UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu
Publication 7220
CELERY PRODUCTION IN
CALIFORNIA
OLEG DAUGOVISH, University of California Cooperative Extension
Farm Advisor, Ventura County; RICHARD SMITH, MICHAEL CAHN,
and STEVE KOIKE, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm
Advisors, Monterey County; HUGH SMITH, University of California Coop-
erative Extension Farm Advisor, Santa Barbara County; JOSÉ AGUIAR,
University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Riverside
County; CARLOS QUIROS, Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, Uni-
versity of California, Davis; MARITA CANTWELL, University of California
Cooperative Extension Vegetable Specialist, University of California, Davis;
and ETAFERAHU TAKELE, University of California Cooperative Extension
Area Advisor Farm Management/Agricultural Economics, Riverside County
PRODUCTION AREAS AND SEASONS
The two main growing regions for celery (Apium gra-
veolens L.) in California are located along the Pacific
Ocean: the south coast (Ventura, Santa Barbara, and
San Luis Obispo Counties) and the central coast
(Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties).
A minor region is located in the southern deserts
(Riverside and Imperial Counties).
On the south coast, celery is transplanted from
early August to April for harvest from November
to mid-July; in the Santa Maria area, celery is trans-
planted from January to August for harvest from
April through December. On the central coast, fields
are transplanted from March to September for harvest
from late June to late December. In the southern des-
erts, fields are transplanted in late August for harvest
in December to March.
CELERY ACREAGE AND VALUE
Year Acreage
Average yield
(ton/acre)
Gross value/
acre
2005 25,400 35.5 $10,084
2004 25,700 35.5 $10,644
2003 25,300 35.8 $9,538
2002 25,000 35.5 $9,016
Source: California Agricultural Resource Directory 2006 (Sacramento:
California Department of Food and Agriculture, 2006).
CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS
Celery is a cool-season biennial that grows best from
60º to 65ºF (16º to 18ºC), but it will tolerate tempera-
tures from 45º to 75ºF (7º to 24ºC). Freezing damages
mature celery by splitting the petioles, making the
stalks unmarketable. This is a major problem in plant-
ings in the southern deserts. However, celery can tol-
erate minor freezes early in the season.
VARIETIES AND PLANTING
TECHNIQUES
Most of the varieties grown today (Command,
Mission, and Challenger) are resistant to Fusarium
yellows, a major disease of celery. Other popular
varieties are Conquistador, Sonora, and Matador,
but these are recommended only for soils with low
incidence of Fusarium yellows, since they have only
some tolerance to the disease. Several shippers use
their own proprietary varieties.
Celery seed is very small and difficult to germi-
nate. All commercial celery is planted as transplants
grown in greenhouses and nurseries. Celery grown
from transplants is more uniform than that grown from
seed and takes less time to produce a crop in the field.
Transplanted celery is planted in double rows on 36- to
40-inch (91- to 100-cm) beds, with plants spaced 9 inches
(22.5 cm) apart and plant rows 14 inches (36 cm) apart.
SOILS
Clays, clay loams, and loams that have good drainage
and a high water-holding capacity have tradition-
ally been preferred for growing celery. With the intro-
duction of drip irrigation, celery production is now
common on lighter-texture soils because uniform
soil moisture can be maintained. For succulent, high-
quality stalks, celery requires high-fertility soils.
