Celery Pests Identification (2024)

FAQs

What is the pest of the celery plant? ›

Celery can be attacked by common pests such as slugs and snails as well as cutworms and the carrot fly.

It can appear quite string and scrabbly. A strong smell of celery is often detected when the plant is nearby. The leaves are dark green and glossy, with once pinnate with lobed and toothed leaflets.

That's because celery's scent repels cabbage worms and cabbage loopers, major brassica crop pests. Even better, cabbage and celery are both cool-weather vegetables that love lots of water; growing them together makes it easier to irrigate these water-loving crops.

Spider mites are tiny terrorists that wreak havoc on celery plants. Look for fine webbing on the undersides of leaves and a speckled, dusty appearance. Leaves may turn yellow or reddish-brown if the infestation is severe.

Changes in leaf color or texture can signal an insect problem. Leaves may become spotted, speckled or yellowed when insects are present. Leaves might also become distorted or misshapen, often looking cupped or pinched. You may spot webbing draped along leaf undersides or where leaves attach to stems.

These little dark insects cling, pierce and suck the sap out of plants. They have been nicknamed blackfly, black bean aphids, and beet leaf aphids. Their favorite plants to feed on are runner beans, nasturtiums, chamomile, viburnum plants, thistles, celery, and poppies.

Description: Leaves are ribbon-like, dark-green, and grow below the water surface; rooted in mud; in late summer, produces a small, whitish-yellow flower, supported by a coiled stalk; often grows in beds amid pondweeds and other submerged plants.

It will go limp, turn yellow and eventually, brown. Celery that's yellowed a little bit is still safe to eat. But if you start to notice a sulfur or rotten egg smell, it's time to throw your celery out. The celery stalks will also become soggy and slimy.

“It's best to not plant potatoes, carrots, or parsnips next to celery because of its shallow root system,” Jones says. Hence, these plants would compete with celery too much for root space.

Can I plant celery next to tomatoes? ›

You can grow tomatoes and celery together, they have similar soil and nutrient requirements and are not affected by the same diseases. However, you should make sure that the soil is well supplied with nutrients, as both plants are heavy feeders.

What are Celery Worms? Larvae of the eastern black swallowtail (Papillo polyxenes asterius) are sometimes seen in the vegetable garden where they munch celery, parsnips, and carrots. You might also see them in the herb garden where they eat dill, parsley, and fennel.

Aphids are about 1/4″ in length, and they can be black, brown, grey, yellow, white, or light green. Spider mites are even smaller, at around 1/50″ in length, and they're typically a reddish brown hue.

The black swallowtail caterpillar feeds on many different plants in the Apiaceae, or carrot family, including Queen Anne's lace, celery, parsley, carrots, dill, and parsnip. The butterfly eats nectar from a variety of plants including clover, milkweed, thistles, and phlox.

What are Celery Worms? Larvae of the eastern black swallowtail (Papillo polyxenes asterius) are sometimes seen in the vegetable garden where they munch celery, parsnips, and carrots. You might also see them in the herb garden where they eat dill, parsley, and fennel.

General care and maintenance Celery is a very heavy feeder and should be fed every 10–14 days with a balanced fertilizer. The plants require constant moisture and should be provided with at least 1 inch of water per week.

Over-watering your celery can lead to root rot, while under-watering causes stress and wilt. The trick is to maintain soil moisture without waterlogging. Think of it as giving your celery a steady sip, not a flood.