Growing Rhubarb

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Rhubarb is one of the few super-early plants on our table. This herbaceous culture starts to grow immediately after the snow melts, and after a week or two it already pleases with the first vitamin greens, while other vegetables from open ground (except for sorrel, perennial onions and asparagus), and even more berries and fruits, remain only dream.

Rhubarb thickets

It is not said in vain about fruit-berries, because in reality rhubarb is difficult to attribute to vegetables or fruits, since in cooking it can play the role of both the first and the second.

In the earliest spring, rhubarb leaves are used to make green cabbage soup, and a little later, young rhubarb stalks are used, from which a wide variety of sweet dishes are already prepared, from jelly to pies and even candied fruits.

The petioles are not only tasty, but also healthy. They are close to apples in chemical composition and nutritional value, as they contain an impressive array of organic acids, including malic, citric and succinic; a lot of vitamin C - a pair of rhubarb stalks fully satisfies the daily requirement of an adult for this vitamin, pectin, potassium and others. True, one should also take into account the fact that with an increase in air temperature and aging of leaves and petioles, oxalic acid, harmful to the body, accumulates in them. Therefore, only young shoots can be eaten.

Since ancient times, the medicinal use of rhubarb roots and rhizomes, recommended in folk medicine for a variety of ailments, has also been known. In addition, this culture is very unpretentious and has a solid yield, so not growing rhubarb on your hundred square meters is simply a sin. Moreover, it is still difficult to find this product on sale - it can only be found in large supermarkets and at impressive prices, as it is usually imported from Holland.

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Biological features of rhubarb

Rhubarb is a heroic plant, often in height it reaches more than two meters. Naturally, such a giant forms a powerful branched root system, penetrating to a depth of 2.5 m, and wide spreading leaves on thick juicy petioles. And so for several years a couple of rhubarb bushes form real, almost tropical thickets.

The color of its petioles depends on the variety. In most varieties of rhubarb, the petioles have some shade of red (raspberry, dark cherry, etc.), but there are also varieties with green or even multi-colored petioles, which can be red at the base, and green above. Rhubarb flowers appear in May-June; they look rather plain.

Rhubarb is very frost-resistant - its rhizomes tolerate frosts down to -30 ° C, and the leaves begin to grow back immediately after the snow melts and calmly endure even strong spring frosts down to -10 ° C. True, intensive growth of leaves begins only when the temperature rises to + 10 … + 15 ° C.

This culture is generally undemanding to soils and grows in almost any area. However, high yields of petioles can only be counted on when growing rhubarb on fertile land. The most suitable areas are with medium loamy, well filled with organic fertilizers soils with a deep arable layer and a low level of groundwater.

But rhubarb needs high soil moisture (especially during the period of leaf formation) - with a lack of moisture and elevated temperatures, the leaf rosette develops weakly, the petioles become coarse, become low-yield and fibrous.

As for the level of illumination, this culture is undemanding to light and prefers partial shade, therefore it grows well in the aisles of the garden and under the canopy of fruit trees.

Rhubarb is a long-lived plant, and in one place it can yield up to 10-15 years, and sometimes even more. However, it is better to keep rhubarb plantations for no more than 10 years, since in the future the plant's yield drops noticeably. Landings need to be updated regularly.

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Breeding rhubarb

Delenka with two large buds

Rhubarb can be propagated vegetatively (dividing rhizomes) and seeds. The first option is preferable, since with the vegetative method the varietal characteristics are preserved, moreover, the plants grown from the divisions quickly enter into active fruiting.

Technically, the procedure for dividing rhizomes in rhubarb is similar to that of many other perennials. Carefully dig up the uterine rhizome (it must be at least 4-5 years old), trying not to damage the numerous roots. With a sharp knife (not a shovel, otherwise large roots may be damaged, and the buds are broken off) divide the rhizome into several parts so that each one has at least 1-2 large buds and well-developed roots. The most valuable plants are obtained from the lateral young parts of the rhizome.

The resulting cuttings are slightly dried in the sun, the slices are sprinkled with charcoal (this will prevent their decay after planting), planted 3-4 cm below the soil surface and compact the soil well. You cannot plant deeper - the plants will develop poorly, quickly move to flowering and often rot, the petioles on such bushes are formed short and have low taste. A high landing is also unacceptable, in which the buds dry out and do not bloom at all. The cuttings are planted at a distance of 1-1.2 meters from each other. After planting, the plants are watered; it is also advisable to immediately mulch them.

