Despite the fact that this useful garden plant (buckwheat family) has been cultivated in our country for a long time, many of our readers do not know what rhubarb is.
For the first time a cultivated plant was brought to Russia by the great Russian geographer, traveler N. M. Przhevalsky from Southeast Asia. Later, the plant was discovered in the Far East, in Siberia, in the Caucasus.
What is rhubarb?
It is rather difficult to give a correct culinary classification to this plant. The juicy petioles of its leaves should probably be classified as leafy greens, although they taste very much like apples. Yes, and they are used in cooking in the same way as fruits: for making fillings for pies, compotes, jams.
The value of this plant also lies in the fact that it ripens in early spring, when fruit and berry crops are just blooming in our gardens. Cultivars of the plant have a delicate taste of petioles, are distinguished by precocity and productivity.
But back to the main question of our article: what is rhubarb and why have gardeners been growing it on their plots for decades? It is a herbaceous perennialplant (buckwheat family) with a powerful developed root. It consists of a short oblong rhizome and large roots.
The stem is tall and powerful, reaching a height of three meters, covered with red spots. The leaves of rhubarb, located at the roots, are very large, with numerous plates. The leaves are smaller on the stem. Rhubarb begins to bloom in early June with pink or white flowers. The fruits (brown nuts) ripen in two weeks.
Its aerial part dies off in winter, but the rhizome can live in one area for decades. Under natural conditions, rhubarb grows in China in Tibet, in the Far East, in the foothills of Central and South Asia, in the Caucasus.
A bit of history
Rhubarb was cultivated several millennia ago, and came to Europe in the Middle Ages from China. Caravans carried the dried roots of the plant, which they called "yellow root". They were used in folk medicine to treat many diseases. In addition, the roots were used as a natural dye.
Today, rhubarb is grown for tasty and he althy petioles, especially popular in European countries for its medicinal rhizomes, and is also used as a beautiful ornamental plant in landscape design.
Rhubarb harvesting
With proper care and proper planting, rhubarb grows leaf mass until autumn, however, it is a seasonal product. Petioles of the earliest varieties are eaten from the beginning of regrowth until mid-June, late varieties can be used until mid-July. Then they become wiry, tough,tasteless, besides, organic acids accumulate in them.
Rhubarb lovers can prepare stalks in the form of marmalade, compote, marinade, jam.
Useful properties
Rhubarb is rich in minerals and pectins, vitamins. This is a dietary product in which there is practically no fat. Rhubarb has a slight diuretic effect, increases the secretory activity of the stomach, improves blood composition. Rhubarb is good for improving skin condition.
Types of rhubarb
Today, in vegetable gardens and orchards, there are both cultivated varietal forms of plants and wild species. The latter are attractive decorative, unpretentious care.
- Rhubarb officinalis. Differs in huge sizes: the leaves of the plant reach one and a half meters in length, and the flower stalks exceed human height.
- Rhubarb noble. The plant forms a tall "cob" consisting of large corrugated leaf plates.
- Rhubarb fingered. Its second name is Tangug. This species is interesting for strongly dissected bright leaves and crimson flowers that crown tall peduncles.
- Vegetable rhubarb. This species is recommended as a garden plant. Cultivars of this species have juicy and thick petioles, with a pleasant taste, and they do not coarsen for a long time.
Rhubarb varieties (most popular)
Today there are more than a hundred varieties of this plant, but in Russianot all of them were distributed.
- Victoria variety is one of the earliest and most fruitful. Has great taste. The length of the petioles does not exceed 60 centimeters. According to gardeners, the Victoria variety has a drawback - too abundant flowering.
- Moskovsky-42 is one of the earliest varieties with high yield and excellent taste. The length of the petioles is seventy centimeters, and their thickness is more than three centimeters. Petioles are smooth, colored green and have a red stripe at the base.
- Ogre-13 - high-yielding mid-season variety. It develops well and forms petioles in the shade. The pulp of thick and long petioles is very tender and juicy. Two generative shoots are formed on the plant.
- Large-stemmed - a very early variety that forms a powerful rosette of leaves, with dark red petioles. Their length is no more than 60 cm and a width of 2.5 cm. They have a pleasant taste and tender flesh.
Gigantic - this variety belongs to the late ones, which pleases with the harvest, when the early varieties have already bloomed and coarsened. Petioles are huge, up to one meter long and up to four centimeters thick, red
Planting rhubarb
You can choose almost any place for planting a plant - it also feels great in partial shade, near outbuildings, between trees. Rhubarb is frost- and drought-resistant because it has a powerful root system. But it is preferable if the soil under the bush is neutral, slightly clayey, in order to betterretained the moisture the rhubarb needs. Planting it is carried out after a good preliminary digging of the site, organic and complex fertilizers, ash are added to it.
It is desirable to plant rhubarb with seeds in the winter immediately in a permanent place. They will sprout in the spring, as soon as stable positive temperatures are established. Sprouts are not afraid of short-term frosts down to -7 °C.
Rhubarb can grow in one area for decades. But over time, it thickens, the leaves become much smaller, the petioles lose their juiciness and sweetness. Therefore, it is advisable to plant vegetable varieties every ten years. This is a long time, so when planting, the bush should be provided with nutrients for many years.
What you need to know when planting rhubarb?
Planting involves the presence of fairly large planting pits, almost the same as for fruit seedlings: a depth of at least 50 cm. They are filled with fertile soil and humus. Superphosphate and a handful of ash must be added to each pit.
Care
After harvesting, the bush is fed by pouring a bucket of humus with mineral fertilizers under it. In spring, the soil under the bush is only loosened, watered if necessary. In spring, only decorative species can be fed, as their leaves and cuttings are not edible.
Rhubarb is unpretentious in care and easily tolerates small errors in agricultural technology. Caring for this plant is quite simple, even a novice gardener can handle it. It involves the following activities:
- looseningsoil in the spring, after it warms up;
- autumn digging up the soil, up to 30 cm deep;
- harvesting with breaking off, not cutting the petioles;
- pruning the above-ground part of the plant when frosty days come.
Feeding
Plant care includes fertilizing at the rate of:
- in autumn at least eight kilograms of organic fertilizers per square meter (peat compost or manure);
- spring bring 30 grams of ammonium nitrate, which should be supplemented with potassium s alt and superphosphate;
- once a season, the following composition must be added under the bush: for ten liters of water, add a teaspoon (with a slide) of urea, a tablespoon of nitrophoska and 500 grams of mullein.
Reproduction
So, we found out what rhubarb is and how to grow it in the garden. It remains to talk about how it can be propagated if you need more he althy and tasty petioles.
Rhubarb is propagated by seeds and vegetatively. The second option involves the division of an adult bush (no more than five years old). This method is not recommended during flowering.
The bush is divided in spring or early autumn (before frost). Divide the excavated bush into several parts. For planting, a he althy root with two or three large apical buds, which are buried no more than two centimeters, is suitable.
If you prefer to propagate rhubarb seeds, then they should be soaked in water forten o'clock. To collect seeds from your bush, leave the most developed peduncle from a three-year-old plant. After the inflorescences turn brown, the seeds can be collected and dried.
