Why Hasn't My Celery Developed Well?

Do the leaves of your celery have dark, yellow-bordered spots on them?

Are the leaves yellow, the plant is stunted and veins in the stalks are reddish?

Are the leaves yellow, curled and wilted?

Are the leaves yellow and mottled, stalks are twisted and the plant is dwarfed?

Do the leaves and stalks have irregular tan spots on them?

Did the plants produce lots of leaves but no stalks and the growth is slowed?

Do the leaves turn yellow and then brown from the bottom up, the plant loses vigor and appear stunted?

Do the leaves have tunnels or blotches in them?

Did the central leaves turned dark?

Do the leaves have chewed holes in them or rolled edges?

Various fungal blight diseases attack celery. Stalks of afflicted plants may also develop spots or dark areas. Destroy spotted leaves. Spray plants with copper if symptoms are serious. Cultivars like ‘Emerson Pascal’ and 'Golden Self-Blanching’ can tolerate certain blights.

These symptoms usually indicate Fusarium yellows. This fungal disease is incurable. Destroy all plants with symptoms, and do not compost them. Prevent problems by planting tolerant cultivars such as ‘Bishop', ‘Deacon’, ‘Emerson Pascal’, 'Starlet’, ‘Summit’, 'Ventura', and ‘Vicar’.

Yellow, curled and wilted leaves on celery usually indicate aphids. These tiny insects vary in color, green, pink, black, gray to completely white. You can control them by washing them off the plant with water spray. Insecticidal soap or neem oil should be used only with severe infestations.

Celery mosaic is a viral disease that affects celery. It is incurable. Destroy infected plants immediately. Control aphids because they can spread viral diseases as they feed. Prevent problems by planting resistant cultivars such as 'Florida 683’ and ‘Utah 52-70R Improved’.

Brown spot is a fungal disease that causes these symptoms. Control this fungal disease by spraying plants with Bordeaux mix when spots appear to prevent further spread.

Sudden temperature fluctuations during early growth cause the abundant production of leaves but few stalks. Protect young plants from cold; use horticultural cloth or cloches when temperatures are low. Don’t plant too early.

Wireworms are the soil-dwelling larvae of click beetles. They look like wiry-jointed worms. Check the soil before planting and flood the soil if wireworms are present. Remove infested plants and surrounding soil.

Leafminer larvae tunnel inside leaves. Destroy infected leaves and caterpillars. Cultivate the garden to destroy larvae and keep adult flies from laying eggs. Cover crops with floating row cover to exclude flies.

Tarnished plant bugs inject a plant-deforming toxin as they feed on young leaves. Trap them with white sticky traps or treat plants with a commercial pyrethrin spray or dust in the evening to control severe infestations. The best way to prevent this pest is through a thorough fall and spring cleanup. This will prevent it from overwintering.

Various caterpillars attack celery, most prominent is Celery leaftier. You can handpick and destroy them if the infestation is not severe. BTK spray will help in controlling caterpillars.

If the stalks or crowns of your celery are rotted the most likely cause are Bacterial and fungal rots. Various bacteria and fungi will rot celery stalks and crowns. Destroy infected plants. Spray remaining plants with copper. Prevent problems by controlling insect pests, such as carrot rust flies, that injure roots, creating openings for disease organisms.