Green Pearl F1 Gai Lan Gai Lan Vegetables Seeds - West Coast Seeds

PRODUCT DETAILS

Easy to grow and delicious to eat, this Chinese broccoli is harvested when the flower stalks are 1-2cm thick, just before the flowers open. Each Green Pearl gai lan seeds plant can be harvested several times, and all gai lan varieties are relatively cold hardy for fall harvests or winter harvests if some protection is provided. Gai lan also makes extremely nutritious sprouts and microgreens. Its thick stems stay crunchy and succulent when steamed or stif-fried. Try heating some oil in a wok, and quickly frying one clove of minced garlic. Toss in some washed, chopped gai lan, and quickly add one tablespoon each of oyster sauce and chicken (or vegetable) stock, and a pinch of sugar. It's ready in just a couple of minutes.

• Delicious to eat
• Harvest stalks at 1-2cm thick
• Cold hardy
• Hybrid seeds
• Matures in 50-60 days

All About Green Pearl

Latin

Brassica oleraceae var. albogrlabra Family: Brassicaceae

Difficulty

Easy

Season & Zone

Season: Cool season Exposure: Full-sun

Timing

Direct sow every few weeks starting after the last frost date. On the Coast gai lan can be sown from April through September. Seeds will germinate in 7-10 days. Optimal temperature for germination: 10-30°C (50-85°F).

Starting

Direct sow gai lan seeds in a shallow trench and bury so they are 5mm (1/4"") deep. Water with a mist sprayer or through a fine rose watering can. Thin seedlings to stand about 15-30cm (6-12"") apart. Gai lan can also be grown densely in containers and treated as a cut-and-come-again crop of baby leaves.

Days to Maturity:

From direct sowing.

Growing

Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. Gai lan is a moderate to heavy feeder that does best in humus-rich soil amended with composted manure. Mix ¼-½ cup complete organic fertilizer into the row before planting. Gai lan does best in cool weather.

Harvest

Harvest stalks with the leaves and flower buds intact by cutting each stalk near its base. This may result in numerous tender side shoots. Always harvest before the flowers open.Seed Info In optimum conditions at least 80% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 170 seeds, per acre: 30M seeds.

Diseases & Pests

Slugs and snails – Slugs are attracted to beer, so place a little beer in a cup dug into the ground. Sprinkle broken eggshells around plants to deter slugs and snails. Flea beetles – Use row covers to help protect plants from early damage. Put in place at planting and remove before temperatures get too hot in midsummer. Control weeds. Cabbage root maggot – White maggots (larvae) attack all plants of the cabbage family. Larvae tunnel in and feed on roots of plants. Damage causes wilting early on, death of plants a little later on. Cabbage aphids – A hard stream of water can be used to remove aphids from plants. Wash off with water occasionally as needed early in the day. Check for evidence of natural enemies such as grey-brown or bloated parasitized aphids and the presence of alligator-like larvae of lady beetles and lacewings. Cabbageworms – Handpick and destroy. Row covers may be useful on small plantings to help protect plants from early damage. Put in place at planting and remove before temperatures get too hot in midsummer. To help reduce disease, do not plant gai lan or other Brassicas in the same location more than once every three or four years.

Companion Planting

All Brassicas benefit from chamomile, dill, mint, rosemary, and sage. Avoid planting near eggplants, peppers, potatoes, or tomatoes since the level of soil acidity those plants enjoy can cause problems for all Brassicas.