A month ago I also tried to grow celery from a stalk cutting. We bought the celery from Trader Joe’s. I’d done quite a bit of research online and it sounded simple enough.
I took off the very outer layer because the celery would have otherwise been to large to fit into my cute little tub (this, I later learned, was probably mistake #1), stuffed toothpicks in the celery and ensured the water level always covered the bottom but barely. For about a week it looked like nothing was happening.
Then, on the 14th May the centre started poking its head out, and by 15th May it’d grown even more:
22nd May:
A cute little bush had grown from the centre and roots had started to grow at the bottom. Jacky thought the leaves were super cute hehe.
May 27th:
The roots had developed further, and I noticed that one of the centre bits had begun to rot. No matter, I had been told to expect this. Though all the other websites said that the rot occurs from the outside in. I didn’t understand why mine was rotting from the second later? Thinking back now, it’s probably because I took off the outermost protective layers of celery before I stuck it in water.
I left it in there a few more days. Jacky kept saying I should probably peel off that rotten leaf layer, but it was inside a layer that was fine and I didn’t want to peel off too much. Mistake #2.
Early June:
So last week the outer layers had began to rot too, I figured I should finally try to plant it as well as get rid of the rotten layers.
UGH the inside rotten layer had grown maggots. It was disgusting. I cut off all the rotting layers then tried to plant it. That was probably mistake #3 – potting too early. I was ready to throw in the towel at this point. We’d bought more celery from Trader Joe’s so I was planning to start new because a day later, the innermost layers began to rot as well.
Jacky tried to save it by carefully cutting those off too, and that’s when we discovered the roots had began rotting (though they’d actually grown pretty long after being in soil for just a few days). I may have overwatered this thing, sigh. Mistake #4.
One day later more rot had started to occur on what was left. My celery stalk had turned whitish yellow where it wasn’t brown from rot and the roots were bleurgh.
Jacky finally gave up as well and threw it out. Poor celery. I need to give myself a bit of a break before I try again.