Repotting guide

When & how to repot Chinese Broccoli 'Kailaan Green' (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra 'Kailaan Green')

Also called Kailaan Green gai lan, Chinese kale cultivar.

More about chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'

About Chinese Broccoli 'Kailaan Green'

Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra 'Kailaan Green' · also called Kailaan Green gai lan, Chinese kale cultivar · edible

'Kailaan Green' is a gai lan (Chinese broccoli), grown for its thick, sweet flowering stems, blue-green leaves and small white-budded heads rather than a large curd. A fast cool-season brassica, it is harvested young as whole stems before the buds open. Flavour is mild, broccoli-like with a faint mustard edge; it crops quickly and regrows after cutting.

Mature size: 30-45 cm tall at harvest; can reach 60 cm if left to flower.

Watch for — Clubroot: Swollen, distorted roots and wilting on infected ground. Lime to raise pH, improve drainage and rotate brassicas over 3-4 years.

How to tell chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' needs repotting

Repotting on a calendar is less reliable than reading the plant. For chinese broccoli 'kailaan green', watch for these signs:

Roots circling the bottom of the module or pot, or poking out of the drainage holes.
The seedling dries out within a day and growth has visibly stalled.
Roots are white and matted in a tight spiral when you tip the plant out.
It has outgrown its current container for the stage of the season — pot chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' on before it becomes hard root-bound.

For the underlying biology of a pot-bound root system and why it stalls a plant, see our guide to spotting and fixing a root-bound plant.

How often to repot chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot. Chinese Broccoli 'Kailaan Green'is grown for one season, so the question is really “how often to pot on” — keep moving it up before the roots circle. Upright, single-stemmed brassica with broad blue-green leaves topped by a loose cluster of white flower buds; sends out side shoots after the main stem is cut..

What size pot to step chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' up to

Pot chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' on gradually — a seedling jumped straight into a huge pot sits in cold, wet, airless soil and stalls. Step up one or two sizes at a time as the roots fill each container, finishing in a large final pot or the ground. The aim is roots that never circle and never check.

Not sure of the exact diameter? Our pot size calculator takes the current pot and root spread and tells you the right next size — it deliberately recommends a single step up, never a big jump.

The best time of year to repot chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'

Pot chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' on through the active growing season, whenever roots fill the current container — there is no single date, just "before it becomes root-bound". Avoid potting on during a cold snap.

Step-by-step: repotting chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'

Pot on before it is root-bound. Check chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' regularly; move it up as soon as roots reach the edge of the cell or pot, not after they have circled.
Step up one or two sizes. Choose the next container up — not a giant one. Cold, wet, unused soil around a small root system stalls seedlings.
Knock it out gently. Support the stem, tip the pot, and ease the rootball out without breaking it. A little teasing of circled roots at the base is fine.
Pot into rich mix. Set it into fresh fertile, free-draining loam, ph 6.0-7.5 at the same depth (tomatoes are the exception — they can go deeper to root along the stem).
Water in and grow on. Water well, keep it in good light, and resume feeding once it is established and growing again.

Aftercare

Water chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' in well and keep it in bright light; a freshly potted-on seedling can wilt for a day while roots settle, so do not overcompensate by drowning it. Do not fertilise for about 1 week — fresh mix already carries nutrients and feeding freshly disturbed roots scorches them.

The right soil mix for chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'

Chinese Broccoli 'Kailaan Green' wants fertile, free-draining loam, ph 6.0-7.5. Heavy feeder; enrich with well-rotted compost and lime acidic soils. A firm, fertile seedbed gives the best stem thickness. Always use fresh mix when you repot — reusing old, broken-down soil reintroduces the compaction and poor drainage you are repotting to fix.

Repotting chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' — frequently asked questions

How often should you repot chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'?

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot for chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'. Chinese Broccoli 'Kailaan Green' is a seasonal crop, so you pot it on as a growing plant rather than repotting a perennial. Step seedlings up gradually into fertile, free-draining loam, ph 6.0-7.5 so the roots never circle the cell, ending in a large final container. A root-bound transplant stalls and never fully recovers.

What size pot does chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' need?

When is the best time of year to repot chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'?

Can you put chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' straight into a much bigger pot?

No. Even a fast-growing chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' should only go up one pot size at a time. A vastly oversized pot holds a reservoir of wet soil the roots cannot reach, which stays cold and soggy and rots the roots — the opposite of what you wanted.

Should you fertilise chinese broccoli 'kailaan green' after repotting?

Not immediately. Wait about 1 week after repotting chinese broccoli 'kailaan green'. Fresh mix already contains nutrients, and feeding freshly cut or disturbed roots burns them. Resume your normal feeding routine once you see new growth.