Continue this process until the plot
selected is occupied. If the plants have been grown in your own
garden, much is gained by SOAKING the ground round them in the
evening, and removing them to the rows in the cool of the morning.
This abundant moisture will cause the soil to cling to the roots
if handled gently, and the plants will scarcely know that they
have been moved. When setting I usually trim off the greater part
of the foliage. When all the leaves are left, the roots, not
established, cannot keep pace with the evaporation. Always keep
the roots moist and unshrivelled, and the heart intact, and the
plants are safe. If no rain follows setting immediately, water the
plants thoroughly--don't be satisfied with a mere sprinkling of
the surface--and shade from the hot sun until the plants start to
grow. One of the chief requisites in putting out a celery plant,
and indeed almost any plant, is to press the soil FIRMLY ROUND,
AGAINST, AND OVER THE ROOTS. This excludes the air, and the new
rootlets form rapidly. Neither bury the heart nor leave any part
of the root exposed.
Do not be discouraged at the rather slow growth during the hot
days of July and early August. You have only to keep the ground
clean and mellow by frequent hoeings until the nights grow cooler
and longer, and rains thoroughly moisten the soil.
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