Only 20 calories per 100 grams, plus a lot of vitamins and minerals and its unique taste make rhubarb so popular! Although rhubarb is a vegetable, it is mainly used for sweet dishes such as cakes and desserts. Everywhere in Germany it is grown by hobby gardeners. If the harvesting success decreases, a change of location can help. When is the best time to turn rhubarb?
Table of Contents
location of rhubarb
Rhubarb plants thrive in partially shaded to sunny locations. The place should be protected from rain and wind. Basically, the vegetable is considered to be very easy to care for.
The first rhubarb stalks can be harvested in the second year. Rhubarb is ready to harvest from April to mid-June. Never remove all the rhubarb stalks! The plant still needs a few shoots so that photosynthesis can continue to take place. Don’t cut the rods, just twist them out.
In winter, the plant disappears, it completely retreats into the tuber. In the spring the new sprouting takes place.
Transplant rhubarb
The vegetable Rheum rhabarbarum is considered a heavy feeder. Nutrients are constantly being withdrawn from the soil. After a few years, the soil is so exhausted that the crop yield decreases. Then a change of location can help.
Rhubarb plants should be transplanted after seven years at the latest. If you want to be sure, you should check the nutrient content of the substrate beforehand.
In a new location, the plants will find enough nutrients again to spoil you with a good harvest in the years to come. Turning acts like a recovery cure for the rhubarb. When transplanting, the plants can be divided and multiplied.
timing and site conditions
The best time for transplanting is from September to October, just before winter dormancy. It is also possible to transplant rhubarb in spring, before budding begins.
Site conditions:
- sunny to semi-shady
- protected from wind and rain
- well-drained, humus-rich garden soil
- pH between 5 and 6
- enough space
Procedure when converting:
- dig a large planting hole
2. keep your distance
3. dig the plants deep with a spade
4. line the planting hole with gravel or shards of pottery
5. add compost
6. insert the rhubarb plant, buds must remain above the ground
7. fill with loose soil, tread down and water
8. Apply a layer of mulch
Divide rhubarb plants
If rhubarb has grown very large, you can easily divide the plants when moving. Division is best in the fall. The right time is when the rhubarb leaves wilt.
Manual:
- Cut off wilted leaves close to the ground.
2. Divide roots with a clean, sharp spade.
3. Sections should weigh at least one kilogram and contain at least one bud and two leaf bases.
4. Cut surfaces must be well dried.
5. Plant sections at the new location in a planting hole with loose, humus-rich soil.
6. Buds should be close to the ground.
7. Fill the hole with potting soil, press down and water well.
