Celery is a root vegetable rich in vitamins and other nutrients. He is simply obliged to grow in our garden, then to delight us in the winter. Anyone can grow it. To do this, you need to learn the secrets and methods of growing it.
The first and important secret is the ripening time of celery. When buying seeds, you need to choose early maturing varieties. After all, celery fruits will be ripe and ready to eat only 4-7 months after planting. And it is better to grow it with seedlings.
Preparing Root Celery Seeds for Sowing
Capricious celery seeds lose their germination very quickly. Therefore, only freshly harvested seeds need to be planted.
The skin of each seed contains an essential oil that has a protective function. It protects the seeds from many unpleasant moments, but at the same time difficulties arise during their germination. That is why the seeds should not be immediately planted in the soil. First, they must be soaked in warm water and left for 48 hours.
Only germination of seeds can give greater efficiency than soaking. The method is standard for many seeds - in a small bowl you need to put a damp cloth and seeds on it. Until they hatch, you need to maintain humidity and change the water daily (or preferably 3 times a day).
Growing seedlings of root celery
The best period for sowing hatched or wet seeds begins around February 5th and ends in mid-March.
A mixture of sand and vermicompost (in equal proportions) is suitable as a soil. But the best soil mixture would be the following composition: mullein and sod land (one part each), humus (two parts), peat (six parts).
The boxes are filled with the prepared soil mixture and the seeds are sown. Since the seeds are very small, you can make holes for them with a match. One seed is placed in each hole. From above, all the seeds are sprinkled with a five-millimeter layer of soil and covered with a transparent film. The boxes are transferred to a dark and warm room. It is only necessary to moisten the drying soil by spraying. Seedlings will appear in about 7-8 days.
The emerging sprouts need sun, light and heat (about sixteen degrees) for further growth and development. The boxes must be rearranged on the windowsills, and sometimes taken out into the sunlight (on the loggia or balcony). It is impossible to water fragile and delicate seedlings, you can only spray.
The next stage - picking - is carried out when two full-fledged leaves appear on the seedlings. When transferring plants to separate containers, it is necessary to pinch the main root by about a third. The growth point of the seedlings must remain on the surface of the soil.
Before transplanting plants to open beds, you can carry out a couple of dressings. Infusion of chicken manure or a weak manganese solution is applied by spraying.
Planting root celery in the ground
There is no need to hurry up with a transfer - wait for real warm weather. The optimal time is mid-May. In order for the root crop to grow healthy and large, two conditions must be met:
- The distance between seedlings is at least 30 centimeters.
- The growth point must not be deepened.
Planting is best done in the morning, and even better in cloudy weather. On the day of planting, the plants need to be watered abundantly. If there is a risk of a significant nighttime drop in temperature, then each bush of seedlings can be covered with a glass jar or a plastic bottle.
Root celery care and cultivation secrets
Watering rules
Watering is carried out directly under the root, abundantly. The soil should not dry out, keep it constant moisture. From the day of planting seedlings to harvesting, it is necessary to regularly water celery.
Fertilizers and feeding
At each stage of plant development, different feeding is needed. There are four such important stages in total. It is also necessary to feed the plants four times.
The first feeding is necessary for celery for good rooting and rapid growth. It is carried out about seven days after the transfer of seedlings to open ground. At this stage, it is best to use an organic fertilizer, such as herbal infusion.
For such an infusion, it is advisable to use comfrey or nettle, but other herbs are also useful (for example, chamomile, rape, horsetail, and others). Such feeding will give the plants the necessary potassium and nitrogen during this period of development.
The second feeding is carried out two weeks later. Experienced gardeners recommend using an infusion of bird droppings or mullein as a natural fertilizer.
The third and fourth feeding is necessary for the plant to enlarge the root crop. Superphosphate fertilizer can be applied around mid-summer. And after a few weeks, feed the celery with a boric acid solution.
Loosening the soil
All plants (or rather their root system), including celery, need good air exchange for high-quality growth. Loosening the soil is one of the simplest ways to provide the plant with the necessary air. Therefore, it is occasionally recommended to loosen the aisles.
Hilling
Such a celery procedure is categorically contraindicated. As the root crop grows, on the contrary, you need to remove excess land from it. This will contribute to the enlargement of the fetus.
Pruning leaves and lateral roots
When the celery root grows in size, it is recommended to remove excess soil around it. In the process of this procedure, you can find lateral roots that have appeared on the root crop. They must be cut off. Such horizontal roots not only spoil the appearance, but also take away some of the nutrients from the main root.
Celery is a plant for which not only its roots, but also the leafy part are suitable for food. It can be used to make salads. It is better to prune celery leaves in September, when the plant should devote all its strength to increasing the size of the root crop. It is recommended to cut only the outer leaves.
Harvest
Since the ripening period for celery comes late, you will have to harvest the crop with the onset of October. This is one of the last vegetables to close the summer season. Root crops are not afraid of a significant drop in air temperature. They retain their quality characteristics even at low frosts. Even a three-degree frost, they endure with ease.
Probably, many now believe that growing root celery is really not difficult. It is only necessary to strictly observe the main points in the process of caring for this vegetable plant.
