How to grow celery seedlings? Detailed explanation of methods and key technical points
Celery is a vegetable side dish that many people enjoy eating very much, and it has a wide planting area in our country. The root system of celery is relatively shallow, and its nutrient absorption capacity is relatively weak. Therefore, when planting celery, seedlings are generally raised first to improve the growth capacity of the seedlings and promote robust growth, which can effectively increase yield and enhance quality. So how should celery be grown from seed? Below, the editor brings you the seedling-raising techniques for celery. Let's take a look together!
1. Seedbed preparation
If greenhouse seedling raising is used, then a sheltered, sunny place needs to be chosen to make the seedling bed. The seedling bed should not be too large, so as to reduce land waste and make watering easier. After leveling and making the bed, apply sufficient base fertilizer to the seedling bed. The base fertilizer must be fully mixed with the soil, and the soil should be plowed to a depth of 10 cm and finely broken up. After land preparation and fertilization, shade measures should be set up on the seedling bed to prevent direct sunlight after sowing from affecting seed germination. Then prepare fine soil and fine sand around it, so that after sowing they can be used to cover the seeds and improve the soil's heat and moisture retention capacity.
2. Seed soaking and germination
According to the size of the seedling bed, prepare an appropriate amount of seeds. Then soak the seeds in warm water for one day, then remove them and rinse them with clean water 3-4 times. When rinsing, rub the seeds to rub open the seed coat. Then place them in the sun to dry. When the seeds are in a half-dry, half-moist state, wrap them in a wet cloth and bury them in a clay pot, then water the clay pot thoroughly. Place the clay pot at a temperature of about 19°C to germinate. During germination, turn the seeds twice at regular intervals to ensure even germination, and keep the soil moist. Generally, they will sprout in about one week.
3. Sowing time
The specific sowing time for celery seeds should be determined according to the planting region and season. For example, if cultivating and sowing in spring, it is generally around early November. When entering winter, good covering and frost protection work should be done. When sowing, pay attention to the sowing amount and sowing density, and do not sow too densely. Before sowing, first water thoroughly. After the water infiltrates into the seedling bed, sow appropriately. After sowing, promptly cover with the previously prepared fine soil and fine sand, then cover with a layer of plastic film to improve the soil's capacity. After sowing, do good management work, strengthen weeding, and improve the seed germination rate.
4. Seedling stage management
After sowing, in order to prevent weeds from seizing the nutrients needed for seed germination, appropriately use herbicides for weeding. If there are weeds not killed by the herbicide, promptly pull them out by hand. After the seedlings emerge from the soil, uncover the plastic film, water promptly, and thereafter keep the soil evenly moist and dry. If air humidity is high and ventilation is insufficient, pay attention to the watering amount to prevent celery diseases and insect pests. When the seedlings grow weakly and lack nutrients, topdress promptly. Urea can be washed in with water and may also be appropriately sprayed onto the leaf surface. In addition, during the seedling stage, thinning should be done at least twice. The first time is after the seedlings emerge from the soil, and then thin again when the seedlings grow to 2 true leaves. Thinning should follow the principle of keeping the strong and removing the weak.
After the seedlings emerge, management work for the seedlings should be strengthened, because the seedling stage of celery is relatively long. Therefore, when raising seedlings, the management work is very important. Generally, when the seedlings grow to about 45 days, they can be planted out. When planting out, pay attention to doing a good job of preparing the field for final planting. When transplanting, prevent damaging the roots of the seedlings, which would affect the normal growth of celery. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can help everyone!