How to Grow Pak Choi
Cavolo cinese
When to Start
Sow indoors 6 weeks before last frost, or direct sow outdoors after frost risk has passed and soil reaches 8°C.
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Growth Stages
Approximate days from start
Care Essentials
- Incorporate well-rotted compost or a balanced granular fertiliser into the soil before sowing. Pak choi is a fast-growing crop and rarely needs additional feeding during its short growing cycle.
- Pak choi bolts quickly in heat or long days, so grow as a cool-season crop in spring or autumn. Cover immediately after sowing with fine insect mesh to protect against flea beetle — the biggest threat to this crop.
Companion Planting
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Growing Conditions
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- Direct sow
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Spacing & Planting
| Plant spacing | 20 cm |
| Row spacing | 30 cm |
| Sow depth | 1 cm |
| Mature height | 30 cm |
| Mature spread | 25 cm |
Care Guide
- Feeding
- Incorporate well-rotted compost or a balanced granular fertiliser into the soil before sowing. Pak choi is a fast-growing crop and rarely needs additional feeding during its short growing cycle.
- Watch for
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- Flea beetle (tiny holes in seedling leaves — most serious threat)
- Cabbage white butterfly caterpillars
- Slugs on young plants
- Downy mildew in cool, damp conditions
- Cabbage root fly
Pests & Diseases
Pest Flea Beetle
Identification: Tiny round holes in seedling leaves; small shiny black beetles jumping when disturbed.
- Cover immediately with fine insect mesh — prevention is the only reliable control.
- Delay sowing until late summer when flea beetle populations are lower.
- Pyrethrin-based insecticide spray as a last resort on uncovered plants.
Pest Cabbage White Caterpillar
Identification: Ragged holes in outer leaves; green or yellow-striped caterpillars on leaf undersides.
- Hand-pick caterpillars and eggs from leaf undersides.
- Fine insect mesh keeps adults from laying eggs.
- Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) biological spray targets caterpillars without harming other insects.
Pest Slugs
Identification: Irregular holes in leaves, often at night; silvery slime trails on soil and foliage.
- Scatter slug pellets containing ferric phosphate around young plants.
- Set beer traps sunk to soil level near the crop.
- Metaldehyde pellets (use sparingly and away from wildlife).
Disease Downy Mildew Peronospora brassicae
Symptoms: Yellow patches on upper leaf surface with grey-white fluffy growth on the underside.
Treatment: Remove and destroy affected leaves. Improve air circulation by thinning plants.
Prevention: Avoid overhead watering; grow under mesh which also reduces humidity around plants.
Disease Clubroot Plasmodiophora brassicae
Symptoms: Plants wilt in warm weather despite moist soil; swollen, distorted, club-shaped roots.
Treatment: No cure once established. Remove and destroy affected plants — do not compost.
Prevention: Lime soil to pH 7.0+, rotate brassicas on a strict 4-year cycle, and avoid importing infected soil.
Growing Conditions
| Min. soil temperature | 8°C |
| Germination temperature | 15–25°C |
| Base growth temperature | 5°C |
| Min. daylength to start | 10h |
| Photoperiod sensitivity | long day |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How far apart should I plant Pak Choi?
- Plant Pak Choi 20cm apart with 30cm between rows.
- Is Pak Choi frost hardy?
- Pak Choi is classified as Half Hardy.
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