IRRIGATION
Celery is a shallow-rooted crop that requires frequent
irrigations. It is irrigated using overhead sprinklers,
drip, or flood (furrow), or a combination of these
methods. Celery transplants are usually sprinkler-
irrigated from planting until the first side-dressing
of fertilizer. Herbicides are often applied in the first
sprinkler application. Many growers continue to
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use sprinklers after establishing transplants, or they
use a combination of furrow irrigation and sprin-
klers. Overhead sprinklers permit more-frequent
and lighter irrigations than can be achieved with fur-
row irrigation. Furrow irrigation may provide better
uniformity than sprinklers in regions with windy
conditions or when plants exceed the height of the
sprinkler risers. Surface-placed drip has become a
major method of irrigating celery in recent years,
and a small but increasing acreage of celery trans-
plants in Ventura County is being established and
grown exclusively with drip irrigation. Surface drip
systems are usually installed after the first cultiva-
tion and side-dressing; they permit growers to water
frequently during rapid vegetative growth. The drip
lines are typically retrieved before harvesting. Drip
irrigation can distribute water more uniformly than
furrow or sprinkler irrigation. It has helped growers
attain uniform growth in fields with variable soil tex-
tures by maintaining high soil moisture levels in all
areas of the field. Drip can be managed to minimize
the leaching of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) by fertigat-
ing weekly with low rates of fertilizer and applying
less water more frequently than can be achieved with
sprinkler or furrow systems. For tender, succulent
stalks, high soil moisture is necessary near harvest.
Growers sometimes supplement drip-irrigated fields
with water from sprinkler or furrow systems to satu-
rate the entire bed 1 to 2 weeks before harvest. Soil
allowed to become too dry can cause a calcium defi-
ciency in celery known as blackheart. Water stress
may contribute to pith, a physiological disorder char-
acterized by spongy tissue at the base of the petiole,
while overwatering can promote development of
diseases such as pink rot and crater rot.
The water requirements of celery depend on the
irrigation method, weather conditions, and soil type.
Celery grown with furrow irrigation and overhead
sprinklers uses approximately 2.5 to 3.5 acre-feet
(3,083 to 3,700 m3) of water. A combination of sprin-
kler and drip irrigation uses from 1.5 to 2.5 acre-feet
(2,096 to 2,466 m3) of water. An additional 4 to 6
inches of water is frequently applied before plant-
ing to moisten soil for chiseling and bed listing. Soil
moisture monitoring and weather-based irrigation
scheduling can be used in combination to determine
the water needs of celery. Celery uses the highest
amount of water during the last month before har-
vest, when vegetative growth is high. Maintaining
soil moisture tension below 30 cbars (0.03 MPa) by
frequent irrigations during the last few weeks of the
crop usually maximizes yield. The water extraction
of celery can be estimated using reference evapo-
transpiration data adjusted for a crop coefficient that
is closely related to the percentage of canopy cover.
The California Irrigation Management Information
System (CIMIS, wwwcimis.water.ca.gov), coordinated
by the California Department of Water Resources, pro-
vides daily estimates of reference evapotranspiration
for most production regions of California.
FERTILIZATION
Celery is the most demanding of the cool-season veg-
etables for nutrients, and care must be taken to pro-
vide adequate nutrition to the crop. However, soils in
the central and south coast regions can have elevated
levels of NO3-N and phosphorus (P), which can cause
elevated levels of these nutrients in runoff; this makes
it difficult for growers to comply with water quality
standards established by the regional water quality
control boards. As a result, application of these nutri-
ents must be carefully managed.
Seasonal phosphorus uptake by celery ranges from
40 to 45 pounds of phosphorus per acre (45 to 50 kg/
ha). Phosphorus fertilization should be based on the
soil test level of bicarbonate-extractable phosphorus.
Levels above 60 ppm are adequate for growth; for
soils below this level, especially in the winter, preplant
applications of 40 to 80 pounds per acre (45 to 90 kg/
ha) of P2O5 are recommended. Potassium uptake by
celery ranges from 350 to 450 pounds per acre (390
to 504 kg/ha). The need for potassium can also be
determined from soil tests; soils with greater than 150
ppm of ammonium-acetate-exchangeable potassium
have sufficient quantities of potassium for the crop.
Potassium fertilization presents no environmental
risk, and many growers routinely apply potassium
even in fields with high exchangeable soil potassium.
Fertilizing to replace potassium removal by the har-
vested crop (approximately 350 to 450 pounds per
acre) is appropriate to maintain soil fertility.
