Celery takes a worthy place among the record holders for the content of vitamins and minerals. Growing root celery in your area will not be difficult, you just have to make a little effort and follow the rules of outdoor care. And so that time is not wasted, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules of agricultural technology.
Description and characteristics of root celery
A herbaceous plant belonging to umbrella crops is characterized by medium and large sizes (up to 1 m) with a voluminous root part. Preferred Habitat: moist soils, marshlands, salt marshes.
Brief description of external signs:
- pinnately dissected leaf shape;
- furrowed-branched stem;
- greenish-white flowers, collected in umbellate inflorescences.
Root celery is a biennial, perennial crop.
Features of the plant: cold resistance, high demand for moisture... Celery seeds are capable of growing at 3 degrees, although 15 degrees is considered the optimal temperature. Young seedlings are not afraid of spring frosts down to minus 5 degrees. The root crop has a rounded shape with a slight division into 2 parts, which are covered with threadlike ribs.
There are 3 types of celery in nature: root, petiole, leaf, stem... The root variety is especially popular, in which all parts have a strong aroma, have a sweetish-bitter taste. Due to its unusual taste notes, the plant is classified as a spice in cooking.
Origin story
The centuries-old history of celery has left a mark on Ancient Rome, Egypt and Greece long before our era. The plant was cultivated for various purposes: decorative, medicinal and even cult.
Leaves decorated dwellings and temples on holidays, the athletes who won competitions were honored by weaving wreaths of greenery.
Women already then appreciated the unique properties of the culture, using both the aerial part and the root crop forfor making masks... Thanks to the abundance of vitamins and minerals, the skin retained its youth for a long time. Celery was mentioned in the works of the ancient Greek poet Homer: Iliad, Odysseus.
The root crop came to Russia during the reign of Catherine the Great, but the plant was grown for a long time as an ornamental one. Decades passed before the culture moved from flower beds to garden beds. Until now, the most popular is the aerial part of celery, although the root also deserves attention.
Root celery leaves contain 5 times more carotene and vitamin C than other plant varieties.
Correct cultivation techniques in the garden
In general, the agricultural technology of celery is simple, however, there are several nuances that must be taken into account before sowing, and in caring for the garden in the country.
The time of planting seeds for seedlings
In the southern regions root celery can be planted by planting seeds directly in open ground. This is due to the cold resistance of the culture and the ability to withstand short-term frosts.
For the middle lane it is recommended to plant by seedling method, in which the first crop can be removed 3-4 weeks earlier than usual.
They plan to plant seeds for seedlings from early February to March 15-20... While nature is asleep and slowly awakening after winter sleep, the seedlings will sprout and grow stronger before the planting period begins.
It is recommended to soak the seed in room temperature water before sowing. This need is due to the presence of essential oils on the surface of the seed.
On the one hand, such protection is welcomed, since it prevents the defeat of fungal disease... On the other hand, the oil layer prevents the rapid germination of seeds, so they are soaked for 1-2 days with periodic water changes.
Overexposing the grains in liquid is not worth it, after swelling they lose their germination. A sign of readiness for planting will be the appearance of scanty sprouts (beaks on the seed).
Seedling care in the garden
A box or container with a landing is covered with glass or foil and placed in a warm place for germination... Periodically, you should remove the shelter for ventilation and moistening with a sprayer (watering is done only if the soil dries out).
Lighting is not needed at this stage, so the container is placed away from sunlight.
Seedlings appear after 7-10 days. If mass sprouting of shoots is detected, a container with seedlings moves to a well-lit place... The sun's rays are necessary for the normal course of the photosynthesis process, which affects the growth and development of the plant.
In addition to lighting, optimal conditions require compliance with a certain temperature regime. The indicator is considered acceptable 16 degrees... When the seedlings are placed in a cooler room, a slowdown in the development of culture is noted during the formation of seedlings and after transplantation into open ground.
Watering is carried out Once a week... It is important not to allow the soil to dry out, otherwise the seedlings will die. The sprouts are very delicate, so use a spray bottle to moisturize. It is also important to avoid drafts.
After 2 true leaves are formed on the seedlings, a pick is made. Each sprout is placed together in a separate container (such as a plastic cup) filled with substrate. When transferring a plant, you need to pinch the main root, shortening it by 1/3 part.
