Medieval magicians used to place celery seeds
inside of their shoes, they believed that doing this would help
them to fly.
Celery is part of the same plant family as caraway, carrots, fennel and
parsley.
There are approximately one million celery seeds in a single pound of
celery seeds.
One of the main pests which attack celery is the celery fly.
Pale transparent patches often may be seen on the leaves of celery, and if one of these is held up to the light a small maggot will be found within the upper and lower skins of the leaf.
This is the larva of the celery fly which has laid its eggs upon the leaf.
A bad attack of celery fly will cause stunted growth and stringy bitter “sticks.”
After the celery has been planted out, a small fly about 3 mm in length, brown in colour with mottled wings, may sometimes be seen crawling rapidly over the leaves.
These celery flies are looking for suitable places in which to lay their eggs.
On hatching out the maggot immediately enters the leaf and by eating away the green portion causes the transparent areas referred to above.
When fully grown the majority pupate in the soil, but some may remain within the leaf, in August a second generation of flies appear and again lay eggs.
The damage done by this generation is often considerable, especially if the attack co-incides with a dry period.
The winter is passed in the ground in the pupal stage.
The most satisfactory method of control of celery fly is to keep the flies away and so prevent egg-laying.
When hardening off the plants, cover the boxes and seedlings with a fine net.
Deep trenching in Winter will bury the celery fly pupae and prevent the fly from hatching out.
If the attack of celery fly is only light its possible to pick off the affected parts of the blistered leaves to remove the pest.
A light spray with a greenfly bug spray or insecticide can also be used.
| Organic gardening | Winter garden pests || Tamarisk - seaside shrub | Nitrogen deficiency | Gardening on Clay Soils | Mealy Bugs |Trailing Lobelia | Oriental Poppies | Pruning Roses | |
How to control celery fly in the vegetable garden.