How to Grow Rhubarb? Latest Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Rhubarb is a perennial plant of the Polygonaceae family, genus Rheum, and is widely used as a Chinese medicinal herb in China. Rhubarb has effects such as clearing heat and purging fire, and removing blood stasis and detoxifying. Rhubarb's planting area is now becoming more and more extensive, and the number of people using it is also increasing. Many people want to grow rhubarb on a large scale, but they don't know how to start. So below, the editor brings you the planting techniques for rhubarb. Let's take a look!
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
Rhubarb has relatively poor heat tolerance and is suitable for growing in low-temperature environments. It is usually planted in areas at an altitude of about 1200 m. Rhubarb's roots extend very deep, and the main root can even extend about 50 cm underground. When choosing planting soil, ensure the soil is deep, loose and soft, rich in organic matter, and has normal drainage and irrigation. Clay soil is not suitable. After selecting the site, do a good job of land preparation, plow about 25 cm deep, and apply sufficient farmyard manure as base fertilizer. It should also be noted that rhubarb cannot be continuously cropped and must be rotated for at least four years or more.
2. Timely Planting
The main planting method for rhubarb is sowing. However, the seed storage period is relatively short. When selecting seeds, do not choose seeds that have been stored for more than one year, as overly old seeds have a low germination rate. Sowing is usually carried out in spring and autumn. When sowing, pay attention to sowing density, dig the sowing holes well, place 5 seeds in each sowing hole, then cover with fine soil, and manage water and fertilizer well to promote seed germination. When planting in areas not suitable for direct sowing, the method of raising seedlings and transplanting can be used. Prepare the seedling bed well, dig the field furrows well, and manage according to the management methods for direct sowing. After emergence, transplant appropriately according to the weather and the growth of the seedlings.
3. Seedling Management
If direct sowing is used, thin the seedlings in time when the seedlings grow to about 9 cm, removing weak seedlings and those with pests or diseases. Then, when they grow to about 15 cm, carry out final thinning, with no more than one seedling per planting hole. For seedling raising and transplanting, this is usually done in spring and autumn and other seasons with milder temperatures. When transplanting, according to the size of the seedlings, dig the planting holes while transplanting. Pay attention to the spacing and depth between the planting holes to ensure the seedlings can grow normally after planting. After planting, cover with fine soil, tread firmly and press tightly, and provide water to help the seedlings recover, improving the survival rate.
4. Field Management
Rhubarb's growth and maturation period is relatively long. After planting, it usually takes about 4 years before it can be harvested, so during the planting cycle, good hilling and weeding work must be done. During the seedling stage, weeds pose the greatest threat, so weeding should be done about 3 times. Later, observe the weeds in the soil and the growth of the rhubarb and weed in time to prevent weed outbreaks and promote rhubarb growth. Then there is topdressing. Rhubarb has a relatively large fertilizer requirement, so in addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, fertilizer should be applied at least about twice each year, mainly farmyard manure, combined with an appropriate amount of compound fertilizer, to meet rhubarb's nutritional needs.
Because rhubarb's growth period is relatively long, in the first year after transplanting, we can appropriately practice intercropping and relay intercropping to improve land utilization. Then do a good job of field management, strengthen rhubarb's growth ability, promote rhubarb growth, and increase yield. That's all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Friends who want to learn more related information, please continue to follow us!