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One of the gravid perennial veg you’re able to grow at home , lemonlike rhubarb is ordinarily treated as a fruit . When combined with plenty of sugar , it can be used to broil delectably sweet - glowering desserts like rhubarb plant pie . Since pieplant ’s foliage is toxic , this vegetable is raised for its cherry-red or red - tinged green foliage stalks rather than the leaves that are on top of them .
When considering how to grow rhubarb , keep in mind that — because it requires temperatures below 40 degrees in winter to prosper — it performs good inUSDA Hardiness Zones3 through 8 . However , southern gardeners may be capable to grow it as a winter annual .
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Growing Rhubarb at a Glance
Common Name : RhubarbScientific Name : genus Rheum rhabarbarumHardiness Zone : 3 through 8Soil : Well - drained fat loamLight : Full Lord’s Day to partial shadeWater : MediumFood : Compost and organic fertilizerPropagation : Division of pate or seedsSafety : Leaves are toxic to pets and stock ; stalks are comestible
Rhubarb Characteristics
A likely cross of the Formosan speciesRheum rhaponticumandRheum palmatum , rhubarb plant typically stand about 3 metrical unit improbable . The stalk for which the plant is uprise may reach an column inch or more in diameter and 2 infantry in peak , transcend by toxic heart - shaped leaves that can measure 2 feet across .
The flower angry walk , which may inject up to 5 feet , produces plumes of small greenish - white salad days in summertime . Those are follow by wing cum pods before the plant dies back to the flat coat over winter .
Although the oxalic acid that makes the foliage potentially lethal is also present in the stalk , the stalks contain much less of it , so they are considered non - harmful for most people . However , persons with particular medical issues will require to avoid using up of rhubarb .
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Recommended Rhubarb Varieties
Planting Rhubarb
Due to the industrial plant ’s size of it , uprise rhubarbin containersis not a good idea . However , here ’s everything you require to eff about cultivating rhubarb in garden territory at base .
When is the best time to plant rhubarb?
plant life pieplant in other spring when its crown are dormant , four to six weeks before your last frost . gardener in Zones 9 , 10 , and 11 should arrange out rhubarb in autumn and grow it as an annual over wintertime , since this plant , which prefers cool summertime , wo n’t tolerate sizzling temperatures .
Where can rhubarb grow?
For the ripe rhubarb originate conditions , take a localisation in full sun extend well - drained , moist , prolific loam with a pH between 6 and 6.8 . The plant also will rise in fond shade with 5 to 6 hours of sunlight per day . Because you ’ll want to leave rhubarb in place , select a land site that wo n’t be tilled every spring .
How do you plant rhubarb?
When planting rhubarb plant , first work 3 to 4 inch ofcompostinto your garden layer to avail provide high-pitched fertility and good drainage . Only then should you move onto the planting outgrowth :
Watering Rhubarb Plants
When growing pieplant , keep in mind that the plant will require at least one column inch of rainfall a hebdomad or its equivalent in irrigation . If potential , use a dipsomaniac hose to prevent piss from getting on the leaves , or water the plants in the morning so that any wet on their leaves will dry out off quickly , help to forbid fungus diseases . A heavy layer of mulch should serve keep the territory damp ; grade it around the plants rather than atop their crowns to prevent rot .
Fertilizing Rhubarb
grasp 3 to 4 inches of compost into the planting orbit before you plant your rhubarb plant to enrich the soil . If your plant are already established , mulch them with 3 to 4 inches of compost to help preserve their health and keep smoke down .
As for fertilizer for rhubarb , bung each works with a one-half loving cup of 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer in saltation or one cupful of anorganic fertilizersuch as 5 - 5 - 5 , propagate it around the plant beneath the mulch . Do n’t dig it in or you may damage the rhubarb ’s roots .
Propagating Rhubarb
Rhubarb is best propagated by partition , about once every 5 years . Dig up the crown in early spring and separate them into sections , each having at least one crown bud . Then replant them 3 feet apart .
Although cultivar do n’t come entirely true , you’re able to start rhubarb plant from seed . After soaking rhubarb seeds for two hours , sow in them in small green goddess of damp and sterile seed starting mix about six weeks before your last rime particular date , cover them with ¼ in of the admixture . After they evolve in 2 to 3 weeks , thin them to the strongest seedling in each pot .
Safety Considerations
As mentioned above , rhubarb leaf are toxic to man due to the parting ’ high oxalic subject matter . harmonise to theASPCA , all parts of the plant can be toxic to pets and farm animal , which may put up “ kidney failure , tremor , and salivation ” if they eat it .
Because even the comestible leaf stalks contain smaller amounts of oxalic acid , they should be avoided by people suffering from gout , kidney disease , or rheumatoid arthritis . Do n’t harvest stalks that have been damage by late freezes , as they may contain high than usual quantity of the acid .
Potential Pests and Diseases
Rhubarb has its own personal pestilence called the rhubarb curculio , which is actually more probable to uprise on nearby curly dock weeds . This mallet measures ½ to ¾ column inch long and has a downward - curving snout . If you see holes in the crowns and angry walk of your plant , you may involve to dispatch the beetles by helping hand . you’re able to help check pieplant curculio by keeping dock plants cleaned out of the region hem in your rhubarb craw .
Harvesting Rhubarb
Because they’reperennial vegetables , do n’t glean any pieplant during your plant ’ first twelvemonth to allow them fourth dimension to become established . you could harvest from crown - grown plants during their 2nd year and from seedlings during their third year , but never pick more than half the stalks .
When is the best time to harvest rhubarb?
crop rhubarb in recent outpouring and early summer when the stalks attain the appropriate size for your cultivar , usually about 1 inch in diam . In northerly zones , rhubarb season lead from belated April to late June . Keep in mind that pieplant ripeness is n’t cypher by redness , since not all rhubarb have red stalks .
How do you harvest rhubarb?
Avoid cut rhubarb plant stalks as that can allow the entranceway of disease , and follow these footstep in parliamentary procedure to properly harvest your rhubarb :
How do you store rhubarb?
stack away your harvest of rhubarb in perforated bag in the crisper door of your icebox where they should keep for two weeks to a month . Alternatively , chop the pieplant into pieces and freeze it . you may freeze it raw or blanched . Blanch it for one minute , permit it cool completely , and then can jam it into freezer bags or airtight container .
look for more recurrent vegetable ? stop out our guide on growingartichoke , asparagus , andhops .
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
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We ’ll help you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few grass on your patio , a raised bed , or an in - flat coat plot of ground out back — and choose the right plants for your soil and region .
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