Rhubarb is a perennial herb belonging to the Buckwheat family and is a valuable food product. It comes from China, Manchuria; in the wild grows in Altai, the Far East and Siberia. Recently, rhubarb has become increasingly popular and is grown by many plant growers.
It can be easily recognized by powerful branched rhizomes, straight thick stems with a hollow structure, and large basal long-leafy leaves of dentate or palmate-lobed form. Overhead shoot, as a rule, ends with panicled inflorescence. This culture blooms with white, pinkish, greenish or (rarely enough) red flowers. Subsequently, the plant forms fruits that look like trihedral nuts. In this article we will tell you how
to grow rhubarb in your summer cottage. Using our tips, you can get a rich harvest and use valuable and rich in trace elements and vitamins stems of this perennial in the preparation of a wide variety of dishes: preserves, compotes, jams, soups, etc. This plant contains a huge amount of organic acids (malic, oxalic, etc.), vitamins (P, C), and potassium salts. Since ancient times, it has been used for medicinal purposes to reduce gas formation and increase intestinal motility.
Rhubarb: planting and care. Growing Features
This perennial grows well on clay and loamy soils. It tolerates increased acidity, but still prefers the range of 5.5-7 pH. For good growth, the plant needs a deep arable layer. It develops poorly and bears fruit in wetlands, in places with high standing groundwater. Before planting rhubarb (from autumn), the site is prepared: organic matter (up to 10 kg / m²), lime (500 g / m²), superphosphate and
potash fertilizers (up to 30 g / m²) are added. In the spring, nitrogen fertilizers are necessarily added (up to 20 g / m²), and when planted directly, humus or compost is placed in each pit.
Rhubarb: planting and care. Breeding
In one area, this plant can grow normally for about 15 years, but it is advisable to transplant it at least once a decade. This perennial is propagated in two ways: by seed and rhizome division. The latter seems to be the easiest and most convenient method of cultivation. The rhubarb plant is divided in the fall, for this the most powerful, well-developed bushes are chosen. They are cut by secateurs or a shovel into several parts (up to 4) so that each fragment has 2 large buds and healthy roots. Slices are treated with charcoal. Fragments are dried and planted on new, pre-prepared areas. Seeds are sown either in late autumn or in spring. They are placed in soil to a depth of about 3 cm.
Rhubarb seedlings appear on average after 17 days, after which they are thinned out so that the distance between the seedlings is 20 cm, and make a pick. After two years, the bushes can be transplanted to a permanent place. A plant with a lump of earth on the rhizome is transferred to the planting hole, the depth of which should be about 50 cm. The soil is compacted, watered and mulched with peat (humus). There is a distance of 80 cm between the bushes.
Rhubarb. Planting and caring for a delicious perennial
Care for this plant consists in periodically removing weeds, abundant watering (especially on hot, hot days), loosening the soil around the bush and between rows and applying fertilizers. Long and tasty stems of rhubarb can be obtained only by properly and timely watering it. During the season, the bushes are moistened 4 times, using about 40 l / m². Abundant watering makes the petioles more tasty and less acidic. Also, to increase the yield, inflorescences should be systematically removed. When collecting petioles, they must not be cut, but carefully pulled out. The first roots can be harvested when they reach about 30 cm, the next 60 cm. Regarding top dressing, both organic (mullein,
chicken droppings) and mineral fertilizers (Nitrofoska, Kemira Universal
) are used in the first year after planting. "). They are introduced after repeated thinning, every 12 days in turn. In subsequent years, rhubarb is fertilized 3 times per season. In early spring, superphosphate (20 g / m²), ammonium sulfate (10 g) and potassium (10 g) are added. 4 weeks after the first top dressing, superphosphate is added (20 g per 10 l). In August, the third procedure is performed (potash and
phosphorus fertilizers). For winter, rhubarb should be covered with fallen leaves. Planting and caring for the plant should be carried out correctly and be timely, then the plant will give a rich harvest of petioles for many years.