How to grow Chinese cabbage from cuttings is so simple and absolutely fun to do. If you are not doing it for yourself, it’s also a great fun project for kids. They will enjoy the experience of seeing what would ordinarily be cabbage scrap or waste turn into some really viable food in just several days.
So in this tutorial I set out to document my own experience growing Chinese cabbage from scraps. Many of these foods can grow from scraps. For example, I have grown onions from scraps here.
Some little education:- Chinese cabbage is known botanically as Brassica rapa. It is very popular in Chinese cuisine and is divided into two groups known as the Pekinensis Group were you have the napa cabbage and the Chinensis Group were you have bok choy.
In this tutorial I will be using the napa cabbage (also spelt nappa). I haven’t yet applied the same technique on the bok choy type of Chinese cabbage but I have a strong feeling it will work all the same. In my part of the world napa cabbage is more readily available than bok choy, the reason why I have gone with napa. So feel free to try the same on bok choy Chinese cabbage.
Materials you will need to grow Chinese Cabbage from Cuttings
You will need a shallow wide based container that can hold water. In this case I repurposed a simple grocery store punnet. You will also need a fairly good knife and some water. That’s all (of course apart from the napa Chinese cabbage itself).
Step 1 – Get some Chinese Cabbage
I went out to my local supermarket and picked up this nicely packaged nappa cabbage. This is how it looks, it is as long as a school ruler (30cm/12in). As you can see it’s totally different from the regular cabbage most of us are used to which comes in the form of a rounded ball well known as cabbage head. Although the Chinese cabbage is layered just like the regular cabbage head it is apparently elongated.
Step 2 – Cut the Bottom Part of the Cabbage
Take your full cabbage in Step 1 and proceed to cut-off the bottom part at about 3/4 from the top of the cabbage as shown here. The bottom part is the part you will need to set aside for the regrow. You will notice a radiant-like yellow centre of the cabbage especially if it had fully matured. This will beautifully transform in the next few days as shown in the following steps.
Proceed to cook and enjoy the rest of the upper part of the cabbage any how you fancy. There are so many recipes online on how to prepare Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage, to be precise.
Step 3 – Place Bottom part of Chinese Cabbage into Container
Next, take the container, tray, or punnet and place the earlier cut-off bottom part of the Chinese cabbage. Pour some water around it ensuring that only the very bottom is covered by the water. Take the tray and place anywhere where there is some light. Your kitchen windowsill is a good place although any suitable place with light and not direct sunlight will work.
Take care to replenish the water once per day or as and when you find that the initial water level is going down due to evaporation or the plant itself absorbing some of it. I also recommend changing the water once per day to keep it fresh and reduce chances of the plant rotting. Also keep in mind that too much water will cause the cabbage to start rotting before you get to soil planting stage.
Step 4 – Your Chinese Cabbage will start to regrow
Off the container water alone, your Chinese cabbage will start looking like this in a few days. Right in the middle you will witness the emergence of brand new green sprouts which should continue growing. The centre which was yellow at the beginning will gradually turn green. At the same time the outer layers from the original cabbage will increasingly loose life as new life emerges in the centre. Congratulations, this is how to grow Chinese cabbage from cuttings.
Step 5 – Prune the Plant
About day 5 or so, the green leaves are advancing. At this point this is all happening while the plant is using its own nutrients (as the water has non to offer). We now need to prepare the Chinese cabbage for planting in soil. Prune the dying/visibly weak or slimy white stalk surrounding the centre avoiding reaching the centre of the cabbage itself. Place the plant back in the water for another two or so days.
Step 6 – Transfer the Chinese Cabbage from Water to Soil
This has been a good run so far. For the Chinese cabbage to go to greater heights – literally – it’s time to allow it a life of its own in the soil. Transfer the plant into some nutrient rich soil. You can do this directly into the ground or in a sufficiently big sized pot. Dig a hole in the middle of the pot and insert the sprouting cabbage. Keep watering and looking after the plant. It will continue growing to the point of becoming full sized.
What is Next with you Chinese Cabbage from Cuttings?
Once you have your cabbage this far, you can take of some of the green leaves and enjoy in a salad etc. You have successfully regrown some food from a source which could potentially be thrown away.
Summary of How to Grow Chinese Cabbage from Cuttings
Here is a summary of how to grow Chinese cabbage from cuttings or scraps or bottoms as some would call them.
- Get a good sized Chinese cabbage
- Get a shallow tray like container with no holes beneath than could hold water
- Cut the bottom 1/4 of the cabbage
- Place it in the tray in number 2 above and water it
- Keep watering and changing the water to prevent slime building up
- Prune the white stalk around the centre leaving the greening leaves
- Transfer the Chinese cabbage to a pot or bucket or good old garden for growth to maturity in the soil
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