Fall application of nitrogen (N) is not recommend-
ed due to the risk of NO3-N leaching beyond the root
zone by the winter rains. High-yielding celery typical-
ly takes up 200 to 250 pounds of nitrogen per acre (224
to 280 kg/ha), and fertilization rates in fields under
conventional irrigation reflect the fact that celery is a
heavy nitrogen user. Small quantities of nitrogen, 20
to 30 pounds per acre (22 to 34 kg/ha), are applied
pretransplant and can supply the young plants for
the first month of growth. In many celery fields drip
tape is installed within the first month following
transplanting; it is common for growers to top-dress
fertilizer under the drip tape. Given the small size of
the celery at this time, small quantities of nitrogen can
supply crop needs. The need for nitrogen by the crop
increases as the crop matures. For instance, at 8 weeks
before harvest the crop requires 15 to 20 pounds of
nitrogen per acre per week (17 to 22 kg/ha); nitro-
gen demand peaks at 2 weeks prior to harvest, at 35
pounds of nitrogen per acre per week (39 kg/ha). In
most field conditions, a seasonal fertigation total of
2 • Celery Production in California
150 to 225 pounds of nitrogen per acre (168 to 252 kg/
ha), or 200 to 275 pounds of total nitrogen per acre
(224 to 308 kg/ha) including preplant and/or top-
dress nitrogen, should be adequate to maximize cel-
ery yield and quality, assuming efficient drip irriga-
tion management. Celery planted later in the season,
after other vegetables such as lettuce and cole crops,
may benefit from substantial amounts of nitrogen left
behind by the earlier crop. This nitrogen source can be
measured by the presidedress soil nitrate test (PSNT);
soil nitrate levels greater than 20 ppm in the top 12
inches (30 cm) are adequate for crop growth. The test
can be repeated later in the season to ensure continu-
ing nitrogen sufficiency. Zinc fertilization is recom-
mended if the DTPA-extractable soil level is less than
1.5 ppm. Zinc fertilization is commonly practiced on
the central coast due to high soil phosphorus levels,
which reduce zinc uptake by plants.
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
For detailed information about integrated pest man-
agement for celery, see the UC IPM Pest Management
Guidelines for Celery Web site, http://www.ipm.
ucdavis.edu/PMG/selectnewpest.celery.html.
Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides should always
be used in compliance with label instructions.
Weed Management
Integrated weed management should be practiced
prior to celery transplanting. Such management steps
include crop rotation, removing weeds before they
produce seed, preplant irrigation and disking to ger-
minate and kill weed seedlings, timing the planting
date to reduce weed impact, careful preparation and
spacing of beds, and precise planting of transplants
so that cultivating tools can be accurately aligned. For
celery, weed control is most critical until transplants
are established and begin to form a plant canopy that
can shade out weeds. Preplant and postplant her-
bicides are available for use on celery; consult your
local UCCE Farm Advisor, as approved chemicals
change often. Subsequent cultivation by tractor and
hand-weeding may also be necessary. Weeds of con-
cern include little mallow (Malva parviflora), redroot
pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), yellow nutsedge
(Cyperus esculentus), johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense),
and bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), depending on
the region and the time of year. In the Coachella
Valley, velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) is a common
weed that is difficult to control in celery fields.
Insect Identification and Management
The most damaging insect pests of celery are caterpil-
lars, aphids, and leafminers, depending on the region
and time of year. In the central coast region, the pea
leafminer (Liriomyza langei) is the most important
pest. In southern production areas, the serpentine
leafminer (L. trifolii) is the most important pest. The
vegetable leafminer (L. sativae) can also attack celery
in coastal areas. The primary damage is caused by
larvae, which feed on the plant mesophyll, forming
mines. Leafminer larvae are attacked by several spe-
cies of parasitic wasp, which help suppress leafminer
populations if insecticides do not interfere with their
activity. Control strategies should be aimed at the lar-
vae, not the more mobile, insecticide-resistant adults.
Beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) can be a major
pest in southern and central coast growing areas.
