How to plant rhubarb outdoors and care for it

Rhubarb is a perennial herb, a representative of the buckwheat family. Planting and caring for rhubarb on your site is a feasible task for every gardener. This unpretentious plant has a high yield. And its juicy petioles are nutritious and rich in vitamins, which are especially valuable in early spring.

Growing conditions

In regions of a temperate climate, rhubarb is quite in demand. On the plots of many summer residents and gardeners, several varieties are grown, which differ in terms of ripening, quality and color of petioles. The shrub can easily tolerate cold temperatures and is drought tolerant. However, a prolonged stay without watering during a hot period will affect the taste of rhubarb. The petioles become fibrous, a bitter taste appears.

The plant has been able to grow in one place for 10 years and give excellent yields. When planning the planting of a perennial in the open field, you should take into account the peculiarities of the growth of rhubarb.

For active growth and normal development, the plant will need:

• fertile loose soil;
• sufficient moisture without moisture stagnation;
• well lit, possibly slightly shaded place;
• average air temperature 18 ° C.

During the growth of rhubarb leaves, especially abundant watering is required. But it should be remembered that excessive soil moisture can lead to root rot.

Advice

To obtain a stable harvest throughout the summer, it is advisable to select several varieties of rhubarb with different ripening periods.

Reproduction methods

For plant propagation, two highly effective and widespread methods are used among summer residents.

1. The vegetative method is suitable for rejuvenating the culture or increasing the number of plants on the site.
2. When breeding new varieties, seedlings are grown from seeds.

Vegetative way

Early spring is the best time to do perennial division work. It is allowed to carry out division in the middle of autumn. For reproduction, bushes are selected that have reached 4-5 years of age.

1. The plant is dug out of the ground in early spring and the excess soil is shaken off.
2. Using a sharp knife, the root is cut into several pieces. Each seedling should have at least one or two growth buds and its own root system. From one bush, you can get from five to ten new plants.
3. The resulting delenki are planted in specially prepared wells with a nutrient substrate. The growth point must be left on the surface.
4. The soil around is compacted by squeezing the plant.
5. Pour with settled water. Regular hydration of rhubarb continues throughout the week.

In an adult state, the bush reaches an impressive size, so the distance between plants should be at least one meter.

Advice

Old bushes are not suitable for vegetative propagation. After planting, they most often turn into color, which affects the taste of rhubarb.

Growing seedlings

When choosing a method of propagation by seeds, it must be remembered that in the first year of the growing season, the perennial is actively increasing its green mass. Harvesting during this period is not recommended. Breaking out the petioles from a young plant will weaken the bush.

Preparing and planting seeds will not be difficult.

1. The seeds are placed between several layers of gauze and moistened regularly.
2. When white sprouts appear, the seeds are slightly dried until a free-flowing state is obtained.
3. Sprouted seeds are placed in prepared grooves 2 cm deep, irrigating the crops with warm water.Already on the 5th day, the first shoots will look out of the ground.
4. After the first true leaves unfold on the seedlings, the seedlings should be thinned out.

Further, the soil around the plants is regularly loosened, weeds are controlled, if necessary, watering and fertilizing are carried out. During the summer, seedlings reach 30 cm in height. Planting material is left to winter in the same place. And only in the spring, while the plants have not entered the stage of active growth, the bushes are dug up in order to plant in a permanent place.

Roots with active growth buds are placed in the holes so that the upper bud is covered with earth for a couple of centimeters. The soil around the rhubarb is compacted, the plants are watered.

Advice

To get the seeds yourself, you need to let the plants bloom and leave the strongest flower stalks.

Planting and leaving

The soil for growing perennials must be carefully prepared. The quality of the future harvest depends on this. In the fall, you should dig up the site and apply organic fertilizers. Compost, humus, or peat will do. Slaked lime is added to the acidic soil; dolomite flour can be used.

Summer residents who want to grow juicy petioles with a characteristic pleasant taste need to provide proper care for the plant planted in the open field.

1. Regular and fairly abundant watering is required. It is not recommended to allow the soil to dry out and water stagnation at the roots.
2. During the growing season, timely weeding and loosening of the top layer of the earth is required.
3. To retain moisture and prevent weed growth, the soil around the plant must be mulched with organic matter. For a safe wintering, the leaf rosette is covered with fallen leaves.
4. Every year in the spring, mineral fertilizers are applied under the bush and rotted manure is added.
5. From the second year of the growing season, the uterine stems should be cut out from the plant, which significantly weaken the bush.
6. Flower arrows also need to be broken.

Rhubarb bushes are very disease resistant. But in some cases, plants can be affected by gray rot, downy mildew or ascochitosis. Sometimes rhubarb is attacked by certain pests. As a rule, these are the rhubarb elephant and the rhubarb bug. Possible buckwheat flea damage. Chemicals are used to effectively combat pests and diseases. Therefore, the processing of plants should be carried out only after harvest.

Harvesting

The beginning of the harvest depends on the variety and region of growth of rhubarb. The petioles, which have reached a diameter of 1.5 cm, can be twisted, trying to do this at the base of the bush. Then you need to remove the sheet. Petioles are harvested repeatedly during the summer. The accumulated nutrients will help the plant to survive the winter safely. To do this, it is necessary to stop the selection of petioles 2 months before the end of the growing season.

Fleshy rhubarb stalks have a pleasant sour taste. Large leaves containing oxalic acid are not eaten. The plant is a source of vitamins A, B, C and PP. The composition also includes minerals useful for humans, pectin and fiber. It is possible to make up for the spring lack of vitamins in the body thanks to early varieties grown in the country.

Providing competent care of the plant, you can get an excellent harvest of rhubarb on your site, diversify your home menu and replenish the supply of vitamins and minerals in the body. The beneficial properties of this plant can be effectively used for medicinal purposes.