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Celery petiole is one of the three types of celery. The seedling method of planting for this variety is perhaps the only way to obtain a crop. The period of its ripening occurs 80-150 days and therefore it is impossible to have time to grow it by sowing seeds directly into the ground in the country. The most common varieties that have already earned special attention are Golden Pen, Utah, Golden Way, Golden Self-Bleaching. These are not all proven varieties for growing petiole celery, but the most popular and common.
Germinating celery seeds
Before planting celery seeds, one should take into account its feature of poor and long germination. After dry sowing, the first shoots may appear no earlier than a month and will grow at random. There are a lot of gardeners who soak the seeds for several days at home before sowing, while changing the water several times a day. Due to the excess essential oil of the seeds, slow germination occurs, which can be accelerated with warm water around +60C. After the water cools, the oil will rise to the surface of the water, and then the seeds should be washed with running water.
After rinsing, they should be laid out on damp paper or cotton cloth on a plate, and packed in a bag for a greenhouse effect at home. To enhance this effect, the plate can be placed in a warm, dark place, but you should not forget to ventilate it and moisten the cloth or paper. There is another method of germinating seeds for seedlings at home. You need to take a jar, preferably a glass one, and send sawdust there. Having well moistened the sawdust, you can lay out the seeds mixed with sand. An unclosed jar is placed in a warm and lit place until germination, constantly adhering to regular watering and room temperature + 25C.
Video “Instructions for growing”
Detailed video instruction on growing stalked celery.
Preparing the soil for planting
The soil for planting celery seedlings is prepared in advance before sowing. Since seedlings are planted from late February to early March. If you prepare the soil yourself, then you will have to stock up on peat, humus and wood ash. The proportions of the mixture are 3/5 peat, 1/5 humus, 1/5 ash and a little sand. If you do not have these ingredients for preparing the land for seedlings, then such a mixture can be bought ready-made in a specialized store. In this case, an earthen mixture is suitable, which is also suitable for growing onions and other vegetables.
In pre-prepared pots or boxes for growing seedlings, they pour the prepared or purchased mixture of earth and water it with water. The seeds that have sprouted are carefully planted in shallow grooves, without disturbing or breaking off their weak roots. It is not necessary to sprinkle them with earth, you can simply press them in a little, but not deeper than half a centimeter, otherwise it will be difficult for them to grow. You can also grow celery seeds using the snow method. The processes are almost the same, only instead of daily watering the earth, the box is covered with a layer of snow, on which the seeds are laid out. When the snow melts, it will give the right moisture and deepen them to the right depth into the ground.
Care of seedlings
Care at home for already grown seedlings will not be difficult. The earth should not dry out, but water should not stand in the box either, spraying from a spray bottle is the best option. In a few weeks it will be possible to make the first top dressing of plants. Densely grown seedlings should be thinned out and dive plants when 3-4 leaves appear. Deepen the seedlings should be half the stem into the ground.
After picking, after two weeks it is worth feeding the plants again. But a week before planting in the country in open ground, celery should be hardened at a temperature of + 15C. To maintain this temperature, you can take the container to a well-lit balcony. When the moment of planting comes, it is imperative to water the plants.
Landing in open ground
You can start planting celery seedlings from mid-May. Between plants there should be at least 15-20 centimeters, and the rows between each other should be no closer than 30-40 centimeters. After planting, water and sprinkle with earth. Care includes fertilizing, weeding, loosening, watering and disease control. Petiole celery needs regular feeding and care after planting in the soil.
When exactly a month has passed since planting the seedlings in the soil, the first top dressing is carried out, the second with a very active growth of greenery, the third with increased root growth. For top dressing, 10 g of ammonium nitrate, 30-40 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g of potassium sulfate per 1 m2 are used. Beware of the development of celery not petioles, but a root, part of the earth is removed from its upper part and the lateral shoots of the root are pinched. The procedure should be repeated three to four times until the root crop is formed. Mulching around the plant will be as an additional care, watering should be moderate depending on weather conditions.
Do not let the earth dry out or stagnate water in the grooves of the beds in the country. Hilling for petiole celery is the most important thing in caring for it. It is carried out with the beginning of intensive growth and thickening of the petioles. If necessary, care for plants, the procedure is repeated. This will help to get bleached petioles without bitterness inside and delicate in taste. But there is another care method for obtaining tender pulp.
A couple of weeks before harvesting the celery in the upper part, the petioles are tied and wrapped with paper. Before the first frosts, the crop is fully harvested. On cold September nights with temperatures below -5 C, it is worth covering the celery with acrylic material. Despite all this, there are still difficulties in growing celery.
An ample amount of water in a vegetable may not show this outwardly, but its petioles simply cannot be eaten. Try to water the plant as often as possible, otherwise all the work and care may be in vain. The plant is not spared from the simplest shooting, it is a signal of drying up of the soil or untimely planting of seedlings in the country. Wherever there is good humidity, snails and various slugs can appear. To save the plant, you should weed out the weeds in the garden in time.
Rotting of the middle proceeds imperceptibly and the problem can be realized only by harvesting. The reason for this is putrefactive bacteria, which were formed as a result of stagnant water in the ground. When the soil is too dry or there is too much nitrogen in it, the petioles crack.
How to harvest and store crops
Depending on the ripening of the vegetable, the harvesting of the grown crop begins, depending on the climate, but presumably from August and may last until the first frost. Storage is no different from other root crops growing in the country. Petioles are cut from August, and its leaves as needed. Harvest can be stored dried or frozen.
Video “Practical recommendations”
Informative video with useful practical tips for gardeners.
