If you’re growing bok choy, aside from dealing with potential pest and disease issues, the last thing you want is for your crop to go to seed.
When bok choy bolts, the leaves and stems can become tough and woody. The plants will stop growing, focusing their energy on setting seeds instead.
The flowers may be pretty, but they signal the end of your bok choy, or pak choi, as it’s often called.
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To learn more about how to grow this tasty brassica, check out our guide.
Now, how can you prevent this plant from bolting? We’ll share our best tips below.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:
What You’ll Learn
What in the World Does “Bolting” Mean?
How to Keep Your Bok Choy Happy
Plant at the Appropriate Time
Provide an Ideal Planting Location
Test Your Soil
Harden Plants Off
Water and Mulch Appropriately
What to Do When Your Plants Go to Seed
What in the World Does “Bolting” Mean?
When I first said to my partner, offhandedly, that the arugula in our garden would not stop bolting, he had no idea what I was talking about.
If you don’t either, you’re not alone! Let me explain.
“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 beforeharvest time arrives.
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.
Bolting isn’t a simple process. 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.”
Unfortunately, brassicas have a tendency to bolt. As cool-weather crops, their ideal temperature range is between 60 and 68°F, so anything too far above or below that range can induce bolting.
As a member of the brassica family, bok choy, or Brassica rapa var. chinensis, is no different.
Turnips are close relatives that are also prone to bolting, for example. You can read more about how to prevent the process in your turnip crop here.
So, let’s talk about how you can prevent your beloved bok choy from bolting before you get a chance to harvest it.
How to Keep Your Bok Choy Happy
The key to preventing bok choy from going to seed lies in keeping it as healthy and happy as possible. Here are our top tips for doing just that:
Plant at the Appropriate Time
The first thing to figure out is the ideal time of year to plant your crop.
Most varieties mature in 50 to 70 days after germination, and will require those cool daytime temperatures described above in order to thrive.
Nighttime temperatures should stay above 50°F; surprise frosts or sustained temperatures below 50°F can quickly drive your plants to bolt.
Younger plants are especially susceptible to bolting if exposed to cold temperatures, according to the experts at the Cornell University Extension.
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.
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.
In Zones 7 through 10, seeds are best sown in the fall, usually between September and November, for a winter harvest. In Zone 11, you’ll want to plant seeds out in January and select heat-resistant varieties only!
By following the planting guidelines above, you’ll have a fighting chance at keeping your pak choi growing in its ideal temperature range.
Read more about bok choy planting times here.
Provide an Ideal Planting Location
Before 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.
Keep an eye on the weather and make sure that if the daytime high temperatures are consistently moving much above 70°F you’re providing them with extra water and adequate shade to help the plants feelcooler.
Conversely, if predicted temperatures are going to be dipping too low, add an extra inch or two of mulch to the planting area and pop a few plant protectors over top.
They can help to keep your bok choy from getting too cold in the event of surprise frosts or temperatures below 50°F. It’s always a good idea to have a few in your gardening supply stash.
Test Your Soil
In their book, “Food Grown Right, in Your Backyard,” available on Amazon, authors Colin McCrate and Brad Halm explain that poor soil can cause plants to bolt.
Humorously, the authors say that bolting due to subpar soil and other stressors is like the plant saying, “I’m stressed out and unhealthy, and I believe I might be dying! I need to reproduce as soon as possible so the world will be blessed with my offspring!”
Pak choi thrives in organically rich, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5.
This is important because the pH affects how well the nutrients in the soil can be taken up by the plant. If the plant can’t properly absorb nutrients, it’s more likely to become stressed which can lead to bolting.
Before sowing seeds or setting out transplants, conduct a soil test to determine which – if any – nutrients you need to add to the soil.
Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are all important to growing healthy bok choy. If your soil test results show that the planting area lacks adequate amounts of these nutrients, amend the site accordingly.
For soil that lacks potassium, Maxicrop’s seaweed powder is an excellent source. Find it at Arbico Organics.
Harden Plants Off
I know, I know. It’s sohard to spend a week or two hardening off your gorgeous young plants when it’s time to transplant them out from your home, or from the nursery where you bought them.
But trust me: it’s worth the wait. Transplant shock can stress your young plants and cause them to bolt.
