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Bok Choy experiment

Joshua States

pollinator

Posts: 148

Location: Alpine southwest USA

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posted 5 months ago

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Last night as I peeled the last leaves off a head of Bok Choy for the salad, I got down to the core and noticed some very small sprouts/buds on the core. This is always dangerous for me because I instantly start thinking how to make that grow into something substantial. So, much to the chagrin of my corporate office, I decided to see if I could make that core grow roots and possibly another head of leaves.
I wish I had taken a photo os the intial starting head, but I only have some pics taken this morning.
I cut a thin layer off of the core bottom and scored the surface lightly with a knife, inserted a couple of toothpicks and set it on the windowsill in a container. Within a couple of hours, those little sprouts had already started to react and open a bit. By this morning, I swear they had grown larger.

There are some new buds poking up from the base as well.

We will see where this goes. Ideally, I would like to see if the core will form roots that can be planted in soil.

“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”

Su Ba

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Posts: 2136

Location: Big Island, Hawaii (2300' elevation, 60" avg. annual rainfall, temp range 55-80 degrees F)

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posted 5 months ago

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Sounds like a great experiment! Keep us informed as it progresses. I’m really interested in what develops.,

It's never too late to start! I retired to homestead on the slopes of Mauna Loa, an active volcano. I relate snippets of my endeavor on my blog : www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

May Lotito

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Posts: 1757

Location: Zone 6b

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posted 5 months ago

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I did something similar last spring. After I used up the outer leaves of a Napa cabbage, I let the remaining part to root in water. Since yours had the tip cut off and apical dominance relieved, it has multiple side shoots developing. Once it roots you can transplant it in ground or in a pot. Likely it will bolt and you will have lots of free seeds.

Zone 6, 45 inches precipitation, hard clay soil

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Vitor Bosshard

Posts: 35

Location: Switzerland (zone 8)

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posted 5 months ago

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I also just did an experiment with bok choy, though I put them directly into the soil. Seems to be working great!

https://permies.com/wiki/157712/Grow-plant-cutting-PEA-BB#2432631

Vitor Bosshard

Posts: 35

Location: Switzerland (zone 8)

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posted 5 months ago

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Followup on my experiment. I was a bit worried that I got some growth just from stored energy and the cuttings would fail to root. But the plants keep growing vigorously, now with hot weather they bolted. I cut off the flower heads to try and get more leaves. Even if this fails, I already got a nice little harvest from my 2 transplanted heads.

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Shookeli Riggs

Posts: 96

Location: Kentucky

posted 5 months ago

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nice little harvest for just trying an experiment

Where my chicks have roamed no grass grows!

Joshua States

pollinator

Posts: 148

Location: Alpine southwest USA

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posted 5 months ago

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10 or 11 days into the experiment and we now have roots and flowers.

Now I have to decide.......If I plant this in dirt, do I let these flowers stay, or remove them to try and promote more growth?
Is Bok Choy self-fertile, or does it need another plant to produce seeds?

May Lotito

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Location: Zone 6b

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posted 5 months ago

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That's very fast! The bok choy is using energy stored in the stem now so it's better to pot it up in soil. Besides, it seems fungi are growing in the water already. You can start by using a small 4 inch pot in the shade outdoors to let the plant acclimate. When the roots are growing out of the bottom of the pot, transplant it in ground. The flowers will set seeds when pollinated. By the time the seed pods mature, the seeds can be sowed directly for a fall crop.

Zone 6, 45 inches precipitation, hard clay soil

Joshua States

pollinator

Posts: 148

Location: Alpine southwest USA

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posted 5 months ago

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May Lotito wrote:That's very fast! The bok choy is using energy stored in the stem now so it's better to pot it up in soil. Besides, it seems fungi are growing in the water already. You can start by using a small 4 inch pot in the shade outdoors to let the plant acclimate. When the roots are growing out of the bottom of the pot, transplant it in ground. The flowers will set seeds when pollinated. By the time the seed pods mature, the seeds can be sowed directly for a fall crop.

It's well into triple digit temperatures here now, so not really conducive for leafy greens. Speaking of leafy greens, I think what you are identifying as fungi is actually a piece of leafy green I put in the water to help provide some nutrients. Our water here is very hard and ground water in AZ has some heavy metal contaminants, so we filter it pretty seriously. I always add some vegetable matter in the water to provide something more.

I think I should put this into some dirt and see where it goes, but it isn't going outside for any length of time. I don't think it would survive in this heat.
I'll pot it up on Friday and see if it can take being on the covered patio this weekend.

Joshua States

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Posts: 148

Location: Alpine southwest USA

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posted 5 months ago

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I potted it up yesterday and we will see how this progresses.

Joshua States

pollinator

Posts: 148

Location: Alpine southwest USA

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posted 5 months ago

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After transplanting, the flowers kind of wilted. Should I cut them off to encourage growth?

I also put it outside for a few hours in a shady location and it developed some spots on one of the leaves.

I don't know what they are fom. Should I eliminate that leaf?

May Lotito

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Location: Zone 6b

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posted 5 months ago

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If you didn't smell anything stinky when you got it out of water and the stem is not getting soft, it's normal to be wilty in the first few days. The spots could be from humidity and light level changes, there is nothing to worry about.

I'd like to share just how hardy bok choy or Napa cabbage is. I recently thinned out some smaller plants and I basically just pulled them out bare root to replant in ground. It has been in 90s with gusty wind and full sun since then and the plants wilted in the first few days but nevertheless made it just fine.

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Replanted about one week ago in a different spot

Zone 6, 45 inches precipitation, hard clay soil

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