Repotting guide

When & how to repot Chinese Cabbage 'Michihili' (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis 'Michihili')

Also called Michihili cabbage, celery cabbage, Chinese celery cabbage.

More about chinese cabbage 'michihili'

About Chinese Cabbage 'Michihili'

Brassica rapa var. pekinensis 'Michihili' · also called Michihili cabbage, celery cabbage · edible

'Michihili' is a tall, cylindrical Chinese cabbage forming a tightly packed, upright head of crinkled, mild-flavoured leaves on crisp white midribs. A cool-season brassica, it is best sown in mid-to-late summer for an autumn harvest, maturing in around 70-80 days. Steady moisture and unbroken cool growth are key to firm, full hearts.

Mature size: Heads 30-45 cm tall, 12-15 cm wide; compact base spread

Watch for — Clubroot: Soil-borne brassica disease swelling and distorting the roots and stunting growth. Practise long rotations and lime acidic soil.

How to tell chinese cabbage 'michihili' needs repotting

Repotting on a calendar is less reliable than reading the plant. For chinese cabbage 'michihili', 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 cabbage 'michihili' 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 cabbage 'michihili'

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot. Chinese Cabbage 'Michihili'is grown for one season, so the question is really “how often to pot on” — keep moving it up before the roots circle. Upright, fast-growing biennial grown as an annual, forming a tall, narrow cylindrical head of densely packed leaves on prominent white midribs..

What size pot to step chinese cabbage 'michihili' up to

Pot chinese cabbage 'michihili' 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 cabbage 'michihili'

Pot chinese cabbage 'michihili' 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 cabbage 'michihili'

Pot on before it is root-bound. Check chinese cabbage 'michihili' 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 rich, firm, moisture-retentive 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 cabbage 'michihili' 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 cabbage 'michihili'

Chinese Cabbage 'Michihili' wants rich, firm, moisture-retentive loam, ph 6.0-7.5. Heavy feeder needing fertile, well-manured ground that holds moisture. Firm the soil before planting; limed ground helps suppress clubroot. 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 cabbage 'michihili' — frequently asked questions

How often should you repot chinese cabbage 'michihili'?

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot for chinese cabbage 'michihili'. Chinese Cabbage 'Michihili' is a seasonal crop, so you pot it on as a growing plant rather than repotting a perennial. Step seedlings up gradually into rich, firm, moisture-retentive 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 cabbage 'michihili' need?

When is the best time of year to repot chinese cabbage 'michihili'?

Can you put chinese cabbage 'michihili' straight into a much bigger pot?

No. Even a fast-growing chinese cabbage 'michihili' 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 cabbage 'michihili' after repotting?

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