Armyworms have many natural enemies and should
be managed by using selective materials to avoid
making other insect problems more severe. Rotation
of insecticides with differing modes of action to slow
insecticide resistance should always be practiced. The
central and south coastal regions also face problems
from the black bean aphid (Aphis fabae) and the lygus
bug (Lygus hesperus), which may severely damage
early-season celery when adults migrate from drying
native vegetation.
Disease Identification and Management
Greenhouse transplants can become diseased with
late blight (Septoria apiicola) and bacterial leaf spot
(Pseudomonas syringae pv. apii). These diseases can
result in weakened transplants. Once planted in the
field, bacterial blight usually does not persist, and
control measures are not needed. However, trans-
plants infected with late blight can result in crop loss
in the field if conditions favor disease development.
Manage late blight by using pathogen-free seed, fun-
gicides on transplants, fungicides in field plantings,
and drip or furrow irrigation rather than overhead
sprinklers. Early blight (Cercospora apii) is another
foliar disease that is much less common in California
and not as destructive as late blight.
Pink rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) and crater rot
(Rhizoctonia solani) are two soilborne fungal diseases
that can affect the lower portion of the celery peti-
oles if wet conditions are present. Fungicides are
sometimes needed for control. Fusarium yellows
(Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. apii) is a devastating soil-
borne fungal disease that can significantly reduce
yields. The pathogen is a long-term resident in infest-
ed soils, so crop rotations are not effective. Control is
achieved only by using resistant or tolerant cultivars.
Sclerotinia petiole and crown rot (Sclerotinia minor)
has been recently identified in southern California
celery fields rotated with lettuce.
Although celery is susceptible to the aster yellows
mycoplasma and the western celery mosaic (CeMV)
and cucumber mosaic (CMV) viruses, commercial
plantings are rarely impacted by these pathogens.
3 • Celery Production in California
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HARVESTING AND HANDLING
Celery is primarily hand-harvested, although some
mowing machines cut celery for processing plants.
Because of uniform crop growth, celery fields are cut
only once. Fresh-market celery is graded according
to the number of heads per carton (24, 30, 36, and 48)
and field-packed into 60-pound (27.2-kg) cartons.
Additionally, 28-pound (12.7-kg) cartons are used for
harvesting hearts (head centers, placed in polyethyl-
ene bags). Cartons are cooled at distribution centers by
forced air or hydrocooling and kept in cold storage until
shipped. Celery is also harvested for lightly processed
products (celery sticks, diced, or sliced) and for soup
and other cooked products.
POSTHARVEST HANDLING
Celery is stored at 32º to 35ºF (0º to 2ºC) at a relative humid-
ity of 98 to 100 percent. Caution must be used to prevent
crushing of celery cartons. Careful stacking of cartons in
a vertical position is important. Celery may absorb odors
from other commodities such as apples, carrots, onions,
and pears and should not be stored near them.
MARKETING
California produces about 75 percent of the nation’s cel-
ery crop, followed by Florida and Texas. The majority of
the crop is used for fresh market; lightly processed and
processed products are also marketed. Substantial ship-
ments are made throughout the year; however, heaviest
production occurs in fall and midwinter. Prices fall dur-
ing the heavy production period. Prices range from an
average low of $238 per ton to an average high of $351
per ton during 2003–2005 (Los Angles Terminal Market
prices). California exports celery to Canada and Taiwan.
During 2003–2005, exports averaged 15 percent of the
total production. Canada is the main export destination,
averaging 14 percent (123,850 tons, or 112,332 metric
tons) of the total production during the same period.
The other export market, Taiwan averaged 8,272 tons
(7,503 metric tons) and has been showing increasing
consumption.
COSTS OF PRODUCTION
The costs of producing celery depend on the loca-
tion. Celery is one of the high-cost crops in the coast-
al regions of Southern California. It is labor-intensive,
especially in harvesting and postharvest handling. For
more information, see Celery Production: Sample Costs
and Profitability Analysis (ANR Publication 8028), at the
ANR CS Web site, http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/
SampleProductionCostsProfitabilityAnalysis/8028.aspx.
4 • Celery Production in California
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