In order for the seedlings to quickly take root in the open field 2 weeks before transplanting, it is recommended to make top dressing from complex fertilizers, humate solution... Organic matter is also suitable: compost, solution of bird droppings, etc. It is also important to harden so as not to injure young shoots by a sharp change in habitat.
Planting seedlings in open ground
It is ideal to prepare the garden bed in the fall, carefully removing the plant residues from the past season, digging up the ground with the simultaneous introduction of fertilizer (compost, humus, complex minerals).
If this was not possible, a number of events should be held in the spring:
- dig a bed to a depth not less than 30 cm;
- conduct disinfection (spraying with a solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate);
- enrich with organic matter (1-2 buckets of humus per 1 m2) or complex mineral fertilizers (20 grams of urea + 9 grams of superphosphate + 15 grams of potassium chloride).
After the work carried out, it is recommended to cover the prepared soil with a film before planting so that the earth does not cool down. Celery loves loose soil, if necessary, you need to lighten the soil with river sand or peat.
Celery seedlings are usually planted from mid-May... By this time, the soil has time to warm up, and night temperatures rarely drop below 5-6 degrees. A cloudy day or a calm evening are ideal for transferring seedlings to an open garden.
When disembarking, it is worth considering the correct landing pattern:
- it is not necessary to deepen the growth point into the soil, it must remain at the same level with the soil surface;
- the distance between the seedlings is about 30 cm (there will be no high yields on a thickened bed);
- after planting watered abundantly.
If there is a high probability of night frost, the bed should be covered with plastic wrap.
Rules for caring for the country
Watering
The plant loves moisture very much, so watering is carried out 1 time in 2-3 days... In hot weather, moisturizing is carried out every day. All types of systems are suitable for irrigation, and it is better to combine sprinkling with drip irrigation.
Weeding and loosening
Weed control for celery is as important as for other vegetable crops. For the development of the root crop, space is required that weeds can occupy.
The weeding procedure is usually combined with loosening the soil, the plant reacts well to loose soil structure. The immersion depth of the tool is 5-7 cm. The frequency of work is Once every 2 weeks... Loosening at the initial stage of the growing season can be done more often, especially after precipitation.
Top dressing
During the growing season, the culture needs additional feeding. They spend a season thrice... Organic fertilizers are ideal, in particular weed infusion. You can supplement the plant's diet with complex minerals.
For the first treatments it is recommended to use herbal infusions, in the middle of the growing season will be more appropriate fertilizer from mullein solution or bird droppings, which are enriched with micro and macro elements useful for the plant. At the end of summer, apply superphosphate or boric acid.
Difference in the care of root and leaf celery
There are some differences in agricultural technology of leaf and root types of celery. They are not essential, but they still influence the formation of root crops.
- The root variety has longer growing season (150-190 days), so sowing begins earlier than leaf varieties.
- A feature of root celery is double pick shortening the main root by a third. Such procedures are not provided for other species.
- In order to get a large root crop, it is not recommended to cut the leaves throughout the summer. A few days before harvesting, the side shoots are cut. There are no such requirements in agrotechnology of a leafy plant.
- Hilling is carried out with leafy varieties of celery, the root species does not need this. Caring for him provides dumping soil from the rootto prevent the development of lateral roots.
- Celery is moisture-loving, however, when growing a root crop, it is worth regulating watering, starting from June to October. The soil should be moist, but not wet (prevention of fungal infections).
Harvesting and storage
Collecting roots usually begins in October... He is kept in the beds until the frost. Harvesting should be done in dry weather... The extracted roots are carefully peeled from the ground and dried. All leaves must be cut off from them.
There are no storage features, the conditions are the same as for other vegetables. The storage room for celery can be both a cellar and a pit with sand.
Freezing is among the harvesting methods often used by housewives. Peeled fruits are cut in plates and placed in a plastic bag. Before use, you just need to let it thaw in a natural way.
Due to its rich vitamin composition, the celery root crop is included in the medical and dietary menu, therefore it is simply necessary to grow such a useful product in your garden. In addition, it will not hurt anyone to diversify the diet with delicious dishes with a pleasant aroma. Planting and growing a plant is easy, the main thing is to care for it properly.