titleGrowing Rhubarb An Early Spring Season/titlecategory3/categoryWhen growing Rhubarb, plants are usually set in early spring. If newly set plants are mulched during the winter, fall planting is also satisfactory. Plants may be purchased from nurseries or separated from established ones. This is done by cutting a section off with a sharp spade taking care to get three or four buds with it. For rapid increase, a whole plant may be divided. When planting, be sure the crowns are covered with 2 to 3 inches of soil and are spaced about 3 feet apart.
Rhubarb may be hurried along in the spring by covering a plant or two with a coldframe and sash. Covered, they will be ready a week or two before the rest. Summer care is mostly controlling weeds by shallow cultivation or mulching and removing flower stalks when they appear.
No crop should be harvested the first year and very little the second so that plants will have time to build up large crowns and husky root systems for future production. The third year, stalks may be harvested for three or four weeks and after that about two months each year. Harvesting is done by pulling the stalks out of the crown with a quick jerk as soon as they are of usable size. Late summer harvesting should be avoided as the foliage must be allowed to manufacture food to be stored in the crown for next year’s Crop.
Forcing for winter is simple. Before the ground freezes in late fall, dig out crowns three to five years old and allow them to remain exposed until frozen solid. Then, remove to a shed or cover with litter to prevent alternate freezing and thawing. Exposure to cold is necessary to break the dormancy and so permit plants to start growth promptly when forced.
To force, set plants in a large box or on the cellar floor in two or three inches of soil making sure to cover roots completely. Keep the soil moist throughout the forcing period. Temperature may vary from 45 to 75 degrees, the lower resulting in a higher yield and superior flavor. If forced in a diffused light, rather than full light or total darkness, the plants will be more attractive. After forcing, discard the crowns as they have completely exhausted their stored food and are valueless. Forced rhubarb is a high quality product. It is more tender, less acid and thinner skinned than garden grown plants. Six to eight plants will provide enough for the average family.
Discover hundreds of topics many plant subjects at plant-care.com for example:
ul
lia href=http://www.plant-care.com/1564-constructing-garden-steps.html /Garden Steps Construction/a/li
lia href=http://www.plant-care.com/phoenix-roebelenii-field-i809.html /How To Care For Pygmy Date Palm/a/li
lia href=http://www.plant-care.com/drooping-peace-lily-spathiphyllum.html /Caring For A Peace Lily/a/li
/ul