How to grow and maintain a good harvest of celery root?

Real growers tend to expand the range of grown vegetable crops and are not limited to the usual cucumbers and tomatoes. Increasingly, at the dachas you can see celery, which has become especially popular in recent years. Celery has long been considered the mascot of farmers. The ancient Greeks awarded cemetery wreaths to the winners of sports games.

As an edible garden plant, it was consumed only in the Middle Ages, and at the same time it appeared and spread in Russia, but it was used only for decorative purposes. Only in the XVIII century it began to be used as a food culture. Celery is a very useful vegetable, and absolutely all - from the root to the leaves and even the seeds, is edible.

Celery exists in three forms: leaf, root and stalked. This is a biennial plant, in which in the summer of the first year the ground green mass is formed, and in the fall the root. Only in the second year it blooms and forms seeds.

Celery belongs to the category of herbaceous plants, to the umbrella family, and can reach a height of one meter. The stalked celery stalk is straight and branched. Large open-pinnate lower leaves of a saturated green color, and the upper, cut into lobes (from 3 to 5) leaves, wedge-shaped at the top, incised and jagged, form a rosette and very similar to parsley leaves. Small flowers of light green form an umbrella. Gray, and sometimes with reddish streaks, a fleshy root crop has an irregular round or oval shape, with thick roots moving away from it.

All parts of celery contain essential oil, which has 86 different components, giving it a characteristic smell. The whole plant is equally rich in vitamins C, B1, B2, folic and chlorogenic acid, and includes up to 10 amino acids. With a low calorie content (100 g of a plant contains only 13 kcal) it contains a high content of fiber, minerals and trace elements.

The main distinguishing feature of the three celery species from each other is which part of the plant is most developed: leaves, stem-stalks or root. Another distinctive feature can be called the rate of growth of greenery after cutting and the size of the root.

Unlike stem and root, leaf celery has neither large root nor thick stems. He appreciates the abundant above-ground green mass. Most often seasoning to different dishes are its leaves. They are full of many beneficial substances and vitamins.

Celery celery can grow up to 50 cm tall. Different varieties of its stem-stalks may be other than green, also light pink and even white. Its stems can reach a thickness of 5 cm, and the root does not develop. He has the most valuable juicy stems, which have a delicate unobtrusive taste and a pleasant delicate smell. It is used both in fresh form and used to prepare various dishes.

Celery root, unlike the other two, has a rather large root, which can reach 10 cm and even 20 cm in diameter, although its above-ground green is not too high. A fleshy and juicy root vegetable with a savory sweet-bitter taste can be used fresh and as an ingredient in various dishes, and served as a side dish.

The variety of varieties of this plant is represented by both foreign and Russian breeders. Domestic varieties "Russian size" and "Anita" have proven themselves well. Considering the Russian climate, the most suitable for cultivation are early ripening varieties with a growing season of about six months. The most famous and widely grown varieties:

• "Apple" - seeds of the most early ripe grade. With proper farming practices, the ripening period may be about 3.5 months.The variety has fruits that are not very large, round in shape, with a high content of sugars, which gives it a sweet taste with a delicate smell. It has a long shelf life.
• "Prague giant" from import manufacturers. Also applies to early varieties. Ripe root reaches a fairly large size, its delicate bright flesh is inherent in good taste.

Among the middle-ripening varieties can be called "Gribovsky", "Diamond", "Cascade", which ripen from 120 to 150 days. Gribovsky's varieties are medium-sized with golden-colored spotted flesh. “Diamond” has a larger root crop, but also with delicate white flesh.

Of the later varieties, which ripen from 170 to 200 days, it can be noted such as:

• "Giant" - record holder of celery root, its root crop can reach a weight of 700 g.
• "Maksim" - the latest ripening variety. For its maturation takes 200 days. Its fruit is distinguished by the fact that it forms from the sides a lot of additional roots, their weight reaches 500 g. The flesh is delicate, with a pleasant smell and light sweet taste and has the color of ivory.

There are also such varieties: foreign "Snowball", "Jupiter", Russian "Egor", "President P3", "Golden Feather", "Delicacy" and many other varieties.

Growing celery root is not so difficult, but certain conditions are required.

Places inaccessible to strong winds, but with good solar lighting will be favorable for celery. Being a moisture-loving plant, it grows well in those places where the moisture stays in the ground for a long time, but you should avoid areas where the groundwater is close to the ground, which can lead to root decay. The root celery prefers a lightweight, fertile, with a high content of minerals and a certain level of acidity.

He brings high yields on black soil, floodplain, loamy soils. However, experienced growers easily grow celery on loose, slightly acidic soils, even in partial shade.

