Chinese cabbage pak choi is one of the most popular cabbage varieties in East Asia. Because of its excellent germination, unpretentiousness to the soil and high nutritional properties, many gardeners in our country have begun mass cultivation of this variety of cabbage. We will talk about the secrets of proper planting and caring for pak choi in the article.
- Culture description
- Features of cultivation: requirements for soil, site selection, earliness
- How to plant cabbage pak choi in the country
- Planting and caring for seedlings
- Planting seedlings in open ground
- Features of growing
- Watering and soil care
- Top dressing Chinese cabbage
- More about the care features of pak choi
- Fight against plant diseases and pests
- Harvesting
Culture description
Pak-choi (bok-choi) - Annual (rarely two-year) plant of the cruciferous family. This variety of cabbage has no roots. Side-choy forms a rosette of leaves with a height 35-65 cm.
There are two types of plants: with white and green petioles. Side-choi belongs to the category of early and cold-resistant crops. The two-year-old cabbage in the second year of life forms a flower arrow. 
The roots of Pak-choi penetrate the soil no deeper than 15 cm.In greenhouses and greenhouses, bok-choy is grown at any time of the year, and outdoors in the warm season. The plant is only pollinated with Peking cabbage.
In addition, the pack-choi contains many useful micro-and macronutrients, vitamins and fiber. This product is often consumed by people on a diet or sick for diabetes.
Features of cultivation: requirements for soil, site selection, earliness
On the territory of our country are grown several varieties of cabbage pak choi. Breeders brought early and mid-season Chinese cabbage. 
The first category includes "Alenushka", "Golub", "Vesnyanka", "Corolla". These cabbage varieties ripen very quickly (the growing season is 45 days).
Mid-season varieties include "Swan", "Swallow", "Chill", "Four Seasons", "In Memory of Popova". The growing season of mid-ripening varieties 50-55 days.
Buck choi not particularly demanding on soil. It can even grow in an uncomfortable area. But the best place for landing will be sandy loam or light loam. The acidity of the soil should vary from 5.5 to 6.5 pH. The best predecessor is the cucumber. It is not recommended to plant pak choi in the place where last year another variety of cabbage grew.
It is also undesirable to plant a bok-choi in one place for more than two years in a row.
How to plant cabbage pak choi in the country
Now we will understand the main question: how to grow cabbage pak choi at home? Cultivation begins with planting seedlings.
Planting and caring for seedlings
For growing seedlings cabbage seeds are planted in peat cups at the end of March - mid April. Soil for seedlings can be mixed with humus for better seed germination. 
After planting the seeds pour water (cold water is undesirable).Seedling cups are best placed in a sunny place.
Under each sprout pour a little earth, then the plant quickly forms the fourth and fifth leaves. After five leaves are formed on the seedlings, it can be planted on a previously prepared area with cups.
Planting seedlings in open ground
To seedling Pak-choi quickly got accustomed, you need spraying regularly (2-4 times a day; spraying is carried out for 5-7 days). 
It is best to plant cabbage in the penumbra. Until the roots of the seedlings are mature, hot sunshine can harm it. It is better to plant seedlings in the ground in the evening or on an overcast day.
The distance between the rows of cabbage should be 25-30 cm. Dig into the soil before the first true leaflets.
Features of growing
Cabbage pak choi is suitable for growing on almost any type of soil. For it does not require special and meticulous care. However, subject to certain nuances, you can increase the yield.
Watering and soil care
Side-choi watering should be done until the plant has fully taken root at the landing site (we wrote about this in the previous section). 
After that, water only in cases when there is no precipitation for a long time (two weeks or longer). In such cases, 15-20 liters of warm water should be poured per square meter of soil.
The plant must spud for better yield. Do it for 20-25 days before harvest.
Sprinkle ground ash before hilling the soil. If there is a lot of weed on the plot, we need to weed it.
Top dressing Chinese cabbage
Absolutely no difficulties should arise when caring for a pak choi. The best option for feeding plants is to use the necessary organic and mineral fertilizers. 
You must comply with the amount of fertilizer per square meter, so as not to harm the cabbage. Otherwise, it may die or lose its taste and beneficial properties.
The same proportions of g / m² are observed when superphosphates are added. Replacing all the listed chemical fertilizers can be wood ash.
It is better to refrain from the introduction of nitrogenous fertilizers (as even if cabbage adds growth, it will lose its taste).
More about the care features of pak choi
Culture is prone to the formation of arrows and tsvetushnosti, so when growing you need to take into account some of the biological features of the cabbage. 
The processes of formation of arrows and tsvetushnosti are usually observed with a constant lengthening of daylight. To avoid this, some agronomists advise do not land pak choi before July.
For better yields, the soil around the cabbage can be mulched with rich compost or mowed grass. So it will be better to preserve moisture (this is especially necessary during dry periods of summer).
Fight against plant diseases and pests
Cruciferous fleas are the most dangerous for side-parasites. With the wrong care of the plant, they are able to destroy most of the crop. 
To combat the parasite should be the most frequent loosening and abundant watering. You also need to mulch the cabbage in the morning through the infusion of tobacco or wood ash.
To combat the cruciferous flea, the use of an aqueous solution based on the preparation Kinmiks is allowed. The drug is diluted in water according to the instructions and sprayed in the evening or morning.
It is necessary to regularly inspect cabbage leaves at the stage of their formation for the presence of cabbage whitefish eggs. If they are detected, you need to collect all the eggs and destroy them.
Garden slugs or rain snails also pose a serious danger to the plant in open field conditions. To combat these pests use bait based on bran or alcohol infusion. 
Snails can be collected manually. Effective drug to combat slugs is "Rodax".
All of the above drugs should be used strictly according to the instructions - the plant is very sensitive to any changes in the soil or on its surface.
Pak-choi is capable of accumulating harmful trace elements in leaflets, so it is best to avoid frequent spraying and fight pests using the manual collection method.
Harvesting
The first harvest of early ripe varieties can be harvested within 25-35 days after planting with pak choi in open ground. It is best to carefully cut the leaves of cabbage, and leave the roots in the soil. 
Then, under good weather conditions, the pack-choi will again yield a crop in 25-30 days. It is advised to uproot the plant only at the end of September, when the rainy season begins and weather conditions will not allow the cabbage to grow again and yield a crop.
Most often the plant is used for making salads. Pak-choi salad is made with the addition of tangerine, corn or peas. Fresh cabbage contains a lot of lysine, which has an anti-cancer effect.
Recently, many gardeners in our country began to actively grow pak choi. Due to the ease of planting and care, the popularity of this variety of cabbage is growing every year.
