Useful information

Asian guest performer - famous pak-choy

Pak choi or Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp.chinensis) - one of the oldest vegetable crops in China, today enjoying immense popularity in Asia and more and more actively winning fans in Europe. A close relative of Peking cabbage, it differs from it both in appearance, and in biology, and in economic qualities. Gardeners often confuse these plants, although they are completely different cabbage.

Chinese cabbage Pak-choy Prima F1

In our country, Pak-choi is not often found in the garden, although in terms of medicinal and dietary properties it is more useful than white-headed, in terms of cold resistance it is not inferior to head-headed species, and some of its varieties even significantly surpass this criterion.

Although this plant belongs to the cabbage family, it does not form heads of cabbage, it is referred to as green (salad) vegetables.

Chinese cabbage is extremely healthy. It is very rich in vitamins: C - up to 130 mg%, P - up to 180 mg%, carotene - up to 2 mg%; contains up to 90 mg% chlorophyll, as well as salts of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium. But its main value is a high content of lysine - an essential amino acid for the human body, which is rarely found in vegetable plants. Lysine dramatically increases the resistance of the human body to disease and has the ability to dissolve foreign proteins that enter the human blood. Therefore, regular consumption of this cabbage significantly reduces the risk of cancer.

There are two varieties of this culture. One has dark green leaves and bright white petioles. The other has both leaves and petioles light green.

Pak-choi forms an erect compact rosette of leaves up to 35 cm in diameter. Leaves on thick juicy petioles, smooth or bubbly, the color of which ranges from grayish to light blue-green. The leaves have wide juicy petioles. Compared to Peking cabbage, this plant is more winter-hardy, shorter in growth and does not form a head of cabbage.

In the countries of the Far East, there are many varieties of this representative of cabbage. But in Russia it is grown recently, therefore there are few zoned varieties.

Chinese cabbage pak choy swallow
  • Alyonushka - a variety with a medium-sized leaf rosette. The petiole is fleshy, of medium length, wide, thick, green.
  • Vesnyanka - super early ripening leaf variety for open and protected ground. Seedlings appear on 3-4 days, the first harvest in 20-25 days. The rosette is semi-raised, densely leafy, up to 35 cm high.
  • Martin - an early ripe petiolate variety of Chinese cabbage. The petioles are juicy, white, fleshy. The mass of plants can reach 1 kg or more, with more than half of it being petioles.
  • Swan - mid-season (40–45 days) variety. Erect leaf rosette, up to 40 cm in diameter and up to 50 cm in height. Plant weight up to 1 kg. Petioles are bright white, up to 35 cm long, up to 80% of the plant mass. The variety is relatively resistant to early steming, resistant to adverse weather conditions, suitable for thickened planting.
  • Peahen - mid-season hybrid of Chinese and Peking cabbage. Combines large leaves and wide, dense, crispy petioles. The leaves are bright green, the petioles are white, fleshy, juicy, without fibers. Absolutely resistant to stalking, so you can sow at any time. Plants are very decorative, keep well after cutting.

This is a very early ripening, unpretentious and cold-resistant culture. Gives good yields on neutral or slightly acidic soils rich in organic matter and provided with moisture. Very responsive to the application of mineral fertilizers.

It is impossible to place it in the garden after the cabbage and all its relatives, because their diseases and pests are similar; it is also impossible to treat with chemicals during the growing season in any case. However, it is quite resistant to diseases, and ordinary ash will help well against cruciferous fleas.

Its root system is located in the surface layer of soil 10–15 cm thick, the roots are thin, highly branched. An annual plant, blooms like a white cabbage; cross-pollination is possible only with Peking cabbage.

The leaves are coarser than those of Peking, but the air temperature above + 25 ° C does not tolerate well, it may get burns. Loves fertile, nutrient-rich soil, cool climate, high soil and air humidity. The plant retains its commercial qualities for a long time, and it can be gradually, as needed, eaten.

With early sowing, only a small part of the plants bloom in early April. When sown at the end of April and May, when the day length approaches maximum, the plants emit a flowering stem and bloom. Therefore, it is better to sow its seeds in mid-July-early August. On average, it takes 45-50 days from sowing to harvesting, and before frost the plants will have time to form large rosettes.

The soil under the pak choy, as well as for other cabbage plants, must be prepared in the fall. Before digging, organic fertilizers are introduced into the soil - 1 bucket per 1 sq. meter, 1 st. a spoonful of superphosphate and potash fertilizers and lime (if required). In the spring, as soon as the soil permits, it is loosened to reduce moisture evaporation. On the eve of sowing cabbage, the soil is loosened or dug up to a depth of 12-15 cm without turning the layer, after adding urea - 1 teaspoon per 1 sq. meter. If during the autumn digging organic fertilizers were not applied, then during the spring digging it is necessary to add humus to 1 bucket per 1 sq. meter.

It is better to grow this cabbage by sowing seeds in the ground in early May or by seedlings in pots, because She does not tolerate a transplant. After sowing the seeds, the bed is covered with foil.

When growing seedlings in pots, the soil mixture is made very loose. Seeds begin to be sown from the end of March at several times with an interval of 10 days. Seedlings ready for planting at the age of 20–25 days should have 4–5 true leaves.

When sowing in the ground, the seeds are sown in rows with a distance of 30 cm between them or nests. Seedlings appear on the 7-10th day. At this time, the main enemy for them is the cruciferous flea, which can turn seedlings into lace. Therefore, the bed must be pollinated with ash even before germination. In the phase of the first true leaf, the plants are thinned out to a distance of 15–20 cm.

A higher yield is obtained by sowing seeds in late July – early August. Seeds are sown in rows with a row spacing of up to 40 cm, after the first thinning, 20–25 cm are left between the plants. At this time, as a rule, the soil lacks moisture, therefore, to obtain a good harvest, abundant watering is needed, followed by shallow loosening. In dry weather, refreshing watering on the leaves is also required, preferably by sprinkling.

During the growing season, Chinese cabbage must be fed twice with a solution of mullein (1: 8) or bird droppings (1:12), and in their absence - with nitrophos (30 grams per 10 liters of water).

When harvesting, the plants must be pulled out by the root, which should then be cut off at the base of the petioles, and the outer leaves must be removed. If before the frost the plants are removed and dug in the basement in wet sand, then under these conditions the crop can be stored for 2-3 months.

Leaves are eaten together with petioles. The stalks of Chinese cabbage do not coarse, they remain juicy, crispy and tender all the time. They are distinguished by a pleasant original cabbage taste without bitterness.

This type of cabbage is used for salads, soups, side dishes. It can be fried, stewed and boiled. It is suitable for pickling, salting and drying.

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