Rhubarb Cultivation is technically a vegetable but is considered a fruit. A New York court declared in 1947 rhubarb a fruit because its raw rhubarb has a very pungent taste that most people find unpleasant. For this reason, it is almost always cooked with sugar to counteract the sour taste.
Farmers grow the rhubarb for its leaf stems, which are fleshy and thick. The stems are colorful mean cherry-red to deep red, and sometimes that color changes to green and tart. With plenty of sugar, we can use it in pies and jams. These flavors often match with the sweetness of strawberries. This vegetable is a perennial vegetable that requires the dedication of a growing rhubarb in the garden for 10 years or more. Rhubarb grows in mid-summer and cold winters, and also it can not thrive best where summers are hot.
Process of the Rhubarb Farming
You need to know the various most essential factors when you start any plant to sow that would be helpful in profitable business cultivation. We can provide information related to more trustworthy tractors in rhubarb cultivation. We can recommend the Swaraj tractor that is helpful in “tillage to harvest,” the complete procedure of farming.
Planting the Rhubarb
- Rhubarb can live for 10 or more years, and this plant is a perennial plant. Choose a spot in the garden where one or more plants can grow for years. Each plant will need about 4 square feet. Rhubarb can grow up to 4 feet (1.2 m) wide and tall.
- Plant rhubarb in full sun; Rhubarb will thrive in light shade.
- Rhubarb prefers organically rich, well-drained, well-worked soil. Mix aged compost/manure or commercial organic planting mix into the soil before planting.
- Plant rhubarb in a raised bed, where the soil is heavy clay.
- A pH’ soil 5.0 to 6.8 is best for growing rhubarb.
- Rhubarb thrives well where winter temperatures drop below 40 °F (4.4 °C), and summer temperatures do not exceed 75 °F (24 °C).
Rhubarb Planting Time
- This is a vegetable that is hardy and prefers cool weather. Set up rhubarb root divisions (called crowns) in the garden 4 – 6 weeks before spring’s average last frost date.
- Farmers can plant the crowns even in autumn.
- It will take one year for rhubarb to start harvesting and four years for full harvest, so planting time doesn’t have to be exact.
- Farmers can grow the plants from seed, but this will not be true.
- Where summers are hot, the stalks will become thin and pointed; Protect plants with a shady cloth.
Spacing and Planting Rhubarb
- Prepare the planting hole 3 feet wide (.9m) and 18 inches (45cm). Add a handful of bonemeal to the hole of planting and fill the hole almost to the top with a combination of old compost / old manure or a commercial organic planting mix and then pack the soil in.
- Set the crown or division 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5cm) deep. You should angle growing tips towards the surface. Rhubarb root is a creeping or rhizomatous rootstock also It is a type of modified, underground plant stem.
- Plant container-grown rhubarb plants even with the surface of the soil.
Companion Plants for Rhubarb Cultivation
- Farmers grow the rhubarb with other perennials like asparagus and artichokes. Set aside a growing space for rhubarb in your garden. Rhubarb vegetables can grow, and also you can produce them for 10 years or more.
- You can grow cabbage family crops like cabbage, brussels sprouts, and kale near rhubarb. But avoid planting root crops near rhubarb.
Feeding and Watering Rhubarb
- You should choose moist but not wet soil throughout the developing process. However, do not let the soil dry.
- Ensure the soil around the rhubarb doesn’t puddle in winter to avoid crown rot.
- Fertilize rhubarb beds with aged-manure in autumn and with aged compost in spring.
Caring for Rhubarb
- Keep rhubarb beds well-weeded. Weeds will compete with rhubarb for water, light and nutrients, and also, you do not allow weeds to grow near rhubarb.
- Heavy mulch around the rhubarb; Place a 2-inch-thick (5 cm.) layer of aged compost around the rhubarb during the growing season. Manure will help to feed the rhubarb.
- In winter, plants are covered with frost with 1 to 2 feet (.3-.6 m) of straw to protect the crown from freezing.
- For growing rhubarb with long, thick leaf stalks; Cover the plant with a bottomless box in early spring. The stalks will be long reaching for the light.
- Cut off as soon as flower or seed stalks appear.
- Renew rhubarb by dividing the roots when the stems become crowded and thin, usually every 4 or 5 years; Repot the divisions in another part of the garden.
Rhubarb Pests
Rhubarb usually does not have any serious pest problems. A species of mite called rhubarb curculio can attack rhubarb. Rhubarb is the host of this pest in the form of a dock, sunflower and thistle. The adult sucks the juice from the leaves. A sign that Curculio is feeding is juices flowing. Select and destroy these mites.
Equipment Requirements
When farmers start rhubarb farming, farmers should also decide what equipment must be used. However, the tractor is an important factor in all equipment because it is helpful in better yield from the crop in rhubarb farming. However, the farmers often use the Mahindra tractor in this farming.
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