You can divide the rhizomes in spring or early autumn, when the leaves begin to turn yellow. Autumn planting is preferable, since before the soil freezes, rhubarb can form a sufficient number of suction roots. Then the next year the plant will please with a small harvest of petioles - however, in the first year it is better not to touch the petioles in order to allow the plant to grow stronger and grow. It is better to cover young bushes of rhubarb for the winter with compost or rotted manure.

When sowing rhubarb with seeds (they should only be freshly harvested), they are sown in late autumn on frozen ground or in early spring after cold stratification for 1-2 months. Seeds are embedded in the soil to a depth of 2-3 cm - they germinate at a temperature of + 2 … + 3 ° C, and the first shoots appear in about 15-20 days. After the emergence of seedlings, they are thinned out, leaving the seedlings at a distance of 20 cm from each other. After one to two years, the plants are transplanted to a permanent place.

Care for rhubarb during the growing season

Young plant 2 weeks after planting

Caring for rhubarb after planting consists in loosening row spacings, weeding, fertilizing with fertilizers - sprinkle urea over the snow in early spring, and a little later, in May, apply complex mineral fertilizers. And water.

The need for water is especially high for rhubarb from mid-May to July, when up to two buckets of water have to be poured under each adult plant during watering. To reduce the frequency of watering, it is advisable to cover the soil under the plants with a thick layer of mulch (half-rotted manure, straw, leaf litter, etc.).

From the second year after planting, rhubarb will develop flower stems that severely drain the plants. Therefore, they must be removed as soon as they appear, breaking out to the ground. It happens that such an operation has to be carried out several times during the growing season. It is undesirable to cut the peduncles, since the hemp remaining from them interfere with the further growth of the petioles.

Every 3-4 years (or better after 2) rotted organic fertilizers should be applied to the plant aisles - 1-2 buckets per 1 m² or 2-2.5 kg per plant.

For winter, the soil under the rhubarb bushes to protect the roots from freezing (which is important in regions with late snowfall) is covered with a layer of mulch made of leaves, straw and other similar materials. However, in places where there is a danger of spring drying out, it is dangerous to use mulch from leaves or straw - it is better to mulch the plants with humus or compost. In their absence, it is possible with leaf litter, but not with leaves, which get wet in winter, cake and die. (Leaves, needles, branches, twigs, fruits and other remnants of forest or garden vegetation that have fallen during the year make up forest or leaf litter - ed.).

Rhubarb harvesting and storage

The first crop of petioles is harvested in the second year after planting rhubarb by dividing the rhizomes or in the third year when sowing with seeds. In the first year of collection, the petioles are harvested in a gentle mode - no more than 3-4 petioles at a time. This operation is performed when the petioles reach a length of 20-35 cm (the length depends on the variety) and at least 2 cm thick.

In subsequent years, the number of petioles collected from the bush is increased, however, one should try to remove no more than a third of the petioles, otherwise the yield of rhubarb next year will be lower. Petioles with young leaves are not touched in any case during harvesting, since they ensure the further development of plants. The petioles are not cut off (when cutting, a stump will remain, which interferes with the growth of young shoots), but carefully break out at the base.

Depending on the activity of rhubarb development, the stalks are removed every 10-15 days until about mid-July. Then the harvests are stopped, and the plants are fed and continue to water abundantly so that they can get stronger and store nutrients in the rhizomes for the next season.

All the leaves of the collected petioles should be cut off immediately, put in a plastic bag and sent to the refrigerator, where they are kept fresh for up to two days. At a temperature of 0 ° C and an air humidity of 95%, the shelf life can be increased up to 10 days.

To create a reserve for the winter, peel the petioles, cut them into pieces and freeze them - without sugar or with its addition at the rate of 450 g of rhubarb 55 g of sugar (sugar forms a delicious syrup when defrosted). Frozen rhubarb can be stored for several months.

Forcing rhubarb

If desired, in late autumn and early spring, pre-prepared rhubarb can be used for forcing. To do this, in the fall, after the leaves die off and the plants enter the dormant period, they are dug up with a large clod of earth and laid for storage. The prepared material is stored in a basement or cellar at a temperature of + 2 … + 3 ° C.

If it is necessary to obtain fresh greens (usually from the end of November), the rhizomes are placed close to each other on a layer of soil 8-12 cm thick, sprinkled on top with a layer of soil about 2 cm and watered abundantly. Forcing is carried out in the light at a temperature of + 10 … + 15 ° C (for example, on an insulated loggia) and an air humidity of 60-70% with regular airing of the plants and watering them about once a week. The first cleaning is carried out after 30-35 days - in general, 5-6 collections are made in 6-8 weeks. After that, the roots are dug up and a new batch is planted.

Read the next part:

Jam, marmalade and open rhubarb pie →

Svetlana Shlyakhtina, Yekaterinburg

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