A Detailed Guide to Celery Planting Time and Cultivation Techniques
Celery is a shade-loving vegetable that is not tolerant of high temperatures, and it is currently distributed across most regions of China. Celery has a very good eating quality, crisp and crunchy, and it has excellent therapeutic value in lowering blood pressure. Many people want to grow celery, so the first thing to master is its cultivation techniques.
Celery Planting Time
1. Spring celery: In the north, raise seedlings under protection from January to March, transplant to open fields from March to April, and harvest from May to July.
2. Summer celery: Transplant in early June to July, and harvest and bring to market from August to September.
3. Autumn celery: In the north, sow and raise seedlings from June to early July, transplant from August to early September, and harvest from October to November.
Cultivation Techniques for Celery
1. Choose good seed and raise good seedlings. For winter cultivation, choose varieties that are cold-resistant, solid-hearted and storage-tolerant, and dark green. Whether planted in winter or summer, the seeds must go through seed soaking, seed washing and germination promotion, and be sown only after the seeds show white sprouts. When sowing, mix the seed with New High Lipid Film to drive away underground pests and diseases and increase the emergence rate. Choose loose-textured, fertile land with deep soil for raising seedlings. During the seedling stage, strengthen fertilizer and water management, water frequently with small amounts, apply thin fertilizer frequently, and cultivate strong, large seedlings.
2. Do a good job of land preparation before transplanting. For winter planting, before transplanting, apply 80—100 loads of fully decomposed farmyard manure per mu, spread evenly. At the same time, apply 100—150 kg of quicklime per mu, plow shallowly and harrow finely, mix the fertilizer, soil and lime evenly, and then prepare the land.
3. Plant reasonably densely and transplant large seedlings. Select large seedlings that are basically uniform in size and have 3—4 leaves for planting. The row and plant spacing is: 5 cm×8 cm, or 6 cm×7 cm, with only one seedling kept per hole. In this way, the size of each celery plant can be basically uniform. Moreover, in the later stage the leaves overlap each other and block the sunlight shining on the petioles. The petioles are not only long, but also bright in color, crisp, tender and attractive. After transplanting, spray New High Lipid Film in time to prevent ground moisture evaporation and water transpiration from the plant body, shorten the seedling recovery period, and quickly adapt to the new environment.
Fertilizer and Water Management for Celery
Celery absorbs large amounts of fertilizer and water, but it is not tolerant of concentrated fertilizer, so topdressing should be done together with watering by applying thin fertilizer frequently. Usually in autumn, irrigate once every morning and evening each day, and fertilize once every 7d, using 10-15kg of Plant per 667m2. In addition, attention should be paid to the supply of calcium and boron. If calcium is deficient, heart rot and magnesium deficiency (mosaic) are prone to occur; if boron is insufficient, the outer leaves appear deformed or hardened in the early stage, and petiole splitting often occurs in the later stage. When the soil is dry and short of water, boron deficiency is most easily induced, so in addition to watering more, generally 500-700g of borax is needed per 667m2, or spray the leaf surface 2-3 times with a 0.2% borax solution.
Pest and Disease Control for Celery
1. Septoria leaf spot. Septoria leaf spot mainly damages the leaves. At the initial stage, the leaf lesions are round or irregular, with obvious edges, yellowish brown, grayish white in the center, and scattered with small black spots. The disease is severe when it is cool and highly humid, rainy, or the plants are weak.
Control methods: Strengthen field management, apply enough base fertilizer, topdress reasonably, and enhance plant disease resistance. When cultivating in a greenhouse, pay attention to cooling and removing moisture, narrow the day-night temperature difference, reduce condensation, and avoid flood irrigation. When disease occurs in the greenhouse, spray 5% chlorothalonil dust, 1 kg per mu each time. In open fields, spray 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 600 times solution, 60% hu·fosetyl-aluminum wettable powder 500 times solution, 47% Kasugamycin wettable powder 500 times solution, once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive treatments.
2. Sclerotinia rot. The symptom is damage to celery stems and leaves. The affected part initially appears brown and water-soaked, and when humidity is high it forms soft rot, with white mycelium growing on the surface, and later forming black sclerotia shaped like mouse droppings. The germination temperature of sclerotia is 5-20 degrees, with 15 degrees being the most suitable, and the disease is prone to occur and spread when the relative humidity is above 85%.
Control methods: Implement a 3-year crop rotation. Before sowing, use 10% salt water to select seeds, remove the sclerotia, then rinse clean with clear water, dry and sow. In the early stage of disease, spray 50% procymidone or 50% iprodione or 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder 600 times solution or 50% carbendazim wettable powder 500 times solution. When disease occurs in the greenhouse, use the dust method, spraying 5% chlorothalonil dust, 1 kg per mu each time.
Celery differs in planting time depending on the variety, so before planting, first understand the habits of the selected variety. The planting method of celery is very simple. In the early stage, the work of fertilizing the land must be done well, and the later management must not be relaxed either. Only by combining the two can the growth of celery be better ensured.