But if you harden them off by setting them outside for one hour the first day, two hours the next, and so on for increasing amounts of time until they’re able to withstand the conditions outside 24/7, you’ll minimize the risk of transplant shock and reduce the chances of bolting.
Water and Mulch Appropriately
Keeping your pak choi adequately watered is a crucial component to reducing stress and bolting. A dried-out plant is a stressed-out plant, and it’ll bolt more easily than a well-watered one.
The soil needs to be consistently moist but not waterlogged. In the absence of rain, you’ll need to water frequently so that the soil is never allowed to dry out completely.
As a rule of thumb, an inch of water per week should do the trick, but this will vary depending on the type of soil in your backyard. Sandy soil that drains quickly will require more frequent watering than heavier soils that drain more slowly.
Add a two- to three-inch layer of organic mulch around your plants to help retain moisture in the soil. But be sure to avoid placing it directly around the stems, so you don’t introduce rot or make them more prone to fungal disease.
What to Do When Your Plants Go to Seed
If your pak choi sends up a flower stalk, try not to panic. If the plant is young and has small leaves, you can harvest and eat them – and go ahead and harvest the flower stalk while you’re at it.
Whether unopened or opened, the bright yellow flowers have a bold, mustardy, peppery flavor that pairs well with all sorts of savory dishes.
You can also try leaving a bolted plant alone, allowing it to flower and set seed. Water it regularly and apply a balanced fertilizer every two to three weeks until the stems and seed pods are brown and dry.
Cut the pods off the plant, break them open, and scrape out the seeds. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark room for up to two years to plant out next year.
One Way or Another, It’s a Happy Ending
So, there you have it: the best ways to prevent bok choy from bolting, as well as a ray of hope to cling to if the unthinkable happens.
Have you ever dealt with bolting bok choy? Let us know in the comments section below! We love reading your stories and digging into your questions.
For more tips on growing bok choy at home, check out these articles next:
Bok Choy Spacing: How Far Apart to Plant Your Crops
Pak choi is susceptible to bolting (flowering prematurely), especially in hot, dry weather. So in summer, choose bolt-resistant varieties and keep plants well watered and shaded from midday sun. If plants do start to send up flower stems, remove these and add to salads or stir-fries before the buds open.
Pak choi is susceptible to bolting (flowering prematurely), especially in hot, dry weather. So in summer, choose bolt-resistant varieties and keep plants well watered and shaded from midday sun. If plants do start to send up flower stems, remove these and add to salads or stir-fries before the buds open.
If direct seeding in the garden, plant bok choy seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart. Rows need to be at least 18 inches apart. As plants start to grow, you'll want to thin them to their 6 to 10-inch spacing.
You can consume all parts of the bok choy plant, including its white stems and green leaves. Here are some ideas for how to prepare and eat bok choy: Chop it and sauté it with olive oil, garlic, and ginger as a side dish or to top a grain like rice or quinoa.
Occasionally, bok choy and other Chinese cabbages will have black flecks on the ribs, known as “pepper spot.” This is a harmless cosmetic condition that doesn't impact taste or texture.
The ideal temperature for bok choy is between 55 and 70 degrees F.(13-21 C.). Be aware that bok choy plant bolt can occur when nighttime temperatures drop below 55 degrees F. (13 C.).
Bok choy is quicker to mature and you can harvest it before head formation. A late July planting will be ready before cold weather. Plant seed shallowly, one-fourth to one-half inch deep. Plant three seeds every 12 inches for dwarf varieties, or every 18 inches for full-sized heads.
Once a plant begins to bolt, there's not much you can do. Cutting off the flowers won't do any good, so it's better to just let them go to seed. Bolted greens are still totally edible (and even healthy for you, Segale says—throw a leaf in your tea!), but they will have a more bitter taste.
Occasionally, if you catch a plant in the very early stages of bolting, you can temporarily reverse the process of bolting by snipping off the flowers and flower buds. In some plants, like basil, the plant will resume producing leaves and will stop bolting.
Once the flowers appear, the plant is well on its way to reproduction. You can certainly still harvest leaves or veggies if you'd like, but they may not taste very good. So, there's always Plan B: you may be able to let the process continue unchecked, and save the seeds for planting the next season!
