How can hollow celery be effectively prevented and controlled?
What causes hollow celery? How is hollow celery prevented and controlled? We ask experienced readers to help explain. Hollow celery is mainly caused by the parenchyma tissue of the leaf stalk near the pith rupturing and shrinking, which enlarges the pith cavity and forms the hollow. Once hollow, celery has more fiber, poorer quality and lower yield, and its market...
What causes hollow celery? How is hollow celery prevented and controlled? We ask experienced readers to help explain.Hollow celery is mainly caused by the parenchyma tissue of the leaf stalk near the pith rupturing and shrinking, which enlarges the pith cavity and forms the hollow. Once hollow, celery has more fiber, poorer quality and lower yield, and its marketability declines, which in turn affects the grower's income. Therefore Zhongdi Network has compiled the causes of hollow celery and the prevention and control methods, listed in detail below for readers' reference.
I. Causes of hollow celery:
Cause 1: When celery is planted at too low a temperature, with insufficient light or suffering freezing injury, the leaves' photosynthesis weakens and the roots' absorption and transport of nutrients and water are blocked, producing hollow stalks.
Cause 2: For celery grown in the open field, high temperature and drought are the main causes of hollowing, especially in summer when the day-night temperature difference is too small and respiration consumes more; if soil moisture is supplied unevenly, physiological water shortage during celery growth inhibits the roots' absorption and transport of various elements, which not only affects the growth of the terminal bud but also thickens the sclerenchyma tissue in the leaf stalk, ages the cells of the pith and conducting tissues, and ruptures the parenchyma cells to form hollow stalks.
Cause 3: Celery roots have weak fertilizer uptake ability but strong tolerance to fertilizer, and need fairly complete fertilization. Nitrogen fertilizer always dominates during the growing period. Insufficient phosphate fertilizer in the early growth stage is unfavorable to leaf differentiation and elongation, and the seedlings are thin and weak, so applying phosphate fertilizer at the initial stage is very important.
In the middle and late stages of celery growth, potassium fertilizer plays a great role in nutrient transport and in making the leaf stalks thick, firm and glossy. When fertilizer is insufficient or water is lacking during the vigorous growth period, growth is inhibited and the leaf stalks become hollow.
Cause 4: Under the same fertilizer and water conditions, celery is prone to hollowing on plots with strong soil salinity and alkalinity, heavy clay or high sand content, and severe pests and diseases.
Cause 5: If celery is harvested too late, the roots' absorption capacity declines, nutrition is poor, cells rupture, tissues become loose, and the leaf stalks age and become hollow.
II. Methods for preventing hollow celery:
Method 1: Choose pure, high-quality, excellent solid-stalk celery varieties, and buy good seed from a trustworthy seed supplier.
Method 2: Choose suitable plots for planting, preferably sandy loam rich in organic matter, with strong water and fertilizer retention and good drainage and irrigation conditions. The soil pH should preferably be neutral or slightly acidic; avoid planting on clay and sandy soils.
Method 3: Regulate a suitable temperature. Celery is a cold-tolerant vegetable and requires cool, moist environmental conditions. For celery grown in a greenhouse, the daytime temperature should preferably be 15-23°C, not exceeding 25°C at most, and about 10°C at night, not below 5°C. On cloudy, rainy, snowy and windy days the temperature should be appropriately lower, but not too low, to prevent freezing injury and early bolting. Ventilate appropriately according to humidity to lower air humidity, reduce diseases, allow assimilation to be used, reduce respiratory consumption, and make the leaf stalks firm and plump.
Method 4: Strengthen water and fertilizer management. Apply sufficient base fertilizer for celery and spread it evenly. Apply high-quality decomposed organic fertilizer per mu; if conditions permit, apply well-fermented chicken manure, or about 15 kg of diammonium phosphate. After planting and seedling recovery, apply fertilizer to promote seedling growth.
For topdressing during the celery growing period, mainly use quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer together with potassium fertilizer, about 20 kg per mu each time, topdressing once about every 15 days. Do not let fertilizer run short; adopt the measures of frequent light watering and frequent fertilizer application.
If boron deficiency symptoms are found, spray the leaves with a 0.3%-0.5% solution. During the vigorous growth period, keep the bed soil moist at all times, do not let water accumulate, and keep soil temperature at 60%-80%. When growing in summer, pay attention to drainage and waterlogging prevention.
Method 5: Prevent and control celery pests and diseases in time, keep the leaves' photosynthesis strong, fully supply the nutrients needed by the parenchyma cells in the leaf stalks, and make the plants grow vigorously. In addition, timely harvesting is also an important measure to prevent hollowing.
Notes on raising celery seedlings
Methods for growing celery in summer