Content
Root celery is a healthy vegetable with a high content of vitamins and minerals. To obtain greenery and root crops, the plant is grown as an annual, for seeds - as a biennial. It is not difficult to grow it, since caring for root celery in the open field is simple and even a novice gardener can handle it.
Cultivation methods for root celery
It is possible to grow large root celery only through seedlings, since the plant has a long growing season. If the seeds are sown in open ground, they will sprout, but even the early varieties will not have time to yield. Therefore, the seeds are sown for seedlings at the end of winter.
The highest yielding and popular varieties of root celery are:
- Apple - from germination of seedlings to the digging of root crops - 150 days. Root celery grows large, weighing about 200 g. Juicy greens and snow-white pulp are used for food.
- Gribovsky - mid-season variety with large rounded roots. The pulp is fragrant, with a good taste. Ripening occurs after 190 days. The variety is not whimsical to care for, has a long shelf life.
- Diamond - medium early, high-yielding variety. The vegetable grows large, reaching 0.5 kg. The snow-white, fragrant pulp can be tasted in early August. The crop is well transported and stored.
- Esaul - early maturing, unpretentious variety. It takes about 150 days from the emergence of shoots to the collection of the juicy, snow-white pulp.
- Egor - mid-season variety with round elongated fruits weighing up to 600 g. Snow-white aromatic pulp with a high sugar content.
Root celery of the Russian size variety is one of the most demanded. Since the root crop at full maturity reaches 2.5 kg. Juicy, snow-white pulp has a nutty taste. The variety is unpretentious in care, grows well in fertile soil. The vegetable is used as a healthy stand-alone dish or as a flavorful condiment.
How to grow root celery from seeds
Growing root celery outdoors is only possible through seedlings. To do this, you must choose the right seed, planting capacity and nutrient soil.
When to sow celery root for seedlings
For high fruiting, it is necessary to sow seeds for seedlings in a timely manner. Sowing can be started at the beginning of February, since young seedlings do not stretch and do not need additional lighting. But if you are late with sowing, then the harvest will be poor or will not have time to ripen. For the Central, North-West region of Russia, early varieties of root celery are suitable. In regions with warm and long summers, both early and late varieties of root celery can be planted.
The choice of planting capacity and soil preparation
Any container is suitable for growing seedlings: boxes, plastic or peat cups, containers or special cassettes.Before sowing the seeds, the container is scalded with boiling water.
The soil mix can be purchased at the store or mixed by yourself. To prepare nutritious soil, it is necessary to mix sod soil, peat, humus, mullein in a ratio of 1: 6: 2: 1. You can also mix vermicompost and river sand 1: 1. Properly prepared soil is light, loose, homogeneous and nutritious.
Seed preparation
Root celery seeds are best purchased from a specialist store. When buying, you need to check the expiration date, since germination lasts 2-3 years.
Since the seed has a high content of essential oils, it must be processed before sowing. For this, the seeds are wrapped in cheesecloth and placed in water at room temperature. The water needs to be renewed 6 times every 4 hours.
You can also carry out pre-sowing germination. For this, the saucer is covered with a damp cloth, the seeds are distributed from above, the container is removed to a warm room. During germination, the tissue must be constantly moisturized.
Planting root celery for seedlings
Fruiting and taste depend on properly grown seedlings. Seeds can be sown in 2 ways:
- Traditional. The container is filled with nutritious moist soil. If the sowing is carried out in a box, then with a toothpick, furrows are made at a distance of 3 cm. Treated seeds are distributed in the grooves according to the 2x2 scheme. The seeds are sprinkled with earth, covered with polyethylene or glass and removed to a well-lit, warm place.
- Under the snow. In the ground, grooves are made 7 mm wide, filled with snow along their entire length. The crops are covered with glass and removed to a warm place. The good thing about this method is that you can place seeds at the proper distance on a white background. Also, when the snow melts, the seeds will sink to the optimal depth, and the melt water will accelerate germination.
Pre-soaked seeds will germinate in 10 days, dry seeds will take 2 times longer.
Seedling care
Seedling care is not difficult. For growth and development, it is necessary to observe the temperature and humidity regime. The optimum temperature for germination is + 18-22 ° C. Until the sprouts appear, the soil is not irrigated, since the accumulated condensate will be enough to moisten the earth.
After the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed, and the container is transferred to the brightest place. Since in winter there is a short daylight hours, most gardeners carry out additional lighting of seedlings. But strong seedlings can be grown without additional light, since root celery is not prone to pulling when grown.
After the appearance of 2-3 sheets, the first pick is carried out. The second time at the age of one month. In each case, when transplanting seedlings into a larger pot, the root system is shortened by 1/3 of the length.
In April, properly grown seedlings should grow in pots with a diameter of 10 cm. At this time, they begin to harden, take out into the open air, increasing the residence time daily. Watering the seedlings is carried out as the soil dries out, since excessive irrigation can lead to the appearance of a black leg.
How to grow celery root outdoors
Root celery is unpretentious in cultivation and care. With the right choice of the variety and adherence to agrotechnical rules, even a novice gardener can grow a vegetable.
The timing of planting root celery in the ground
Celery is planted in a permanent place at the age of 70-80 days. Since the plant is not frost-resistant and can die in unheated soil, there is no need to rush with planting. The optimum soil temperature should be + 10 ° C and above. There are no definite landing dates, it all depends on the region and climatic conditions.Seedlings can be planted under the film in mid or early May. If you are late with planting dates, the root celery will outgrow and yield a meager crop.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
The area under the root celery should be in a well-lit area. On swampy soil and with a close occurrence of groundwater, seedlings are planted in high beds, since the increased moisture content of the soil leads to the death of the plant. Root celery will best grow on:
- loamy soil with a high humus content;
- cultivated peat bog;
- fertile low-lying soil.
