How to harvest the vegetables correctly

Cutting at your own discretion

To what extent a pruning of rhubarb is actually necessary is controversial among hobby gardeners. Although the fruit vegetables are hardy shrub thrives, there are no convincing advantages associated with pruning level with the ground. It is therefore up to your horticultural assessment whether you cut a rhubarb plant or not. If you argue for a cut, please proceed according to this strategy:

• Do not harvest from the end of June
• After the last harvest fertilize with compost and let grow
• Wait in autumn until all parts of the plant have moved in and died
• Ideally, unscrew the leaves and stems at the base
• Alternatively, cut off the rhubarb plant flush with the ground

In winter regions it is advisable not to remove the dead shoots until late winter. Until then, the mighty leaves act as natural winter protection because they lie over the rootstock when they are retracted and soften severe frost.

Cut first, then advance

Can't you wait for the harvest season to begin? Then force the ripening time by pushing your rhubarb plant forward. To do this, put a wicker basket or plastic tub over the first tender shoots. In order for the horticultural trick to succeed, dead plant parts from the previous year should first be cut off or turned out flush with the ground.

Remove flower without pruning

In favor of a rich rhubarb harvest, you should not tolerate any blossoms. The perennial invests all its strength in the growth of opulent flowers and myriads of seeds. This process takes place at the expense of juicy and sour fruit sticks, so that the quality and quantity of the harvest are noticeably reduced. How to effectively prevent the unwanted process:

• Grasp the inflorescence with your fingers at the base of the stalk
• Turn clockwise and pull at the same time
• Do not re-cut the break

Of their blossoms deprived, the rhubarb plant redirects its energy into the growth of new stems and leaves.

Unscrew the stalks that are ready for harvest

The expert harvest of ripe rhubarb stalks dispenses with the use of cutting tools. Cutting off the juicy stems with a knife or scissors carries the high risk of rot, disease and pest infestation. Grasp the mature rod at the base in your hand and twist it clockwise out.

The leaves are also spared from a cut. While turning and pulling at the same time, the foliage is separated from the petiole. Due to a high concentration of harmful Oxalic acid the leaves of a rhubarb plant are unsuitable for consumption.