Please note that tomatoes, broccoli, and other Brassica family members, like Brussels sprouts, will cause bok choy to bolt and eventually die. Peppers, being from the nightshade family, have the same impact on pak choi.
When to Plant Bok Choy. You can plant bok choy outside in early spring for a late spring harvest, or in late summer through early fall for a late fall crop. If you're planting the seeds in early spring, germinate them inside and move them to your garden soil after the last frost date passes.
Mixing coffee grounds into the soil prior to setting out starts helps control slugs and snails. Basil, bok choy, lettuce, Chinese cabbage — those little starts especially vulnerable to slugs and snails — could be protected with a band of coffee grounds around each start.
In equivalent raw weight, bok choy contains more vitamin C, vitamin A, and some other nutrients than spinach and around the same amount of calcium. Spinach, however, contains higher amounts of some other nutrients, including vitamin K, than bok choy.
Green vegetables (think leafy greens like spinach, kale, bok choy, and collard greens, and vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts), are among the best foods to eat for constipation.
For the most part, baby bok choy is a younger and smaller version of the full-sized variety of bok choy. Both of these crops are directly related to one another and are the same, except in size and flavor. Baby bok choy is sweeter and smaller compared to standard sized bok choy.
Holes in bok choi indicated a chewing pest. Close examination of the bok choi plants revealed small beetle larvae hiding down at the base of the leaves in the crown of the plant. These are the larvae of the vegetable weevil, a beetle that feeds on numerous vegetable crops as well as weeds.
Bok choy contains selenium, an important mineral that helps detoxify cancer-causing compounds from the body. It's also been shown to decrease the growth rate of tumors in rats. Bok choy's “superfood status” comes from the variety of disease-fighting nutrients packed into its green leaves and crunchy white stalk.
Bok choy contains vitamin C, an antioxidant known for fighting free radicals. It may help to reduce the risk of damage to your skin caused by the sun, smoke, and pollution. Vitamin C also plays a role in your body's natural collagen production and may help to fight signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles.
The first cause for bok choy flowering is heat. High temperatures can cause many cool weather crops to bolt. This is a natural response from the plants to begin the reproduction phase. To help avoid early flowering, make sure to plant your bok choy at the right time.
Bok choy is a biennial plant that is usually grown as an annual. It thrives in the cool season in locations with temperatures between 55 and 70°F. It doesn't mind the odd light frost and can withstand slightly higher temperatures, so long as the soil is kept sufficiently moist.
Bok choy can handle full sun, but it grows best in partial shade where it receives three to five hours of sunlight a day. Bok choy will require consistent watering, especially when growing in the fall when the temperatures are slightly higher.
Fill a container with around 1 inch of water and simply stand the base of the bok choy in the container. If the water starts to go cloudy, change it for fresh water. I usually change my water every couple of days, and top up with fresh every so often. Watch it grow!
Baby Bok Choy can be eaten raw or cook very lightly, stirring into finished dishes to help preserve the vitamins. Stirfry quickly – Whole or cut in half lengthwise – according to your recipe.
Bok choy: To regrow bok choy, save two to three inches of the base then submerge the bottom half of the bok choy in a small bowl or shallow cup of warm water. Place the bowl or cup on a sunny windowsill—within a day, you should start seeing new leaf growth in the center of the plant.
Sow bok choy in spring and again in late summer for harvest in fall. Sow in double rows, with rows spaced 10 inches (25 cm) apart. Plant seeds 2 inches (5 cm) apart and barely cover them with soil. Gradually thin to 8 inches (20 cm) apart.
Bok choy prefers being planted in soil that's recently been fertilized. A heavy feeder, it needs nitrogen for leaf growth and phosphorus and potassium. It's best to add fertilizers in the form of compost or a composted chicken manure at the time of planting instead of throughout its growth.
Cutting a few leaves at a time keeps the plant from feeling mature and ready to bolt. This is an absolutely necessary step for herbs; pruning them regularly ensures that they tasty throughout the growing season.
One of the biggest nuisances in the summer vegetable garden is bolting - when crops put on a vertical growth spurt to flower and set seed before the vegetables are ready for harvest. The result is inedible, bitter-tasting leaves or poor-quality produce with little that can be salvaged.
You can easily trim bolted lettuce with gardening shears or with a sharp knife, but since the lettuce will be bitter to eat, it's best to just pull the plants out. You can then replant if it's early enough in the season.