Root celery does not have any special requirements for the temperature regime, however, the optimum air temperature is at least 15 degrees Celsius and higher, therefore, it is successfully grown in moderate climatic conditions. Autumn frosts to the celery root are not terrible, it will easily transfer small frosts (from -4 to -6 degrees), but in spring the seedlings will suffer from the cold and in the future the root will not develop, but will form an escape with a flower, and then seeds.

Duration of sunlight also plays a role. Celery loves sunshine and prefers long-lasting lighting, but easily tolerates partial shade.

Celery root requires high moisture, however, it is impossible to prevent water from stagnating on the soil, as this entails a decrease in plant resistance and the risk of fungal and viral diseases. The optimal moisture level for celery is about 70%.

To grow this plant in the old beds is recommended only after four years. You can not plant it after carrots and greens - parsnips and parsley, and cabbage, potatoes and cucumbers are desirable predecessors. Celery "neighbors" can be tomatoes, lettuce and spinach. It can also be planted next to a string bean, beet and chives. It is good to grow it between the beds of neighboring crops, as its peculiar smell has a deterrent effect on harmful insects.

For central Russia, celery can only be grown by seedlings, since the vegetative formation of the root is long enough. To get quality seedlings, you must first select the seeds and prepare them for planting.The right choice of seeds is the key to a rich harvest. It is preferable to buy seeds of early ripe and large varieties of root celery, taking into account Russian climatic conditions.

Before sowing seedlings, seeds must be prepared. Preparation and further sowing of seedlings should be done in advance, starting from the first decade of February to mid-March. The seedlings will stretch and the growth of the fruit will slow down, if you plant the seeds earlier, and if you do this later, the root crop will not ripen to harvest.

Celery seeds contain a large amount of essential oils that slow down the process of swelling and germination in the soil. With insufficient moisture, this process can last for three weeks and give little germination. Seed preparation is needed to remove the essential oils from them. There are several ways to prepare:

• The easiest is to soak the seeds for a short time (2 days). You need to change the water three times a day. After the seeds are dried, they are ready for planting on seedlings.
• Pour seeds into a container with hot water (60 degrees), vigorously mix them for several minutes. During this time, essential oils should go into the liquid. After the water has cooled, rinse the seeds with cold water. Water is drained, the seeds are dried.
• The most reliable method is the germination of seeds. The seeds, placed in bags of fabric, are dipped in water, the temperature of which is about + 50, for 20 minutes, then they are quickly immersed in the cold for the same period. After the seeds are placed on a wet cloth, spread over the entire surface, and taken for germination in a warm room.
• A more complicated method is barbation of seeds. Seeds are placed in water for 24 hours and barbate using an aquarium compressor, after they are poured on for 1 hour with 1% solution of potassium permanganate, then with a solution of epine in the proportion of 2 drops per 100 ml of water and kept for 20 hours. Only compliance with this sequence will lead to good shoots.
• Some vegetable growers use the method of soaking seeds in vodka. Seeds in cotton cloth (you cannot use gauze) are dipped in vodka for a quarter of an hour. Then they should be thoroughly rinsed with warm water and dried.

Prepared by one of these methods or germinated seeds are ready for planting in the soil for seedlings.

Growing seedlings of root celery is a slow process and involves several steps. The main thing in this process is sowing of seeds and properly organized care of seedlings. Prepare the soil for sowing. You can buy ready-made soil or prepare it yourself. You can prepare this nutrient mixture: peat - 6 parts, humus - 2 parts, sod soil - 1 part and sand - 1 part. In the resulting mixture for every 10 kg make urea - 20 g, and ash - 1 cup.

Filling the soil for growing seedlings, you can sow the seeds. The soil is moistened, made at intervals of 5 cm furrow, compacted and sown seeds at the same distance (3-4 cm) from each other. Landing depth should be no more than 0.5 cm.

The best packaging for growing seedlings are special pots of small size (5 cm). Two thirds of these pots are filled with earth, they press down and moisten the soil, sow 3-4 seeds in them.

Planting celery seeds in the snow is effective. Snow is spread on the furrows with a layer of 2 cm thick, lightly press down and plant seeds. The snow melts the seeds to the required depth, and it is not necessary to cover the seeds with soil. The container is covered with polyethylene or glass and placed in a room with a temperature not lower than +20 degrees.

Caring for seedlings is to provide it with the optimum temperature, good lighting and proper watering. The most important for celery seedlings will be the first thirty days after sowing.During this period, a stable temperature of + 15 ... +20 degrees is maintained and daily ventilation of the seedlings is done, for which polyethylene is removed for some time.

