Repotting guide

When & how to repot Spanish Sea Kale (Crambe hispanica)

Also called Spanish sea kale, Spanish colewort, Abyssinian kale.

More about spanish sea kale

About Spanish Sea Kale

Crambe hispanica · also called Spanish sea kale, Spanish colewort · edible

Crambe hispanica is a slender annual herb of the Brassicaceae family, native to the Mediterranean region from the Iberian Peninsula to western Iran, where it grows in grassland, disturbed ground, and cultivated fields. It grows to about 1 m tall, with lyrate-pinnate lower leaves and branching racemes of small white four-petalled flowers, and is related to the cultivated oilseed form grown commercially as Abyssinian kale. Young leaves are edible and the seeds yield an oil high in erucic acid used in industrial applications. No specific ASPCA toxicity data exists; as a Brassicaceae plant with no known toxic alkaloids it is considered mildly-toxic by precaution rather than confirmed safe.

Mature size: 60–100 cm tall, 30–50 cm wide.

Watch for — Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae): Brassicaceae family susceptibility means it can contract clubroot in infected soils, causing swollen, distorted roots and wilting; improve soil drainage and avoid growing brassicas in the same spot for at least four years.

How to tell spanish sea kale needs repotting

Repotting on a calendar is less reliable than reading the plant. For spanish sea kale, 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 spanish sea kale 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 spanish sea kale

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot. Spanish Sea Kaleis grown for one season, so the question is really “how often to pot on” — keep moving it up before the roots circle. Erect, much-branched annual herb with a hispid (hairy) base and lax branching panicles above..

What size pot to step spanish sea kale up to

Pot spanish sea kale 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 spanish sea kale

Pot spanish sea kale 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 spanish sea kale

Pot on before it is root-bound. Check spanish sea kale 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 well-drained, fertile to moderately fertile loam or sandy loam 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 spanish sea kale 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 spanish sea kale

Spanish Sea Kale wants well-drained, fertile to moderately fertile loam or sandy loam. Prefers medium to heavy, free-draining soils with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH; avoid waterlogged ground, which causes root disease in this annual. Always use fresh mix when you repot — reusing old, broken-down soil reintroduces the compaction and poor drainage you are repotting to fix.

Repotting spanish sea kale — frequently asked questions

How often should you repot spanish sea kale?

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot for spanish sea kale. Spanish Sea Kale is a seasonal crop, so you pot it on as a growing plant rather than repotting a perennial. Step seedlings up gradually into well-drained, fertile to moderately fertile loam or sandy loam 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 spanish sea kale need?

When is the best time of year to repot spanish sea kale?

Can you put spanish sea kale straight into a much bigger pot?

No. Even a fast-growing spanish sea kale 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 spanish sea kale after repotting?

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