Celery is known all over the world for its aromatic, pleasant taste and numerous medicinal properties. This culture is unpretentious, so it will not be difficult to grow it if you follow the long-established planting rules and follow the established care methods. Domestic gardeners grow three types of celery: petiole (stem), leaf, and root.
Culture Description
Celery is a well-known herbaceous plant. It is perennial and belongs to the umbrella family. This vegetable crop is characterized by a sweet-spicy taste and rich aroma. Initially, the plant grew in the Mediterranean countries, but over time it spread throughout the world.
Petiole-like celery is appreciated for its juicy, fragrant stems. Its petioles can be light green or white. If in the process of growing stems spud earth, then they grow white. They taste very tender, have less bitterness and last longer.
Advantages and disadvantages
Petiole celery has many benefits and is therefore so popular with gardeners. Among the main ones are:
- succulent stems;
- beautiful color;
- long storage after harvest;
- frost resistance;
- can be planted next to many vegetables.
Some disadvantages of stalked celery are also worth noting:
- does not like heavy watering and this should be carefully monitored;
- long growing season;
- average seed germination.
The best varieties and types
The most popular are the following types of stalked celery:
- "Gold". The plant is characterized by self-bleaching. Maturation is observed for 5 months. The stems have a light green color and slight ribbing. The yield is up to 5 kg per 1 sq. m
- "Tango". The plant is characterized by self-bleaching. Maturation takes place over 6 months. The stems of this species are green with a blue tint, rough veins are absent. The yield is good - one so-called “socket” can weigh 1 kg.
- "Malachite". The plant is self-bleaching, ripening lasts 3 months. The stems are light green. Slight ribbing is present. The yield is better than the previous version - 1 "socket" can weigh more than 1 kg.
- Atlant. The plant needs bleaching. Ripening lasts up to 6 months. The yield is such that 1 sq. m can be grown up to 3 kg of the described culture.
- "Pascal". The plant always needs bleaching, it ripens within 3 months. This type of celery is classified as a cold-resistant crop.
variety of petiole celery "Golden"
variety of petiole celery "Tango"
variety of stalked celery "Malachite"
variety of petiole celery "Atlant"
grade of petiole celery "Pascal"
Planting stalked celery
Gardeners recommend celery to be planted in the form of seedlings to obtain large root crops. It is important that 4-5 leaves are formed on it and the height of the culture is about 15 cm.
Some small varieties of celery can be planted immediately in the ground before freezing. However, small seeds are characterized by poor germination and require high temperatures for germination. Therefore, the best planting option is to grow seedlings.
Best of all, the described culture grows on loose fertile soils with moderate humidity. Celery will not grow if the soil is acidic. In order for the plant to give a good harvest, you need to properly prepare the site for planting. This will require:
- dig out the beds in advance from autumn, fertilize them with humus;
- choose a well-lit area for planting (the plant loves a lot of sun);
- plant the "right" neighbors surrounded by them (beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, white cabbage, lettuce).
Timing
The planting time of celery in the soil in different regions of Russia will be different. This is due to the varied climatic conditions. For example, in the Urals and Siberia, seedlings are planted at the end of the last month of spring. In the Moscow region, planting should be carried out in early May.
When determining the date of disembarkation, one should be guided by the temperature regime. The average daytime temperature should be at least 10 ° C, at night there should not be severe frosts.
Seed preparation
In order to make the germination of planting material as high as possible, the seeds must be specially treated before planting. To do this, they are placed in a weak manganese solution for a couple of hours, after which they are laid out on wet gauze for germination. In a few days they will sprout.
Sowing seedlings
The sowing process can be done in several ways. The standard looks like this:
- Prepare the soil and container.
- For the soil, mix peat, sand, humus and leafy soil in equal proportions.
- Before sowing, moisten the soil laid out in a container.
- Spread the seeds evenly over the surface of the earth (do not deepen), and lightly sprinkle them with peat on top. Then cover the container with plastic wrap.
Petiole celery seeds are always planted in early March.
Seedling care
Growing seedlings is carried out as follows:
- Place containers with planted seeds in a sunny place on the windowsill in the apartment, greenhouse or on the balcony (during the first 7 days, the air temperature in the greenhouse / on the balcony should not be less than +17 ° C).
- Water the seedlings through a sieve, as it is demanding on the method of watering.
- With the appearance of two leaves, pick a culture. The essence of the procedure is to cut the central root in order to strengthen the root system. After diving, the stalk is planted in a separate pot or in an ordinary glass.
Transplanting seedlings to the garden
Planting of the described plants in open ground is performed 90 days after planting the seed. This is roughly the beginning of May.
Before planting, the culture is left in the shade in the open air for several days. By the day of disembarkation, at least 5-6 leaves should be formed on the bushes.
If the seedlings have not dived, they will snuggle tightly against each other. In order not to damage it, you will need to fill the box well with water, wait for the soil to soften, and only then carefully separate the roots.
You can use an additional container of water to separate the sprouts. Before planting, the soil is loosened without fail, weeds are removed.
Petiole celery is planted in a row every 20 cm, there should be a distance of at least 30 cm between the rows, it is necessary to deepen the sprout 6 cm into the ground.After planting, the soil is compacted and well filled with water.
