consists of water, it also contains many vitamins (A, C, K, PP, B1, B2, B9) and minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, sodium, phosphorus, zinc). It is a dietary product that contains only 13 kcal per 100 g.
Beneficial effect on the body:
- cleans from toxins and harmful cholesterol;
- improves the elasticity of blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure, supports the heart;
- promotes the renewal of skin cells;
- helps to heal wounds, improves blood clotting and hematopoiesis;
- used as prevention of oncology;
- improves immunity.
But there are some precautions in use:
- the vegetable contains glucosinolates, which, if consumed excessively, are harmful to the body;
- the enzyme myrosinase, which is found in all cruciferous, negatively affects the functioning of the thyroid gland, prevents the absorption of iodine;
To prevent the negative effect of the enzyme, cabbage is subjected to heat treatment.
- for those who suffer from the pathology of thick blood and take medications that thin it, the use of Pak-choi is contraindicated;
- people who are allergic to any kind of cabbage should be used with caution.
Preparations before boarding
You can grow Pak-choi cabbage all year round in a greenhouse and in warm weather in open ground. The plant is not demanding on the composition of the soil and does not need special attention and skill of the gardener.
Location and climate
When choosing a place for the garden, consider the following features:
- Good warm-up. Cabbage loves a well-lit area or partial shade.
- Soil moisture. Do not plant cabbage in an area where water will stagnate after rains.
- Soil acidity. Cabbage will feel best on soil with medium acidity pH = 5.5-7.
- Daylight hours. The best period for growing is considered to be early spring or the second half of summer-autumn. Long daylight hours, at the end of May, June and July, can provoke the plant to shoot arrows. Under such conditions, it will not be possible to get a good harvest.
Pak-choi cabbage shoots arrows and blooms with increasing daylight hours.
- Freeze resistance. Seedlings are not afraid of a short-term drop in temperature to -4 ° C.
- Predecessors. Beans, cereals, pumpkin, nightshade, onions can grow in the garden before cabbage.
Any kind of cabbage, turnip, radish, radish, swede will be a bad predecessor.
Land preparation
Soil preparation for planting Pak-choi begins in the fall.
Step by step work:
- Autumn digging. Dig the bed well, remove the roots of the plants.
- Fertilizer. Apply organic fertilizer (10 kg) and superphosphate (1 tablespoon) per 1 sq. m.
- Deoxidation of the soil. If your area has acidic soils, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of lime or 200 g of ash per 1 sq. m.
- Heavy soil. To correct the situation, add coarse sand or rotted sawdust to the site, dig it up.
- Spring digging. In the spring, dig the soil to a depth of 15 cm.
- Application of fertilizers. Add 1 teaspoon of urea per 1 sq. m.
seed preparation
Seed preparation does not require any specific actions and consists in:
- Calibration. Sort through the seeds and choose the largest ones. If there are not many of them, medium-sized ones are also suitable.
- Germination test. Prepare a 3% salt solution and dip the seeds in it for 5 minutes. Collect those that have surfaced, and those that have fallen to the bottom are suitable for sowing. Immediately, under running water, wash off the salt from them, and then dry them so as not to provoke premature germination.
- disinfection. Dip the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate, then rinse with water. This will protect plants from fungal and bacterial diseases.
Another way is to warm up. To do this, prepare hot water (48-50 ° C). Seeds are placed in a gauze bag and dipped in water for 20 minutes. The difficulty of this method lies in controlling the temperature of the water.If the temperature is more than 50 ° C - the seeds will lose their germination, if it is below 48 ° C - there will be no disinfecting effect.
- Germination acceleration. Seeds are placed in a container and filled with water so that it covers them. Changing the water every 4 hours, the procedure is carried out at room temperature for 12 hours.
You can apply a solution of Nitrophoska (dissolve 1 teaspoon in 1 liter of water). Keep the seeds for 12 hours. - hardening. Seeds are placed in the lower section of the refrigerator and incubated for 24 hours.
After that, the seeds are dried so that they stop sticking to the fingers and start sowing.
How to plant Chinese collard greens?
Pak-choi can be planted in two ways, which will be discussed later.
seedling method
For seedlings, seeds are sown in late March-early April. This method is good because it allows you to get an early harvest.
Work sequence:
- Seedling container. Prepare the required number of peat pots. It is recommended to sow seeds immediately in them, so as not to damage the delicate root system during transplantation. You can use peat tablets.
- Priming. Fill pots with potting mix, coconut substratum works well.
- Sowing seeds. You can put several seeds in each pot. And after germination - remove the weak ones.
- Close up. Seeds are covered with soil to a depth of 1 cm.
- Place for sprouting. It should be warm, well warmed up by the sun.
The first sprouts will appear 3-5 days after sowing.
To provide yourself with a constant harvest for a long time, you can sow seeds for seedlings in a small amount every 7-10 days.
You can transfer seedlings to the garden or to the greenhouse after 3 weeks. In doing so, adhere to the scheme:
- 40-50 cm - between rows;
- 20-35 cm - the distance between plants in a row, depending on the size of the rosette of the variety.
Seeds in open ground
Seeds can be sown in open ground starting from April, when the earth warms up to + 3-4 ° С or in July.
Seeding order:
- Method. There are 2 methods of planting in the ground:
- Ribbon line. When the seeds are glued onto the tape and stacked in rows. Or a groove is made in the ground and seeds are sown in it.
- Into the holes. The bed is divided into rows in each row, holes are made with a depth of 2 cm after 30 cm. 2-3 seeds are placed in each hole.
- Close up. Cover the seed with soil.
- Shelter. Cover the rows with plastic wrap to maintain heat and moisture. This will promote rapid germination.
- shoots. The first plants hatch in 1-1.5 weeks.
Diseases and pests, control and prevention
Cabbage resists major diseases well. Of the pests may be affected:
- Cruciferous flea. The pest gnaws large holes in the leaves. You can fight with the help of ash or ash and tobacco dust (1: 1), with which the soil is sprinkled. Another method is to cover young shoots with agrofiber.
- Cabbage white. Dangerous for cabbage are not the butterflies themselves, but their caterpillars. Tobacco dust is suitable for the fight. Leaves with pest eggs must be removed.
- Slugs and snails. They are removed either manually or with the help of special baits that can be purchased at the store and laid out between rows.
When using chemicals, follow the instructions and do not use them during the harvest period.
Caring for Pak-choi
Caring for Chinese kale is:
- thinning. It is necessary for the row-tape sowing method. Carry out the first thinning after the appearance of true leaves. Weak plants are removed, leaving 10 cm between them. After the rosettes grow and the row closes, carry out the second thinning, leaving 20 cm between the plants.
- Top dressing. It is needed only if fertilizers were not applied during planting. Apply organic fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season. For this purpose, a solution of mullein (1:10) or bird droppings (1:20) is suitable.
- Polivakh. Cabbage loves abundant watering. You can use the sprinkling method, but remember that stagnant water can lead to fungal diseases.
- Weeding. Remove weeds in the garden in a timely manner, this will help in pest control.
When and how to harvest?
You can try the first harvest 3 weeks after planting. Cut off young leaves leaving 2-3 cm at the root, more mature - even higher. This will allow you to re-crop on cut rosettes - cabbage quickly grows new shoots.
Cut leaves cannot be stored for long, so harvest as needed. If necessary, you can wrap the leaves in a damp towel and store up to 2 days on the refrigerator door.
If the plant was cut at the initial stage of arrow formation, it can be consumed, since the leaf has not yet lost its juiciness.
Leaves older than 50 days, for early varieties, are considered overexposed, become coarse and unsuitable for food.
You can see what Pak-choi looks like in the video clip. From it you will also learn the features of growing, caring, harvesting and what can be prepared from a vegetable.
