Let´s create together.  
Edit Content
find a plant

Search by name or category

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leos.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a vegetable originating from China, but in North America it is one of our oldest garden plants, commonly used in deserts. Ruby red rhubarb is a cool season perennial that will return for up to 20 years once established. Its tart, fresh flavor is sought after by cooks looking for something special to make into pie and other desserts. Rhubarb should be planted in a sunny area and given plenty of nutrients to grow healthy and strong.

Introduction
Mr. John Doe

Head Director

Description

Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
Rhubarb is a cool-season plant that requires temperatures that drop below 40 °F (4 °C) in order to stimulate growth. (zones 3-8) The northern states in the US as well as Canada are good places to grow rhubarb. Rhubarb wilts during the heat of hot southern summers. If you live in a southern region where it regularly goes above 75 °F (24 °C), it will be difficult to grow this plant.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
Rhubarb is best planted in an area in full sun although it will tolerate part shade. Look for a spot that drains well, since rhubarb won’t do as well if water sits around its base. To determine whether soil drains well, dig a hole and fill it with water. If the water sits in the hole, the soil there doesn’t drain well. If it immediately soaks into the ground, the soil is great for planting rhubarb.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
Rhubarb is best grown from roots (crowns), not seed, since the seeds take a long time to get established and there’s no guarantee they’ll ever germinate. Go to your local nursery and buy rhubarb roots, or get some from a neighbor. Because rhubarb is very prolific once established, most gardeners will be happy to share. Dig 4–5 inch (10.2–12.7 cm) holes 3–4 feet (0.9–1.2 m) apart. Rhubarb plants can grow to become quite large, so it’s important to give them plenty of space. Plant your rhubarb at the back of the garden or in a spot on its own so that it can come up year after year and spread out without being disturbed by tilling. Plant the roots 2 inches (5.1 cm) below the surface of the ground. Place the roots in the holes and gently fill them in with compost-rich soil. Water the roots after planting. It is helpful to put a layer of mulch over your rhubarb bed in the spring and fall. Use hay and cow manure to keep weeds from growing and continue to nourish the rhubarb plants. Leaf mulch or ramial wood chips also make good mulches.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
Columbines help protect rhubarb from red spider. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid. They can be boiled in water to make a spray. When rhubarb tea is watered into holes before sowing plants of the cabbage family to prevent clubroot. It is also useful to combine with Jadam wetting agent and spray on roses to protect agains greenfly and black spot.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

Healthy Rhubarb will produce seed stalks in the summer. It is important to cur these off as they will reduce the productivity of the plant.
Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Your rhubarb bed should stay moist and well- drained throughout the heat of the summer. Water every time the soil begins to look dry.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
When it is first establishing it is helpful to remove any major weeds but Rhubarb, with its large leaves and deep roots, will quickly shade and crowd out weeds. It can even out compete hardy grasses.
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
Rhubarb will grow even when neglected and is a common sight on the edges of roadsides in rural areas, having escaped many gardens over the years. But if you feed well composted manure to your rhubarb it will get huge and beautiful. It is recommended that after the first year has passed, use a light application of high-nitrogen fertilizer to encourage the rhubarb to come back healthy. Do this after the ground has started to thaw.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
Rhubarb isn’t prone to getting many pests, but you may notice a beetle called the rhubarb curculio on the stalks. This beetle is light gray and about half an inch long. Pick off the beetles by hand and remove and dispose of leaves with eggs on them.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Rhubarb needs a year to get fully established, so you’ll need to wait until the second year before harvesting any stalks. Harvest stalks when they are mature. They should be 12 to 18 inches (30.5 to 45.7 cm) long. Continue harvesting throughout the summer – the season should last 8 to 10 weeks.
How to Harvest:
Harvest rhubarb in late May or June by cutting the stems off with a sharp knife at soil level. It is best to harvest several times, removing a few stems from each plant each time. Harvesting the crop slowly allows the remaining stems to draw on the energy of the plant. Always leave at least two stalks per plant so that it can store up energy for next year. This will ensure that you have a harvest next year. Stop harvesting when the stalks start growing up thin.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
If you aren’t going to use it immediately, store it in an airtight food storage bag in the refrigerator. It will keep this way for up to a week.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Rhubarb freezes really well. Cut the rhubarb stalks into chunks and partially dry them on a cookie sheet so they don’t stick together before putting them in freezer bags. Rhubarb jam can be made into preserves in glass jars and it goes especially well with strawberries. Stewed rhubarb is considered a pioneer staple as it provided badly needed vitamins in the winter months. Modern dehydrators can be used to make strawberry rhubarb fruit leather, a healthy snack for kids, which will keep in sealed containers in the pantry up to 9 months if it doesn’t get eaten before then.
Seed Saving:
Growing rhubarb from seed is not common because it is much easier to grow from roots which are readily available. Saving rhubarb seedpods is easy. Clip the stalks with snips or break the brittle branches off by hand. Hover the branches over a cookie sheet and run your fingers down the stalk, brushing the seeds onto the cookie sheet. Dry the seeds on the cookie sheet for a week or two, then package them up and put in a dark, cool place for storage.

Harvest and Storage

Notes

From the same Category

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Contact to Listing Owner

Captcha Code
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x