Outdoor Celery Care
In the open field, stalked celery will require some maintenance. To begin with, it should be said that plants should be planted in furrows with a depth of about 30 cm. The distance between them should be 40 cm. Be sure to lay humus in the trenches. Furrowing will allow the petioles to be whitened for a delicate flavor.
Self-bleaching varieties do not need to be planted in trenches. They also do not require hilling. But the disadvantage of such species is that they do not withstand the cold well and have poor taste characteristics.
The care process is as follows:
- In the first days of spring, before planting in the beds, scatter mineral fertilizers.
- 1 month after transplanting the seedlings, pour the soil with urea (per 1 sq. M it will take 1 tbsp. L.).
- As the seedlings grow, spud and water, preventing the soil from drying out.
- Weed the soil after watering.
- When the branches of the plant grow to 30 cm, they are neatly tied into bundles and wrapped with dark paper to bleach and give them a pronounced sweetness.
Caring for self-bleaching varieties is much easier, since it does not require binding of bushes and wrapping them in paper.
Top dressing
The first top dressing of celery in open ground is always carried out after planting, when it becomes evident that the plant has grown stronger. It is allowed to use a ready-made complex composition as fertilizer, but you can do it yourself:
- mix superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium salt;
- each component should be 20 g;
- dissolve all ingredients in 10 l of water;
- pour the solution under the root.
When celery begins to grow rapidly, you will need to repeat the procedure. The third time you need to fertilize when the stems begin to strengthen. Complex fertilizer is prepared in other proportions (superphosphate - 50 g, urea - 15 g, potassium chloride - 15 g).
Organic crops also provide high yields. For celery, you can use the following composition: water, slurry, bird droppings in a ratio (10: 2: 1). Fertilizer is applied at the root at the rate that 1 sq. m you need 1 liter of solution.
When watering plants with fertilizer, it is important to remember that the solution should not be allowed to get on the leaves. This factor can provoke illness.
Petiole whitening
Protect the celery stalks from sunlight to make them light and delicate. There are many bleaching methods. The simplest one is hilling with moist soil. The earth is sprinkled as the plant grows, leaving the growth point and leaves. The disadvantage of this method is that the stems are impregnated with an earthy flavor.
You can use another more effective bleaching method. What is its essence? The procedure is carried out in the middle of September before the harvest, in about 20 days. The stems of the plant are tied with a soft cloth, then wrapped in paper (without capturing the leaves) and tied with a tourniquet. In this case, there should be no gap between the paper and the soil.
Harvesting and storage
In order for the stalks of petiole celery to be juicy, sweet and fragrant, it is necessary to adhere to the technology of proper planting and harvesting of the plant.
The vegetable culture, in comparison with the root crop, is quite sensitive to low temperatures. Therefore, it is cleaned in the month of September before frost.
It is not recommended to overexpose the plant for more than 11-16 weeks from the moment of planting. Since it loses its taste and fibrous tenderness.
Store petiole celery by removing the root. Storage of the plant is possible in different conditions:
- in the cellar, it can be stored for up to 2 months (this is the best option);
- does not deteriorate in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks (if you store the stem without leaves);
- in the freezer;
- in dry form (stored for about 12 months).
What is celery sick with?
The most common celery diseases include:
- Rust. In this case, red-brown spots appear on the leaves of the plant and its petioles. Sprigs affected by the disease lose their taste and dry out. To prevent disease, treat seedlings with Fitosporin or Baktofit. Treatment is performed with Fundazole.
- Septoria It manifests itself as a yellow spot similar to a burn. Occurs on celery stalks and petioles. The diseased leaves dry out and the stems break. The source of the disease persists in the soil for 3 years and begins to appear in rainy weather. In this case, treat the plants with Fundazole 1 month before the harvest.
- Cercosporosis... The disease manifests itself as septoria, only spotting has a lighter color. Treatment is carried out with Fundazole.
- Downy mildew. A fungal disease appears in the form of spots of white bloom with black blotches. The whole plant rots from infection. The disease appears on acidic soil. Alkalinizing acidic soil with lime and disinfecting the soil in the spring will help avoid contamination.
- Cucumber mosaic. Viral disease manifests itself in the form of rings of different sizes. All affected plants must be removed from the garden. The carriers of the virus are ticks and aphids. The fight against the disease is reduced to the destruction of these insects.
Gardeners reviews
Olga Mikhailova, 54 years old, Noginsk.In order for celery seedlings to give the maximum yield, I advise you to carry out weekly feeding. In practice, I noticed that feeding with nettle infusion, the biological product "Shining" and vermicompost gives a good result. Our whole family loves celery. I often add it to different dishes.
Boris Nikolaevich, 63 years old, Nevinnomyssk.I have been growing celery since my youth. I noticed that during the growing season, it is necessary to safely remove the side shoots. Then the stems will be long and juicy.
Hide
Add your review
Observing simple rules and recommendations for growing, even an inexperienced gardener will be able to plant stalked celery in the garden. It is enough to carry out watering, feeding and pest control in a timely manner.