Kale bolting

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arnorrian
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Kale bolting

#1

Post: # 13101Unread post arnorrian
Sat Mar 07, 2020 3:40 am

Lacinato kale I planted in September is starting to bolt. Is thiis normal? The plants are small. I expected it to grow a bit before going to seed.
Climate: Cfa
USDA hardiness zone: 7a
Elevation: 140 m

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bower
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Re: Kale bolting

#2

Post: # 13103Unread post bower
Sat Mar 07, 2020 6:29 am

I guess if it experienced 'winter' it will bolt, regardless of size. That has been my experience with other brassicas that overwintered.
Lacinato is in the B. oleraceae group of kales. Not sure if they are all biennial.
You can eat the flower buds/shoots as "mockkoli". Or let them go and save seeds....
AgCan Zone 5a/USDA zone 4
temperate marine climate
yearly precip 61 inches/1550 mm

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arnorrian
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Re: Kale bolting

#3

Post: # 13106Unread post arnorrian
Sat Mar 07, 2020 7:16 am

I did expect it to bolt, just not this soon. The plants are only 20-25 cm (8-10 inch) tall. I thought they would grow for a month or two and bolt when it gets hot in may. I've seen this variety growing very tall, and looking like a palm, with bottom leaves picked. I guess I'll eat it now, and leave a couple of plants to produce seed.
Climate: Cfa
USDA hardiness zone: 7a
Elevation: 140 m

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worth1
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Location: 25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas

Re: Kale bolting

#4

Post: # 13108Unread post worth1
Sat Mar 07, 2020 8:05 am

Maybe something scared it and caused it to bolt.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

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You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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arnorrian
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Re: Kale bolting

#5

Post: # 13109Unread post arnorrian
Sat Mar 07, 2020 8:08 am

It is unseasonably worm since the year started.
Climate: Cfa
USDA hardiness zone: 7a
Elevation: 140 m

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GoDawgs
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Location: Zone 8a, Augusta GA

Re: Kale bolting

#6

Post: # 13116Unread post GoDawgs
Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:34 am

If it's gone through several cycles or even one good cycle of cold weather and then a warm period it's liable to bolt. My daikon radishes aren't as big as usual but they're starting to bolt too. But then, here we shift between real cold and very mild this time of year so bolting is always a possibility. In my experience It all depends on how long those cold/warm cycles are.

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Growing Coastal
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Re: Kale bolting

#7

Post: # 13120Unread post Growing Coastal
Sat Mar 07, 2020 10:03 am

The Russian kale flower stalks, before the flowers open, taste great. The stems are juicy and sweet. I don't know about other kales. Here, hummingbirds like the nectar of the kale and arugula flowers that bloom so early in the season.

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pepperhead212
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Re: Kale bolting

#8

Post: # 13155Unread post pepperhead212
Sat Mar 07, 2020 2:43 pm

Most brassicas that I've kept under cover through the winters has bolted in March, even if it had gotten warmer, on and off, in other months. I think it has something to do with the length of the days.
Woodbury, NJ zone 7a/7b

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AZGardener
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Re: Kale bolting

#9

Post: # 13201Unread post AZGardener
Sun Mar 08, 2020 11:37 am

I planted Lacinato kale seeds in the Fall (2019), one is bolting now. I have others I planted last Spring that show no signs of bolting.
Some years I've had plants grow for 2 years before bolting, others bolted the next warm season.
I don't know if it's because I planted it in the Fall or if it's just that particular plant. At the same time
last Fall I planted Scarlet and Thousand Head kale, neither are bolting at this point.
The first year I grew Lacinato kale (planted in early Spring) I thought it would bolt when the hot weather came but
it grew all summer in the blazing heat and didn't miss a beat. I wish I had a better answer for you.
USDA Zone 9b, Sunset Zone 13
Average Rainfall 9.5 inches
Climate: Sonoran Desert

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