![]() Provide an Ideal Planting Locationīefore you go and stick your bok choy in full sun next to your carrots or bush beans, take a moment to consider this: while pak choi can technically grow in full sun, it prefers partial shade – just provide three to five hours of sunlight per day and it will do fine. Read more about bok choy planting times here. In Zone 11, you’ll want to plant seeds out in January and select heat-resistant varieties only!īy following the planting guidelines above, you’ll have a fighting chance at keeping your pak choi growing in its ideal temperature range. In Zones 7 through 10, seeds are best sown in the fall, usually between September and November, for a winter harvest. In Zones 5 and 6, sow seeds indoors in February or March for an April or May transplant, or direct sow outside in April or May. To help prevent these issues, gardeners in Zones 2 through 4 will want to start seeds indoors in midspring for an early summer transplant, or direct-sow outdoors at least two weeks after your area’s average last frost date – usually around late May or June, or in early July in some colder regions. Younger plants are especially susceptible to bolting if exposed to cold temperatures, according to the experts at the Cornell University Extension. Nighttime temperatures should stay above 50☏ surprise frosts or sustained temperatures below 50☏ can quickly drive your plants to bolt. Most varieties mature in 50 to 70 days after germination, and will require those cool daytime temperatures described above in order to thrive. The first thing to figure out is the ideal time of year to plant your crop. Here are our top tips for doing just that: Plant at the Appropriate Time The key to preventing bok choy from going to seed lies in keeping it as healthy and happy as possible. So, let’s talk about how you can prevent your beloved bok choy from bolting before you get a chance to harvest it. The flowers stay lovely for weeks, and even the seed pods are attractive. The fluffy clusters of flowers are composed of many small, star-shaped blooms, giving this plant its common name of blue star. You can read more about how to prevent the process in your turnip crop here. The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova There are enough species of Amsonia for everyone to find their favorite shade of blue. Turnips are close relatives that are also prone to bolting, for example. ![]() As cool-weather crops, their ideal temperature range is between 60 and 68☏, so anything too far above or below that range can induce bolting.Īs a member of the brassica family, bok choy, or Brassica rapa var. Unfortunately, brassicas have a tendency to bolt. As experts from the Michigan State University Extension put it, “Flowering in most winter annual and biennial plants is influenced by complex interactions between temperature, day length, and stresses of various kinds.” Once this occurs, the plant often turns tough and woody it’s no longer focusing its energy on developing juicy stems and leaves, but on reproducing instead.īolting isn’t a simple process. “Bolting” is a horticultural term used to describe the process when a plant sends up a flower stalk, and gardeners don’t want this to happen before harvest time arrives.
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