How to Grow Pak Choy at Home in Malaysia (Soil or Hydroponic)
Grow pak choy from seed in pots or a simple Kratky hydroponic setup. Sowing, spacing, watering, feeding, pests and harvesting for Malaysian balconies.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Days to harvest
- 30–45 days
- Updated
- 2026-11-04
Yes — pak choy grows well in Malaysia, in pots of soil or in a simple hydroponic container, and you can harvest baby pak choy in about 4 weeks and full-size heads in about 6. It handles partial shade better than most vegetables, which makes it a good choice for condo balconies. The one key tip: keep it growing fast and steady with constant moisture and regular feeding — stressed pak choy turns tough and bolts (sends up a flower stalk) early.
Quick facts
| Item | Pak choy |
|---|---|
| Sun | 4–6 hours; morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal in the lowlands |
| Sowing | Seedling tray or sponge cubes, 0.5 cm deep; transplant at 3–4 true leaves |
| Germination | 3–5 days |
| Spacing | 10 cm for baby pak choy; 15–20 cm for full-size plants |
| Days to harvest | About 25–30 days for baby leaves; 40–45 days for full heads |
| Container | 15–20 cm deep for soil; a lidded, light-proof box for Kratky hydroponics |
Choosing a spot and container
Pak choy likes bright light but suffers in the fierce afternoon sun of a west-facing balcony, where it wilts, scorches and bolts. An east-facing balcony, a spot under a light shade net, or a yard corner that gets shade after about 1 pm all work well. With fewer than 4 hours of light it will grow, but more slowly and with longer, weaker stalks.
For soil growing, use a trough, polybag or styrofoam box at least 15–20 cm deep, with drainage holes. One medium polybag can hold one full-size plant or three baby ones.
Pak choy is also one of the easiest crops for hydroponics. A Kratky setup — a lidded box of nutrient solution with plants in net pots — needs no pump or electricity and suits balconies where soil and mess are a problem.
Soil and potting mix
For soil growing, use a rich, moist but free-draining mix:
- 2 parts potting mix
- 1 part compost
- Some cocopeat or burnt rice husk for drainage
Avoid heavy, clay-like soil that stays soggy after rain; pak choy rots at the base when its roots sit in water.
How to sow pak choy step by step
- Fill a seedling tray with fine, moist seedling mix, or soak sponge cubes in plain water if you are going hydroponic.
- Sow 1–2 seeds per cell or sponge, about 0.5 cm deep.
- Keep moist and in bright shade. Seedlings usually appear in 3–5 days.
- Give more light as soon as they sprout, so they do not stretch. Thin to the strongest seedling per cell.
- Transplant at 3–4 true leaves, about 2–3 weeks after sowing. In soil, space them 10 cm apart for baby pak choy or 15–20 cm for full heads. For hydroponics, place each sponge in a net pot.
- Shade for a day or two after transplanting while the roots settle.
Pak Choy Seeds
Mild, crunchy Chinese cabbage for baby leaves or full heads — suits containers and Kratky hydroponics.
New to raising seedlings? The seed-starting guide covers trays, mixes and light:
Growing pak choy hydroponically (Kratky)
- Use an opaque, lidded container. Light reaching the solution causes algae.
- Cut holes in the lid to hold net pots, spaced roughly 15–20 cm apart.
- Mix AB nutrient into water following the label. Fill until the solution just touches the bottom of the net pots.
- As plants drink, the level drops and an air gap forms; roots in that gap take in oxygen. Do not refill to the very top — top up only partly, so some roots stay in the air.
- Keep the container out of direct afternoon sun. Warm solution holds less oxygen and roots can brown and rot.
A TDS/EC meter takes the guesswork out of mixing. Use the calculator below to work out how much A and B to add for your container volume and target strength:
For the full method, see:
Watering in hot and rainy weather
- Soil-grown pak choy needs constantly moist soil. Water every morning; in hot spells, check again in the late afternoon. If leaves droop at midday but recover by evening, that is heat stress — some afternoon shade helps.
- Rainy season: make sure containers drain freely and are raised off the floor. Remove yellow outer leaves that touch wet soil, as they invite rot.
- Hydroponics: check the solution level every few days in hot weather; plants drink more as they grow.
Feeding
- In soil: mix compost in before planting. Start a liquid fertilizer about a week after transplanting and feed every 7 days at the label dilution.
- In hydroponics: the AB solution is the food. Do not add soil fertilizers to it. If leaves turn pale, check the strength with your meter and top up with properly mixed solution.
Common problems and pests in Malaysia
- Flea beetles. Tiny jumping beetles that riddle leaves with small holes, worst on young plants. Cover with fine insect netting from transplanting onwards.
- Caterpillars. Diamondback moth and other caterpillars chew holes and hide on leaf undersides and in the heart. Hand-pick every few days; spray neem oil in the evening; Bt-based sprays are another organic option.
- Aphids. Clusters on young leaves. Spray off with water or use diluted neem oil.
- Snails and slugs. They love pak choy after rain. Hand-pick at night; hydroponic boxes raised off the ground get much less damage.
- Bolting. A flower stalk shoots up from the centre and leaves turn bitter. Causes include heat, drying out and plants left too long. Harvest earlier, give afternoon shade, and keep moisture steady.
- Brown leaf edges (tip burn). Often linked to heat and uneven water uptake. Keep moisture even and shade the plants in the hottest part of the day.
More natural pest methods:
Harvesting
- Baby pak choy: at about 25–30 days, when plants are 10–15 cm tall, cut the whole plant at the base.
- Full-size heads: at about 40–45 days, cut the whole plant just above the soil or lift it from the net pot. Do not wait for a flower stalk to appear.
- Picking leaves: you can pick a few outer leaves at a time from larger plants and let the centre keep growing. If you cut a plant 2–3 cm above the base, it may send out a small second flush of leaves, but the main harvest is the first one.
Harvest in the morning, rinse well between the stalks where soil collects, and refrigerate.
FAQ
Can pak choy grow on a balcony with only morning sun? Yes. Pak choy is one of the better choices for part-shade balconies. Growth is slower than in full sun, but leaves stay tender.
Why did my pak choy flower so early? Usually heat stress, irregular watering or simply leaving it too long. Harvest at 40–45 days at the latest and give afternoon shade.
Is hydroponic pak choy easier than soil? For many balcony growers, yes — there is no soil to carry, fewer snails and no watering every day. You do need to mix the nutrient correctly and keep the container shaded.
What is the difference between pak choy and choy sum? Pak choy is grown for its leafy rosette with thick, spoon-shaped stalks; choy sum is grown for its tender flowering stems. See: