Rhubarb: Breeding In The Fall

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

In early October, you can start dividing the rhubarb. Once a variety has grown from a branded seed bag in your garden, there is no point in re-harvesting seeds from that plant for propagation. The offspring are very reluctant to repeat the varietal characteristics of the mother plant. And in a backyard economy, reproduction is performed by dividing rhizomes

Subtleties and timing of reproduction by dividing rhizomes

Rhubarb is a perennial plant. And for division, they choose the bush that is at least 4 years old. They get to work as soon as the rhizomes are dug from the garden. They are cut into several parts, with the condition that on each division there are 2-3 growth buds, as well as 1-2 roots. On average, you should get about 7-8 parts weighing about 250 g. Try to cut the planting material so that the cut area is as small as possible.

The prepared planting material is left in the fresh air for several hours. During this time, the slices should dry out. In the meantime, the area for rhubarb needs to be dug to the depth with the bayonet of the shovel and, with the help of a rake, level the surface of the landing pad.

Plot for rhubarb: how to choose?

To the delight of many gardeners, rhubarb is a very hardy crop. It can withstand adverse weather conditions, it is not afraid of cold winters, and can grow on almost any type of soil. While it is helpful to know that rhubarb prefers loamy, not very acidic soils.

However, if you are counting on an enviable yield of juicy stalks, it is worth placing rhubarb on rather humus-rich beds with moderate soil moisture. In addition, it should be borne in mind that a higher yield can be collected in an open, sunny area, where there is enough warmth and the ground is more likely to warm up after winter.

Of course, in order to save space, rhubarb can be placed in the garden, in the lacy shade of tall trees. However, in this case, you need to be prepared for the fact that the harvest time will move closer to the summer. Whereas the rosettes, caressed by the sun, bear fruit already in May.

It is better to place rhubarb on a fertilized area with manure, as the plant draws out large quantities of micronutrients from the soil. The perennial is especially partial to nitrogen. Therefore, the site for rhubarb is fertilized with manure based on the calculation of 70 kg per 1 square meter. If there is a lack of organic matter, it can be replaced with compost, peat-mineral top dressing.

In addition, it is useful to add:

• lime-ammonium nitrate - 0.4 kg;

• superphosphate - 0.5 kg;

• 40% potassium salt - 0.3 kg.

Planting technology

The planting holes are dug shallow - so that the growth bud is hidden under a layer of earth at a depth of about 2 cm. But during planting, the soil is pressed tightly to the plot so that it sits firmly in the ground and does not jump out when frosts hit and the soil begins to freeze …

In regions where winter is in no hurry to leave with the arrival of March, it is recommended to protect planting in early spring with a film cover. Thanks to this trick, the crop will ripen much faster, and the number of petioles will be more than when grown outdoors all year round.

The division of rhubarb rhizomes can be postponed until spring days. But early autumn planting has a more favorable effect on the development of the plant, because the planting material will already have time to take root before the arrival of low winter temperatures, and in the spring it will soon start growing.

When it was not possible to plant rhubarb rhizomes before the onset of stable negative temperatures, planting can be postponed to the spring months. But the rhizomes need to be dug in or stored in a cool room. And the division is carried out immediately before planting.