Rhubarb Rhubarb

Thank you! 

Remove the flower stalks as they are seen. During the first year of planting, the stalks should not be picked, since food from the leaves is needed to nourish the roots for the next year's growth. One light picking may be taken during the year following planting if the plants are vigorous, and beginning the second year following planting, the entire plant may be harvested.

I've let the flowers stay, and I've tried removing the flower stalk.  I haven't seen a difference.

Here's the page that was recommended earlier in this thread for those of us in the hot dry areas of the country:
http://www.texasgardener.com/pastissues/julaug03/rhubarb.html

I bought a plant in Arizona this spring and have it getting going in my garden. I guess I'll be putting some shade cloth around it and I planted it where it will get afternoon shade. I guess I might not get much out of it - DARN!

However, I have seed so I'll follow his instructions for next year and see how well I can do with it. As someone said at $3.99 a lb in the stores, it's worth the work!

boffer wrote:

Remove the flower stalks as they are seen. During the first year of planting, the stalks should not be picked, since food from the leaves is needed to nourish the roots for the next year's growth. One light picking may be taken during the year following planting if the plants are vigorous, and beginning the second year following planting, the entire plant may be harvested.

I've let the flowers stay, and I've tried removing the flower stalk.  I haven't seen a difference.

Once the flowers turn to seed and ripen , like most soft cell plants the plant crown tends to die down a bit for the year , chopping out the flower spike delays things & allows a longer harvest period & the rhubarb is not so sour  .


 Over here we  also recommend to split the crowns every three years in early autumn before the frosts & snows and plant the split crown right way up in a new well manured location as the ground will have been depleted of a lot of nutrients even if you top dress with composted manure .


Rhubarb seeds tend to do well , out of 25 seeds I sowed every one came up.   I grew them all on to about 4 inches tall in five inch pots after transplanting from individual sown seeds in 2 inch pots .  I gave 21 of them away ..often getting perennial flower bulbs corms & tubers in exchange.

Because of the second stage of landscaping our garden being imminent I dug up all five crowns out the mother earth garden a few weeks ago and transplanted them into (  Horror of Horrors ) an inconvenient empty ANSFG bed where they will eventually shade other crops   .

Because it is now so warm outside , two have started to throw up flower spikes.
They will be getting cut out in a few minutes time , as all I want to really do is keep the crowns alive for splitting & replanting in a dedicated bed this autumn .



Tip

Whenever harvesting .. slid thumb down groove of stem , push hard and twist when your thumb is down in the crown and the stem comes out easily ..

Never harvest all stalks  & always leave at least four stalks  over four inches tall with leaf on the crown so it can photosynthesize ,  as this prolongs the harvesting season.
 
They do like a good drink of water as well but not too much nor too often .

Plant addict? No way!

Are you a puller OG?  Why (vs cutting)?

Good to know!  I have never been a puller, but I am now!