Potatoes and all types of cabbage are optimal precursors. Celery beds can be made in the neighborhood, where onions, cucumbers, lettuce, beets will grow. Tomatoes, potatoes, legumes will be bad neighbors.
Planting root celery outdoors
Since root celery forms a powerful leaf rosette and a large root crop during growth, the distance between plantings should not be less than 30-40 cm, between rows - 70 cm.
Spill the prepared well, add 1 tbsp. l. wood ash and seedlings are planted. The plant is carefully sprinkled with earth, the top layer is tamped. So that there are no air voids left between the roots, the landing is spilled abundantly. After irrigation, the surface is sprinkled with dry earth and mulched.
For quick adaptation, seedlings are planted in cloudy, calm weather. After planting, the bed is covered with a covering material to protect it from spring frosts.
Root celery is grown according to all agrotechnical rules. Care consists in weeding, loosening, watering and feeding.
How to feed celery and how to water
Root celery is a moisture-loving plant. Therefore, he needs regular, abundant watering. Irrigation is carried out after transplanting and before harvesting. The main rule in care is to prevent the soil from drying out and waterlogged. As a rule, watering is carried out every 2-3 days early in the morning or late in the evening.
At the stage of growing green mass, the plant needs nitrogen, during the formation of root crops - in potassium, for better ripening - in phosphorus. The first feeding is applied 2 weeks after transplanting. To do this, you can use a green fertilizer made from nettles. Ash infusion is used as potassium-phosphorus feeding.
Weeding and loosening
After each watering, the soil must be loosened, as this is an important point in the care. This procedure will allow air to penetrate into the lower soil layer, which will lead to better root formation.
It is not recommended to huddle root celery, since an earthen embankment leads to a decrease in yield. On the contrary, as the root crop grows, the soil is raked away from the plant. With this approach, the root crop grows large and regular in shape.
Weeding is necessary regularly, as weeds are carriers of diseases, and it limits the growth of celery.
Removing excess leaves and roots
Root celery has edible and fleshy, succulent leaves. But with a massive cut of green mass, it can harm the taste of the vegetable. Therefore, only 1-2 leaves can be cut daily. It is better to remove the lowermost leaves.
How to grow root celery without a beard
Planting and caring for root celery is not difficult, but often when harvesting, gardeners observe a large number of small roots on the root crop.
To make the vegetable look attractive, grow large, juicy and fragrant, it is necessary to remove excess soil as it grows. In the course of the care carried out, a large number of lateral small roots can be found. They must be removed, since they not only spoil the presentation, but also suck out all the nutrients from the vegetable, making it less juicy.
Protection against diseases and pests
With proper care, root celery rarely suffers from disease. But there are times when insect pests or various diseases appear on the plant. This is due to non-observance of crop rotation and with the wrong choice of neighbors. Most often, the plant appears:
- Cucumber mosaic - the disease can be recognized by the appearance of the foliage. Spots appear on it, yellow rings, between which a mesh pattern appears. The main vectors are aphids, wind, raindrops.
- Septoria - the leaves are covered with small round spots. As a result, the sheet plate curls and dries. The disease often progresses in spring, autumn in cloudy rainy weather.
- White rot - in the initial stage of the disease, the fungus infects the foliage, without treatment, it instantly moves to the root crop, thereby destroying the crop. It is impossible to get rid of the disease, therefore, the infected plant must be removed in a timely manner so that the disease does not spread to neighboring crops.
- Celery fly - with the onset of warm days, it lays eggs on the plant. The hatched larvae feed on the sap of the stem and root crop. Without treatment, the plant weakens and may die.
To prevent mass infection, you must follow the simple rules of care:
- process seeds before planting;
- regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds;
- observe crop rotation;
- when the first signs of a disease appear, carry out treatment: from insect pests - with insecticides, from diseases - with fungicides.
Harvesting
The harvest time for root celery depends on the variety and climatic conditions. Early ripening varieties begin to be harvested in early September, late ripening ones - in early October. Timely care is responsible for quality and quantity.
The collection time is determined by the yellowed foliage. But do not rush to harvest, as a ripe vegetable can withstand minor frosts. The ripe crop is easily pulled out of the garden, but when harvesting, you can use a pitchfork, trying not to cause mechanical damage.
After harvesting, the vegetables are inspected, the foliage is cut, cleaned from the ground and left to dry. After drying, they are laid out in prepared containers and removed for long-term storage. If root celery is planned to be eaten immediately, it is removed in a plastic bag and placed in the refrigerator. For long-term storage, celery is removed to the cellar, where the air temperature does not rise above + 1 ° C.
Is it possible to leave root celery for the winter
Root celery is often grown as a biennial plant by gardeners. In the second year, the plant releases an arrow on which seeds are formed. Celery care consists of watering, loosening and weeding. At the end of August, seeds ripen on the plant, which are stored until planting in paper bags, in a dry, dark place.
What to plant after celery root
Every gardener knows how important it is to observe crop rotation. In the garden after growing root celery, they will grow well:
- cabbage;
- cucumbers;
- bow;
- legumes;
- strawberries;
- grapes.
Carrots, tomatoes, spicy herbs, but radish after celery is not recommended to grow, since crops have similar diseases and insect pests.
Conclusion
Caring for root celery in the open field is an easy task, even a novice gardener can handle it.To obtain a rich harvest, it is necessary to carry out timely watering, top dressing, loosening and weeding. Growing root celery is not only getting a healthy root vegetable, but also a very interesting, exciting activity that requires a minimum of effort and time.
