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Daily Record
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Gardeners advised to 'remove' one thing from rhubarb plants for better growth
Rhubarb is a popular fruit to grow in the UK, but gardeners are being urged to check their plants regularly for one thing - and remove it as soon as possible Rhubarb reigns supreme in British gardens, nestled amongst ripe tomatoes and thriving lettuces that effortlessly sprout. Standing out from its savoury comrades, rhubarb is celebrated for being one of the earliest sweet offerings to grace our garden plots, ready to enhance crumbles, jams, and compotes come April. This hardy perennial plant finds harmony in the UK's temperate weather, requiring minimal shelter, yet attentive cultivation by gardeners seeking a bountiful fruit plant's striking stems, ready for picking from April to September, might tempt gardeners to appreciate the vibrant flower stalks a touch too much, especially if they're aiming to boost fruit production. The Tea Break Gardener advises on their blog a crucial bit of gardening knack, involving a spot of light pruning, to ensure a lengthy bounty. The horticulture aficionado mentions on their platform: "Check your plant every now and then for flower stalks. You will want to remove these to prevent the plant from diverting its attention to flower and seed production", reports the Express. Spotting rhubarb flowers is straightforward; initially presenting as a green glob, within which the white petals take form. These blooms, sometimes adorned with a pink hue, can look akin to an oddly shaped cauliflower or grand astilbe blossoms. Echoing advice from Montana State University, aficionados concur that the ornamental allure of the flowers notwithstanding, it's best to snip them off posthaste upon their arrival. Allowing flowering stalks to fully develop will divert nutrients away from the petioles, the edible stalks, and roots, directing them towards the seedpods instead. Applying mulch around the base of rhubarb before a hot spell, along with ensuring the soil remains moist, can help prevent bolting, which is when the plant starts producing flower stalks rather than edible stems. Given that rhubarb thrives in cooler temperatures, some advance planning can aid in preventing flowers from sprouting too quickly as the summer heat approaches. Flowers do not affect the edible stems that are already growing; these remain safe for consumption. The Tea Break Gardener advises that rhubarb should be harvested "whenever it looks ripe", usually indicated by long stems that are dark red and streaked with green, accompanied by fully unfurled leaves. Although some plants may continue to bear fruit into September, the gardening expert recommends ceasing to pick rhubarb in August to allow the plant time to "recover" for the next year. To harvest rhubarb stems, simply grasp near the base and sharply tug upwards with your hands to cleanly extract them from the ground, negating the need for a knife. Gardeners are advised to "never remove all the stems from a plant"; instead, they should leave a few behind to "feed" the remaining growth. As autumn arrives, rhubarb plant leaves will quickly wilt and turn black, signalling it's time to prepare the crown for its dormant period. Simply remove the leaves gently and add them to your compost heap. Despite their toxicity if consumed, they won't cause any damage to your compost.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Warning issued to anyone growing rhubarb in their garden
Rhubarb is a firm favourite amongst British gardeners to grow in their gardens. The popular plant produces an abundance of succulent stalks every year if properly tended. Whilst its green leaves are notoriously toxic and should never be eaten, the plant's striking and edible pinky red stalks are quite the sight as it flourishes. Rhubarb thrives from April to September in the UK, however experts frequently suggest ceasing harvest by June or only sparingly picking thereafter to preserve the plant's strength. READ MORE: 'You are a couple but what unfolded was truly disgraceful... you behaved, quite frankly, like animals' READ MORE: Warning to Brits as massive 6.5ft snake species 'accidentally' introduced to UK and are 'thriving' For garden enthusiasts eager to indulge in rhubarb's distinctive taste a tad earlier, there is one straightforward gardening task that can hasten the process. Julie Kendall, who oversees the gardens at Eden Project, remarked: "If you like your rhubarb sweet and tender, now is the time to try forcing it by covering the crowns." The process aptly named 'forcing', essentially coaxes the rhubarb into sprouting sooner and more vigorously than usual. With February set as the prime month for this method, rhubarb crowns typically showcase plump buds that start expanding at their base during this period. Achieving success in forcing involves completely blocking out light to trap the plant and elevate the surrounding temperature, prompting the stalks to soar upwards in search of illumination. Tea Break Gardener, a gardener turned blogger, notes that this absence of light also diminishes the concentration of oxalic acid in the stalks, reports the Express. "Oxalic acid gives rhubarb its sour taste, so forced rhubarb is sweeter than when left to its own devices. The result is pale pink, long, tender stems, with small leaves and a sweet, delicate flavour", they explained. It's crucial to only force mature (two to three years old), healthy-looking rhubarb crowns, and you will need one main piece of equipment, a terracotta forcing pot. These bell-shaped pots cover the rhubarb plant, limiting photosynthesis and encouraging early growth for harvest in late winter. Forcer pots are readily available online and in most garden centres. You can even purchase them for £5.95 from Waitrose. If you don't wish to buy a forcer, anything that can be placed over the crown to shut out the light will suffice. The Tea Break Gardener stated: "I use an old chimney pot with a saucer on top, or you could use an old bin or bucket." Before forcing rhubarb, remove weeds from the base of the crown and mulch with a thick layer of compost or well-rotted manure to enhance the crop's nutrients. Next, cover the rhubarb crown to exclude light using your chosen forcing jar. Bins and non-terracotta alternatives are prone to blowing over in strong winds, but placing bricks on top will help prevent this. Leave your rhubarb to grow once the forcing jar is in place. The Allotment Haven blogger suggested that forced stems will grow quickly; reaching for the light, they will hit the top of the forcing jar lid within six to eight weeks. The allotment expert said: "Starved of light, the stems will be noticeably different – pale pink with much smaller, bright yellow leaves." When it comes to harvesting forced rhubarb, gently pull stems from the base of the crown as you normally would, discard the toxic leaves on the compost heap, and cook the baby pink stems ready for eating. It is beneficial to remove the forcing jar after a few weeks of cropping to allow the rhubarb to recover naturally, and the leaves and stems will return to their normal colour once back in the light.