Bolting is especially common in heat-sensitive vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, bok choy, and other leafy greens. New gardeners are often surprised to learn that ALL annual garden vegetable crops eventually flower – even carrots, radishes, potatoes, beets, cabbage, spinach, onions, and lettuce!
Heat stress is the number-one cause of bolting, but water stress and pest pressure can also cause plants to flower prematurely. Even too much sun or wind can cause plants to make the switch to set seed. Stress of any kind signals accelerated growth so that plants will have a chance to reproduce before they die.
After a leafy vegetable bolts, it stops producing those nice, big, tasty leaves that you are growing it for. The remaining leaves will be smaller and tougher. Any further leaves produced will also have such a bitter flavor that you will not want to eat them.
If you find a broccoli flowering in your garden you may wonder whether it's still edible. It is, although bolted vegetables often become more bitter tasting. Ideally, aim to cut your broccoli heads at the tight bud stage, when the head is firm. If you spot a plant beginning to bolt, harvest the head immediately.
Flowering occurs as a natural part of the plant's life and generally doesn't affect the taste of leaves. Bolting occurs when a plant is stressed, often because the temperatures got too warm for that plant's liking. The plant wants to reproduce before it dies, so it sends up a flower that will go to seed.
Bolting helps the plant to maintain its species under unfavorable conditions by producing seeds before time. We can use the bolting method in commercial crops. Bolting helps in the treatment of Rosette formation of the leaves.
Bok choy needs fairly moist but never soggy soil conditions. Drought can cause it to bolt to seed too early. Your plants will need consistent watering, especially in the drier fall months. The best rule of thumb is to give bok choy 1 inch of water a week so the soil remains moist between waterings.
These greens will continue growing if you use them as cut-and-come-again crops, meaning you only harvest what you need in that moment. But they will eventually go to seed. Let them. This will provide you with fresh, better-tasting plants.
It is important to note that Bok Choy flowers can be consumed when they are still mostly in their tight green buds and are just emerging. The flowers can also be eaten when they have fully opened and are used whole or separated into petals.
Fall planting, depending upon your area, can occur from July through August. If you are in a sun beaten region, plant this crop closer to fall and be sure to provide the plants with shade.
In most cases, the grounds are too acidic to be used directly on soil, even for acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas and hollies. Coffee grounds inhibit the growth of some plants, including geranium, asparagus fern, Chinese mustard and Italian ryegrass.
It's entirely possible to grow this cool-weather veggie, also known as pak choi or by its botanical name Brassica rapa subsp.chinensis, in a container! The benefits of transplanting or direct-seeding bok choy in a pot don't stop with mere space saving, either.
Bok choy is not a fan of hot weather, so gardeners typically grow two crops, one in spring and another in fall. For spring plantings, start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost date.
Young bok choy is tender and delicious. Most bok choy is fairly limp, compared to heftier lettuces and other greens, so that's not necessarily a sign of quality. Avoid any especially soft ones, with brownness or other discoloration.
The cool thing is that both the leaves and the stalks can be eaten, and this wonderful little plant is an excellent go-to for fiber, as well as for beta-carotene and vitamins C, K and A. It's also a good source for calcium and vitamin B6.
What happens if you leave beets in the ground too long? During warm months, the beets will continue growing and the beetroot will eventually get too large, which can result in a tough, less sweet root that sometimes splits open.
Bolting is induced by plant hormones of the gibberellin family, and can occur as a result of several factors, including changes in day-length, the prevalence of high temperatures at particular stages in a plant's growth-cycle, and the existence of stresses such as insufficient water or minerals.
Abdominal Cramps And Bloating. Cruciferous vegetables such as bok choy contain high levels of fiber, which tends to cause increased gas production in the stomach. Consumption of these vegetables in large amounts can result in cramps and bloating, especially if you are not used to a high fiber diet (16).
Bok choy is a phytonutrient-rich vegetable with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce the risk of bladder, gastric, colorectal and endometrial cancers.
After some research, I learned that indeed all parts of the bok choy plant are edible including the flowers. The flowers are best eaten before the petals open. Interestingly, the bok choy flowers not only look like broccoli, they also taste like broccoli.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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