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Rhubarb is actually a leafy vegetable, but it is most commonly used in desserts, such as cakes or jams. It is one of the low-maintenance plants in the garden. Rhubarb is a permanent crop and stays in the same place for many years. With enough water and nutrients, there is a bountiful harvest every year. Propagation is also easy, it is done by cuttings. What needs to be considered when planting is listed here.
plant rhubarb
A favorable location for rhubarb plants is sunny or partially shaded. The soil should be nutrient-rich and permeable. Waterlogging is less tolerated than sandy soils. Fully shaded locations are not so well suited, as the stems then remain very thin and the plants do not grow as vigorously. It is important that a location is chosen where the Rheum rhabarbarum can remain for several years. The space must be big enough, rhubarb bushes become very sprawling over the years.
notice: Full sun can sometimes cause the rhubarb to bloom more.
A good place is the compost. It can be transplanted with rhubarb and over time the unsightly pile will disappear behind the plants, which grow larger every year. In addition, the rhubarb plants get the nutrients they need for vigorous growth there.
planting time
The best time to plant a rhubarb bed is in autumn or spring. However, a rhubarb bush can also be planted at any time in between. Regardless of the time, the first harvest always takes place in the following year, even better later. The plants should initially be able to grow well and develop into vigorous perennials before they are harvested. That is why only a few stems are unscrewed and processed in the first few years.
tip: If an older rhubarb plant is to be divided, then the right planting time for the sections is autumn. By winter they will have grown in.
If rhubarb is grown from seeds, it can also be sown in pots in spring and cared for. The best time is then March or April. However, rhubarb shrubs are difficult to maintain in pots in the long term, they simply get too big.
planting distance
With a few exceptions, Rheum rhabarbarum grows very large. After a few years, it will take up at least one square meter of space. A distance of 130 cm makes the most sense. At least one meter of space should also remain free for other plants. A mixed culture with different vegetable plants is possible, but even then the respective planting distance must be observed.
The correct distance also depends on the type of rhubarb. There are species that stay small and rhubarb varieties that develop stalks that are over 90 cm long.
Growth sizes of individual varieties, which then determine the space requirement:
- Syrup parber Canada Red: 60 - 80 cm
- Lowberry Lilibarber (small pot rhubarb): 10 - 20 cm
- Raspberry red: 60 - 80 cm
- Early Green: 60-80cm
- Goliath: 120 cm
- Frambozen Rood: 100 cm
- Holstein blood: 90 cm
- The Sutton: 100 cm
- Canada Red: 100cm
- Campbell: 90 cm
Planting rhubarb: instructions
- The soil of the selected place for planting is prepared. For this, if it is uncultivated soil, it is dug up deeply. If other vegetables were previously on the spot, it is sufficient if it is loosened with the digging fork.
- Larger stones and weeds are removed. Manure or compost is also dug under. This is particularly important in sandy soils to improve water storage capacity. You should calculate about 3 liters of compost per plant.
- A planting hole is dug for each plant. It doesn't have to be very big. However, the soil should be loosened. If the soil is very heavy, such as clay soil, drainage made of gravel or grit is worthwhile. When digging the holes for several plants, the correct planting distance must be observed.
- The rhubarb plant is placed in the hole. The base of the leaf with the buds should be just below the ground. The hole is filled up again, the buds covered with earth. Press down or step on the soil so that the roots get a good connection to the ground.
- The area around the rhubarb can be mulched to help retain moisture and suppress weeds. In addition, nutrients are released during decomposition. Lawn clippings, leaves, chopped wood residues or compost are suitable for this. Rheum rhabarbarum prefers neutral soil, so the mulch should not give off too much acid. Bark mulch is unsuitable.
- The plants are heavily watered. The root area should not dry out in the near future either.
- The rhubarb plant can remain in the same place for 10 years, but it is worth rejuvenating and transplanting older plants before then.
