[potter]

I am quite new to to veggie growing and to be fair, try but dont have much luck. Ive  tried cauliflower and pak choi and both bolted on me; I dont understand why,or what causes it or what to do to to stop it.   

Can anyone explain??

[SG6]

Pak Choi will bolt because they are "tropical".
By tropical I do not mean they need tropical temperatures but they need equal length day and night.

In the part of the world they come from that is the normal throughout the year, in the latitudes we are at they see an imbalance in the day/night ratio and so bolt.

I tried them last year and the same happened.
Did a search and found the reason above given in just about all explanations. And it made apparent sense, well it all tied together.

The suggestion was to plant for over the equinox when day/night is about equal. Means planting a bit before, getting them to grow then harvesting a little after the equinox. Day and night about equal the whole time. But a bit too much to make it worthwhile I decided.

As to cauli, not a clue. Sorry. Stress is all I can think of.

[blackbob]

I am quite new to to veggie growing and to be fair, try but dont have much luck. Ive  tried cauliflower and pak choi and both bolted on me; I dont understand why,or what causes it or what to do to to stop it.   

Can anyone explain??

sprouts and caulis tend to bolt on loose ground,weather also plays a major role.a long hot spell will fire them away if they go short of water.
i like to plant my brassicas very firmly,i use the shank of a ball pin hammer to firm them in.seems to work for me.

[potter]

Thankyou that helps a little to explain things, I have aslo been told that with pak choi it is because they dont like to be transplanted. I dont know though. I bought the pak choi from the garden centre already started, and planted them into tubs but the caulies I did last year I grew from seed. I did wonder if it was because of excessive rain fall in that instance, but I dont know!

[blackbob]

Thankyou that helps a little to explain things, I have aslo been told that with pak choi it is because they dont like to be transplanted. I dont know though. I bought the pak choi from the garden centre already started, and planted them into tubs but the caulies I did last year I grew from seed. I did wonder if it was because of excessive rain fall in that instance, but I dont know!



i know people who cant grow caulis to save their lives,most grow calabrese instead as it's a more forgiving crop.
i would keep at it though and stick with F1 varieties.

[blackbob]

not sure why my reply turned out like that lol.

[SG6]

My Pok Choi were not transplanted.
Grew them in 2 rows in a 36x12 trough from seed.

They germinated fast, as in 3-4 days then I had 2 rows of little seedlings. All looked good.

Then the centre bit of each grew to a stalk and proceeded to flower. Watched everyone do it. Since they all went that way I did a search and found the reason I gave earlier.

Still have the remainder of the seed, cannot think of a use for it. Don't think planting in mid August would really help but if I remember then I may try it. It should not be cold and the day/night split may be adaquate.

[Oliver]

not sure why my reply turned out like that lol.

Your answer 'turned out like that' because you typed it in the wrong place - that is:. you typed between the (sqb)quote(sqb)  ... (sqb)/unquote(sqb) marks.  Type your answer to a quote after the last  (sqb)/unquote(sqb)   

Note: (sqb) means square brackets - if I type a square bracket with the words quote, unquote, the whole thing goes pear shaped!
Oliver

[Oliver]

Can anyone explain?? why veg bolts ...

'bolting' means 'going for it' - in a vegetable sense, this means tying to make seeds before the proper time - like - better get a move on and make seed before I die -  sort of thing.  This can be caused by the reasons quoted by other posters, and in the case of some plants lack of water, too hot, etc. 

Beetroot, for example, is a good bolter, so if you use Bolthardy, this means it has been bred to cope with drier conditions.
Thats how I see it!
Oliver

[Ivor Backache]

Bolting is a term used when a plant goes to seed. With root crops that will be in the second year. Its not a problem because we lift the roots and store. Lettuce  is an annual and will bolt usually because they are not eaten quickly enough. The answer there is sow few amd often.

Brassicas are the plants usually associated with bolting. They are huge feeders and need constant watering. Preparation is very important. Winter digging I use up my compost heap. Spring when I fork over I use poultry pellets and blood fish and bone before planting out my plants. Make sure that the plant are well trodden in. They don't like moving in the wind. Sow cauliflower a few at a time. They don't stay compact for very long, and you may prefer to grow the smaller variety. Purple sprouting broccoli can become huge plants and need staking. There is a lot more work with brassicas but the results are worth it

[blackbob]

onion sets can also be a pain for bolting.if you dont want the expense of heat treated sets.make sure you dont plant out too early for your area,an early warm spell followed by a cold spell can trigger bolting.basically the onion thinks its just been through 2 seasons in a short space of time,so up pops the seed head.

[DD.]

Bolting is a term used when a plant goes to seed. With root crops that will be in the second year. Its not a problem because we lift the roots and store. Lettuce  is an annual and will bolt usually because they are not eaten quickly enough. The answer there is sow few amd often.

Not quite on the mark. "Bolting" is when the plant runs to seed BEFORE it's time. Lettuce will naturally got to seed when their time comes and is not neccessarily bolting.

On the other hand, my purple sprouters that ran to seed in the summer.........

With brassicas, it's often associated with lack of water & warm temperatures.

[potter]

OMG, what a palava, I cant believe how much there is to it all... Im going to keep trying though.

One other question then...

If the brassicas are thirsty little beggars do you still need to water if it rains? :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink:

[Yorkie]

The trouble with a lot of rain is that it only tickles the top couple of mm of soil, unless it's persistent and lasts a while.

If the soil is moist a couple of inches down, it's ok.  If not, watering of young plants in particular is advised.

[DavidT]

The main problem which causes bolting in brassicas, is too loose a soil. They need the ground to be very firm. In the case of caulis, the nearer to concrete the better. They also need the ground to be moist, not wet. And give sprouts some support to prevent root rock.