Growing Asparagus and Rhubarb in Kansas

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Growing Asparagus and Rhubarb in Kansas
Chuck Marr Horticulture Kansas State Univ.
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The good....

• Reliable,consistent crop
• Early in season
• Perennial- comes back every year

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The bad.....

• Daily harvest
• Grows rapidly in warm weather
• Very perishable
• Dries out
• High respiration

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The ugly.......

• Grows despite rain
• The warmer it gets, the taller the spear- the
  faster it grows
• Must be harvested- even if unusable
• Plan to harvest every day

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• Selecting a growing site
• Well drained
• Full sun
• No standing water
• No asparagus grown there in the last 10 years.
• Not in middle of a cultivated area.

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Starting a new planting.(crowns)

• Early-mid April
• Plant 2' apart in
• 5-6' rows

• Dig trenches 7-8' deep so soil will settle to a
  depth of about 6 to cover crowns.
• Gradually cover at first.

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Asparagus crowns

• 6"

• Deep planting increases longevity and larger
  spears.... but not too deep

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Use fresh 1 year old crowns

• Size crown so they are all the same size planted
  together

Make sure crowns are not excessively wilted or
moldy.
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New hybrids produce huge fern (6-7 ft
tall) Watch between row spacing to allow good air
circulation
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Growing your own crowns.

• Plant seed 3-4" apart in 30-36" rows.
• Grow for 1 year and dig in early spring.

Asparagus seed is about the same size as milo
(grain sorghum seed).
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Seedling transplants

• Grow in 1" cells in greenhouse
• Seed-plant the same season

Allow 8-10 weeks to grow a transplant (compared
to 5-6 weeks for tomatoes or peppers)
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Seedling plants in the field

• Place plants in trenches
• Weeds are a problem the 1st year
• Replace plant losses

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Weed control in a perennial crop

• Winter annuals
• During harvest
• After harvest till the end of season
• Use split-application

• Weed control measures often fail after 2-3 years
  so switch......

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Snapping is faster and easier than cutting....
Stubs can be sharp
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Tip
About 25 of weight of spear might be in butt
area. Harvesting snapped spears will reduce
yields by about that much
The butt does prevent excessive drying of the
useable spear
Butt
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Asparagus production From 10 crowns, about 1/4
lb per day but not even through harvest.
Harvest about 7 weeks
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Asparagus hybrids yield about 3 X more than
conventional varieties.
Fusarium crown rot resistant Rust resistant
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California Hybrids UC-157, Ida Lea, Brocks
Imperial New Jersey Hybrids (all male) Jersey
Giant, Jersey General, Jersey Knight, Jersey
Supreme, Jersey King, Jersey Jewel Greenwich
California X New Jersey Crosses Atlas, Apollo,
Grande
Cool weather- Jersey hybrids Warm weather-
California hybrids
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Purple Passion Purple in cool, early
season Large spears Mild, sweet flavor Not as
productive as green varieties. More purple in
early spring.
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Spears emerge with warm soil temperatures in
spring (may have purple coloration)
End harvest when most spears are small 1st year
1-2 weeks 2nd year- 4-5 weeks 3rd year- 7-8 weeks
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Allow fern to remain untouched until completely
dead. Can be removed then or allowed to stand
during the winter as ground cover-snow
fence Remove fern before mid March.
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Store at 32 F Place cut/snapped ends in
water Use rapidly- 2-3 days
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Rhubarb
Origins in middle east/Russia. Taken to China
where it became an important medicine not a
crop. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid as well
as one other compound known to be toxic. Stalks
contain much less. Must consume 11 lb of rhubarb
to reach the LD50 for human toxicity.
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Red coloration more prevalent in early spring-
fades to a greener color later in the season.
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(No Transcript)
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Seedstalk formation in some years later in the
season. Related to day length. Cut seedstalks
off to remove plant developing seed rather than
building crown system. Sometimes takes multiple
removal to keep seedstalks from developing.
Newer cultivars are selected to produce fewer
seedstalks.
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Used in sauces, pies, jams and jellies. Mixed
with other fruits that soften its tartness.
Forcing rhubarb- Roots are dug, placed in a warm
location for stalks to begin to emerge. Sold in
off season for premium prices.
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Rhubarb cultivars

• Petiole color and resistance to seedstalk
  formation
• Canada Red
• Ruby
• Valentine
• Strawberry Red or Cherry Red-selections of
  Canada Red
• Tilden strain of McDonald
• McDonald (older green or pink stalk varieties)

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Asparagus crowns (and to harvest asparagus).
Located just east of Lawrence, KS. A great
recipe for asparagus soup is located on their
website www.pendletons.com Rhubarb
crowns. www.noursefarms.com (Nourse
Farms) www.inberry.com (Indiana Berry
Farm) www.millernursery.com (Millers)
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For K-State information on growing Asparagus and
Rhubarb http//www.oznet.ksu.edu Publications Sea
rch for Asparagus and Rhubarb
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K-State
Research Extension
Knowledge for Life