Celery is a cool-weather crop. It requires 16 weeks of cool weather to harvest. Therefore, in cool spring and summer regions, plant celery in early spring; also, in warm spring and summer regions, plant celery in late summer for harvest in late autumn or early winter. Celery cultivation requires the most important equipment, which plays a major role in agro-processing. Equipment, harvesters and tractors are the main ones in cultivating celery; Therefore, we recommend the Massey Ferguson tractor.
Climatic Information for Celery Cultivation
A humid and cool climate is good for celery cultivation. Moderate and well-distributed rainfall is favourable for better growth, especially during the vegetative phase. However, farmers can grow it successfully in dry conditions with access to irrigation.
Dry weather at the time of maturity is ideal for a seed crop. The optimum temperature for growth is 15-21℃. When the soil temperature rises above 25 °C, the seeds go dormant; this is called thermo-dormancy. Temperatures below 15 °C for 10 days cause bolting, while higher temperatures cause bitterness in the leaves.
Suitable Soil Celery Cultivation
Celery needs well-drained, deep loamy soil with sufficient humus. It is slightly sensitive to acidic soils also the optimum pH is 6.5.
Recommended Sowing Time for Celery Cultivation
Farmers sow celery in August – September in plains and lower hills. In temperature regions, farmers crop the sow in August – September and March – April.
Land preparation for Celery Cultivation
You should plough thoroughly 3-4 times to make the soil friable also, you pulverize topsoil and properly level it by planking.
Nursery Raising for Celery Cultivation
Farmers should plough the nursery soil well to make it crispy. Prepare beds 5-10 m long, 1 m wide and 15 cm high. Add cow dung @ 10 kg/m^2 to the beds and disinfect the nursery beds with 1% formaldehyde solution 10-15 days before sowing. After soaking, cover the bed with an alkaline sheet for 3-5 days, then dig up the bed and leave it open for 5-6 days to avoid the toxic effects of formalin.
You should allow the seeds to soak overnight in water before sowing to accelerate germination. Sow seeds 1-1.5 cm deep in rows 5-10 cm apart and covers with fine soil. You should Irrigate immediately after sowing. Germination occurs 20-25 days after sowing. For getting a better crop stand, you should get hard seedlings by stopping irrigation before transplanting.
Transplanting methods after Nursery
Seedlings are ready for transplanting within 40-60 days when they reach a height of 8 – 10 cm. Farmers plant celery in a well-prepared field at a distance of 60 x 10-20 cm. In the case of a sown crop, proper spacing is maintained from thinning.
Irrigation Requirements for Celery Cultivation
Being a shallow-rooted and moist crop, it requires frequent irrigation. Farmers should lightly irrigate at an interval of 7-10 days, and this crop also depends on the weather condition. You should arrange proper drainage to avoid stagnation of water.
Fertilizer Requirement for Celery Cultivation
Include 250-300 Q FYM, 150 kg N, 80 kg P and 60 kg S. Before transplanting, apply full S and P doses and half N as basal. The remaining half dose of N should given in two or three doses at 40, 80 and 120 days after transplanting.
Calcium, magnesium and boron play an important role in growing a healthy crop. However, due to the deficiency of these elements, various disorders arise in celery. Calcium deficiency causes a “black heart” in which the tips of young leaves are burnt. Spray calcium nitrate or 0.5% solution of calcium chloride to overcome calcium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency causes chlorosis and can be prevented by soil application of magnesium sulfate at the rate of 12 kg/ha. Steam cracking due to boron deficiency is treated with borax @ 12 kg/ha, applied to a solution near the base of plants.
Seed requirements for Celery Cultivation
Farmers require seed About 200-250 g for raising seedlings for one hectare. Also, direct sowing requires more seeds.
Inter-Culture and Weed Control
Timely weeding and hoeing are essential to growing healthy crops. Two to three light hoes are sufficient. You should also remove lateral shoots during weeding when they emerge. Two-handed weeds and pre-planting application of Fluchloralin @ 1-1.25 kg/ha or Linuron @ 2 kg/ha effectively controls weeds.
Best Varieties for Celery Cultivation
Varieties are mainly of two types that are—self – blanching or yellow and green leaves. Green varieties are rich in vitamin A whereas, self-blanching or yellow varieties have less vitamin A content. Therefore, the demand for self-blanched varieties is decreasing continuously due to low vitamin A content.
Celery Cultivation – Best Practices
Blanching
Blanching is the process of removing light from the leaf stalk, which inhibits the growth of chlorophyll. The major purpose of blanching is to make the crop crisp, reduce the pungent taste, and improve the crops’ taste, tenderness, and quality.
Celery Cultivation – Harvesting
Farmers harvest the celery at different stages of plant development. Side suckers are cut when the plants attain a height of 40 cm. Generally, farmers harvest tender leaves along the stem within 80-90 days after transplanting. The average yield of soft leaves is between 300-400 Quintilian per hectare.
Completing the guidelines of this cultivation, also we require to know about some important points about the cultivation of celery. That’s why we recommend the Mahindra tractor. Apart from this, various equipment like a rotary tiller, cultivator and many more are required for farming.
For more information regarding celery farming, stay tuned with us.
