How to Grow Celery Hydroponically

Hydroponic growing is a method of growing fruit and vegetables without using soil, but in tanks or other vessels filled with water and nutrient solution. Celery is one vegetable that can be produced well in a hydroponic environment. Hydroponic growing removes a number of problems that can plague conventional garden plants, including insects and other pests, weeds and soil toxins.

Hydroponic base

Mesh netting

Perlite

Nutrient mix

Celery seeds

Select a hydroponic base for growing your celery. There are several kinds of bases commercially available for beginning hydroponic gardeners. Your choice of base is dependent on how much celery you want to grow at one time. For growing celery, you'll want a system that is at least 12 inches deep for the roots. Celery is planted 2 to 3 inches apart, so if you want to grow six plants at a time, you'd need a system that has a minimum area of 12 square inches.

Set up your base in a place that gets plenty of sun, maintains a constant temperature of about 70 degrees and where it won't be tipped over by pets or children. You will need to put your base close to an outlet if you are using a base that relies on electricity to circulate the water through the base.

Place the mesh netting that comes with the base across the base, following the instructions for the base. Lay a strip of perlite on top of the mesh netting. The perlite is what the celery seeds will use as basic nutrients as they grow and begin to put roots down into the water.

Place five celery seeds every 2 inches in the perlite. Add water and the recommended nutrient mix to the base unit as instructed by the base maker and turn on the base unit. Check to make sure that the water is circulating properly. Celery takes about five weeks to sprout from the ground, but you will start to see root growth in a hydroponic system in about two to three weeks.

Harvest the celery when the stalks are large enough to use, usually about four months after planting the seeds.