Humidity should not exceed the norm. You can not over-water the seedlings, because with an excess of moisture there is a black leg disease. Watering is carried out as the soil dries. It is better to do this using a spray gun in order not to harm the weak shoots. Water should be used separated by a temperature of 18-20 degrees.

The pick is done in the phase of the appearance of true leaves and again a month after sowing. When picking, the main root is cut to one third to stimulate root growth, the plant is transplanted into a larger container. Seedlings are planted deep into the soil before the first two leaves, but the tip of the shoot must be above the level of the soil.

With proper care, by April celery will be a strong and developed plant. From now on, the seedlings are quenched, putting them in a colder room and increasing each day their stay in the cold. Further care of the seedlings is not complicated: the room should be cool and light, it is important not to allow the soil to dry out. Qualitative seedlings have 3-4 strong leaves and a height of about 17 cm.

The soil for planting celery is prepared in the fall. The beds are well digged, weeds are removed from the roots, organic (well rotted compost) and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil. If the soil was not prepared in the fall, it is done in the spring:

• in advance, in two or three weeks, they dig up the earth to a depth of about 30 cm;
• soil disinfection is done with a solution of vitriol or manganese;
• the soil is fertilized with humus and complex fertilizers - nitrophosphate or azofoskoy.

There are no exact dates for planting the seedlings, it all depends on the climatic conditions. When the threat of frost has passed and warm weather sets in, it is possible to plant seedlings in open soil. Most often it is 2-3 decade of May. The best period for a transplant would be an overcast, non-sunny day or evening.

Celery seedlings can be planted in two ways:

• Private. Seedlings are planted at a distance of about 30 cm in rows, and between rows the width should be about 60 cm.
• Line and tape. The tape has 4-5 lines (rows), the distance in the lines between celery is up to 20 cm, and between the tapes is about 60 cm.

When planting seedlings, follow these rules:

• the prepared wells are watered with settled water;
• replanting seedlings, it is impossible to destroy the soil clod;
• seedlings can not be planted deep in the ground and you need to ensure that the tip of the shoot was above the level of the soil;
• transplanted seedlings need to be watered again.

To grow quality roots you need to regularly care for them, following the rules of agricultural engineering:

• Watering. All the time of growth the soil must retain moisture, so watering does not end with the onset of autumn. The frequency of watering is every 2-3 days depending on the weather. Daily watering is needed on hot days. Water consumption rate - 5 liters per m2. With proper watering, the water does not stagnate, but provides soil moisture.
• Weeding. Mandatory condition for the care of celery - regular weeding. To delay the growth of weeds, mulching is used, which gives another effect - it retains moisture in the soil.
• Loosening. Loosening and weeding do at the same time, at least 1 time in 14 days. Without loosening the soil is covered with a dense layer.Loosening it destroys and promotes air and water penetration to the root. The depth of loosening increases as celery grows from 5 to 10 cm.
• Top dressing. According to experienced gardeners, you need to feed celery at least 2 and not more than 4 times during the growing season. The first time it is fed weeks after two transplants of seedlings, and the next feeding - a month later. In the composition of potash fertilizers should be more, which contributes to good growth of the root. Mineral fertilizers with sulfur and sodium content are also effective.

At the middle stage of plant development, it is better to fertilize with a solution of chicken manure or mullein, and closer to autumn - with superphosphate, ashes or boron. Method of preparation of the infusion of herbs: weed grass is placed in any container with water and aged for 14 days. When using this infusion, you must strictly adhere to the ratio of 1 part infusion to 10 parts of water.

• Remove lower leaves. If there are cracks on the stem or it has begun to dry, then it should be removed. Extra leaves are also removed. In the outlet you need to leave about 5 stems with leaves.
• Side root removal is produced when the root crop increases markedly in size. Cutting is done with a sharp knife.
• Raking the soil around the root. Spud root is strictly prohibited. On the contrary, the soil must be constantly raked from all sides. This should be done so as not to develop lateral roots. Their development leads to a deterioration in the taste of the fetus.

With the onset of autumn, the moment of harvest becomes important. It is necessary to remove it before the first autumn cold. Most often this is the beginning and middle of October. Earlier harvest is not recommended, since the accumulation of nutrients and good root development occurs in the fall.

Harvesting is necessary in not rainy weather. To facilitate digging, you can slightly moisten the soil. In doing so, care must be taken not to damage the peel of the fetus. After harvesting:

• cut off all the roots of the fruit;
• all leaves must also be cut to the ground;
• some time to hold the roots in the beds for drying;
• after the harvest is taken to the storage room.

See the following video for tips on growing root celery.