I have not grown anything from a cutting for quite some time and lately, I have been wanting to grow something I have never grown before. After a bit of research, I decided to give celery a grow.
Now, this might seem like an odd choice but we eat a lot of it in my house so there is always raw material to work with and celery is super easy to grow.
The great thing about this growing method is that you can use store-bought celery. Ideally, it is better to use plants that you have grown yourself, so you know exactly what you are getting. Since I was excited to get this process going, I decided to use what we got from the store.
You are probably familiar with growing plants from a seed or a bulb, but what about cutting?
A cutting is the process of growing a new plant by cutting a piece off an existing plant, usually part of a stem or the root. This piece is then placed into a growing medium such as water or soil and new roots as well as a new plant will begin to grow.
What You Will Need
What is nice about this project is that you do not need any special equipment to get started. In fact, you already have all you need to begin this project right in your kitchen.
- One stalk of whole celery
- A knife
- A small container that is several inches deep
- Pot and planting soil (optional if you choose to transplant outside.)
Getting Started
First, you will not need a pot or planting soil for a couple of weeks so there is no rush in getting those materials. You also will not need them at all if you plan on transplanting the celery to an outdoor garden.
Once you have your celery, use a knife to cut the base away from the individual stalks. The base is what will be used for growing a new celery plant
Do not worry about the specific size of the base but you want it to be several inches long. It should look like the picture below.
Next, fill a container with roughly one to two inches of clean water. You can use a small bowl, plastic container, or in my case, a super fancy coffee mug!
Now, simply place the celery base into the water so that it is standing upright and the cut stalks are pointing upward.
Because I used a taller coffee mug, I experimented with using toothpicks to suspend the base. You can choose to do this if you want but it is unnecessary.
Celery needs several hours of daylight every day so place it on a shelf near a window or a window sill.
I have been growing mine on a shelf above my kitchen sink and moving it back and forth between there and a nearby window.
After a couple of days, you should start to see leaves sprouting from the center of the base.
After a couple of weeks, you should have a couple of stalks growing and the leaves will start to become even bushier.
Keep an eye on the water because you do not want the container to dry out. If you want you can change out the water every few days.
You may start to notice a brownish color forming around the base during this period, but it is natural and is not something to worry about.
Once the stalk is several inches in length, begin checking for roots by lifting the base out of the water and inspecting it.
Celery is not a heavy rooter, meaning that the roots do not grow very long or large. They are fine and hairlike.
When roots start appearing around the base it is time to find the celery a new home.
Transplanting
Since celery is not a heavy rooter you will not need a large pot if that is how you choose to replant it. A pot at least six inches tall should suffice.
Begin by filling the pot with rich soil or compost mixture. Compact the soil and press it firmly down into the pot, being sure to leave several inches of space from the top.
Next, set the pot into a bowl of water or water it from the top so that all the soil becomes wet.
Lastly, gently place the celery base on top of the wet soil and fill in the rest of the pot with soil. Once again, compact the soil around the base so that the celery is firmly held in place.
However, if you have space outdoors, you can skip the pot altogether and plant it right in the garden.
You have now officially begun growing your celery from a cutting!
Here are some pictures of transplanting the celery into a small pot.
Wrap Up
Celery is a cold weather plant and it grows best in the spring, fall, or year-round indoors. It may take several months for your celery to fully mature, but you can begin eating it at any time.
On a side note, this is a great project for getting little kids involved in because it is so super easy to do, and they really enjoy seeing the progress of the celery as it grows. And if they help to grow it, they might be more open to eating it, but if not then you can always do what my mom did and slather it in peanut butter.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy growing this crunchy treat!
