One of my favorite memories from this time of year is visiting Grandma in Amherstburg, Ontario. Grandma would go to the local roadside stand and get the freshest, sweetest strawberries and best rhubarb. Rhubarb was a more difficult dish to find.
I still don't know what to do with this beautiful cake. It cuts the tape and partially processes the tape. The strawberries were amazing when mixed with the rhubarb and the cake was sweet and delicious. Honestly, I miss those sweets and I sure miss my grandma.
In recent years, I received an email from one of my readers about Rebard. It seems that Pathak's rubber branches are as thin and weak as ever. Her rhubarb usually ripens very well and at the beginning of June it was not growing well, which really disappointed her. You need very large and thick branches to make a good strawberry rhubarb pie.
I remember my grandmother used big, thick sticks. I will rate some stems after he has cut the leaves. Personally, I like its sweet and sour taste.
I'm afraid my reader didn't tell me how to care for your rhubarb, so what I'm going to talk about is what you need to do to get better rhubarb stems. My research tells me that you should fertilize your rhubarb at least once a year, with a slightly acidic pH of 6-6.8, and remember that it is very nutritious. As an ideal response to what your rhubarb will need in early spring, you will want to increase your NPK P and K. Honestly, I like to use organic solutions, which means I cover the area around the crown with a good compost and at least 1-2 inches deep from the crown to the leaves.
For the rest of the season, he makes compost tea with a mixture of vermi, worm droppings and desulfurized molasses and Epsom salt at the end of the season. There are a number of organic fertilizers that you can use. This will make the rhubarb bigger. Do not fertilize your rhubarb in the first year. If you want a healthy plant, be sure to water it regularly, especially in the first year.
The next important thing we're going to talk about: Have you ever shared your factory? If you don't divide your rhubarb, you will experience a constant decline. Rhubarb plants should be divided every four to five years. Be sure to keep a good foot between the crowns when dividing the rhubarb. This type of division rejuvenates the plants and gives them a better chance of survival. Care is advised as you will be splitting the crown and making sharp, clean cuts.
One challenge with dividing is exposing the rhubarb roots to soil where disease can hide. Rhubarb does best in rich, well-drained soil and generally becomes a weed when the soil is kept below 90 degrees. You should have a good time growing this plant. Note that if you plant rhubarb in clay soil, you may run into problems as diseases are more likely to spread in clay soil. Rot disease is the biggest disease problem.
Remember, what we want to grow are stems with tree-like growth. We do not need the flowers of this tree. If you see flowers on your rhubarb, cut them back. Flowers get energy only from plants. Since we're looking for big stems, consider varieties like cherry red or mammoth red when buying your roots.
Have you noticed how good the flowers are in the garden this year? This week I loved my roses, poppies, shasta daisies and more. I hope you have a nice walk in your garden this week. If you see a problem in your yard, email ericlarson546@yahoo.com. When I start blogging again, you will find a link to the blog via my website ohiohealthyfoodcooperative.org. Thank you for participating in our column.
Eric Larson of Jeromesville is an experienced landscaper and gardening enthusiast and founding board member of the Ohio Chapter of the Society of Professional Landscape Designers.
This article originally appeared in the Mansfield News Journal: Tips for Caring for Your Rhubarb Plant.
