Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: keithy on May 09, 2006, 16:59:23
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I have just taken on a new plot which has two huge ( prob. 4' across, 4' high) rhubarb plants in it. They both appear to be either flowering or about to at the moment. Is this a good thing ? I seem to recall somewhere that they should be cut down, but can't find anything in the WIKI.
At best rhubarb Crumble, at worst, a good start for the compost heap !!
Any help would be much appreciated.
Keithy
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They sound like neglected crowns that have been allowed to run riot. Strip down the crown, it freezes well and makes great jam with a bit of ginger. If the middle of the crown is dead/rotting, you need to split it at the end of the season, Do one this year and one next so you get a good crop next year as well. Replant sections of the root with a healthy bud and allow them to bed down next year...
:)
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Hmm - they sound a lot like one of my rhubarb plants - huge, but not neglected! There was a thread on the forum earlier about flowering - lots of us have experienced it this year, and I don't think its anything to worry about. Worth checking the centre of the crown though anyway, in case they do need splitting.
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not sure but they say you should never put rubarb on the compost heap?
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Its ok for composting
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The best of my plants are that size, and that's what I want them to be! I'm not splitting till I see the centres dying off. I just break off the flower stalks every year, and compost all the waste.
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Also I think that the different varieties of rhubarb grow to different sized plants - I have about 6 plants, and some are totally different from others. The only one I really am sure of is Timperley Early, which has slender stalks and seems an altogether more delicate sized plant.
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our rhubarb on the site (that is, everyone's rhubarb) is huge!
i am wondering if in fact the dry winter we had is preferable to the plants than a wet winter? i mean, i know i wouldnt want cold damp feet - would you???
at some point i will check the crowns for splitting - but they all look fine atm. :)
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They like dampness, but have very deep roots. So mine flourishes no matter what, since there's always water a foot or two down. It's the shallow rooting stuff that can suffer.
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Thanks for all your advice. I have taken the flowers out this morning, and will split bothe plants over the next couple of years.
Thanks again
Keithy