Buk Choy vs Pak Choi

[SP8]

I've grown both individually in the past but as I use them for the same recipes etc I thought I'd just see how they went together in the same container. Previously I've planted all of my choy/choi seeds in their own container or spaced apart and as a result always end up with huge leaves very loosely bunched.

This time around I planted a heap of Buk Choy and Pak Choi seeds in the same container in order to keep the bunches more tightly packed and so I can 'cut and come again' with small leaves.

The Buk Choy and Pak Choi seed packets have very similar germination and maturity guidelines, however the Buk Choy seeds sprouted 5 days ahead of the Pak Choi seeds and have raced away as you can see:

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Veggie/BukChoyvsPakChoi.jpg[/img]

In future I don't think I'll bother with Pak Choi, any reasons why I should?

[DoubleDogFarm]

Bok Choy, Bok choi, Pak choy, Pak choi, choy sum, Shanghai Pak Choi , etc. are all basically the same thing. Some of it is a translation problem and some is variants of the plant. Some are even called baby choy.

So looking at the packages may tell you if you have a standard and a baby.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cabbage

[SP8]

Well like I said I've grown them both individually and they reached the same size at maturity but the Bok Choy did it a hell of a lot faster than the Pak Choi and was less reluctant to bolt.

[webmaster]

Why would one group grow faster than the other if they're the same plant? Could it be a difference in the seeds?

[!potatoes!]

that was gonna be my question, too, did the seeds come from the same source? and if so, what does that source say about the differences between? I've never seen one seed co. use both names. or are they last years' pak choi seeds?

[DoubleDogFarm]

We use this company for most of our Asian greens. It gives you some information on different variations. I guess you can call them different varieties, but have the same names

https://www.kitazawaseed.com/seeds_pak_choi.html

[DoubleDogFarm]

I aslo forgot to mention, we have noticed that baby choi seems to bolt more quickly. Choi are a cool weather crop and should be planted early Spring and Fall. Heat makes them bolt. Early seedling stress causes problems also. Not enough soil in the seed cells, and or erratic watering.

The flower heads are delicious. We sell them as stir fry mix or braising greens.

[SP8]

They may be in the same family but they are most definitely different plants from different seeds. In Australia Bok choy has a white stem whereas Pak Choi has a green stem. Bok Choy leaves tend to be more elongated and larger than Pak Choi leaves although they both mature to about the same size.

Perhaps like a lot of things they are called different things in different places.

[DoubleDogFarm]

They may be in the same family but they are most definitely different plants from different seeds

That works for me