Rhubarb!

Surbybird

I've rescued a very sorry looking rhubarb crown from a friend's garden. It was given to him as a gift but his fingers are not green in the least and he's left it sitting in a pot in water for weeks and it's now looking very sorry for itself.

There are a couple of leaves showing but I'd really like to save it (I love rhubarb crumble!) but have never grown rhubarb and I don't know it if it is salvageable.

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to make something of this or should it go on the compost heap?

Kate

LilacPixie

No idea TBH with mine i just planted it in a corner of the garden and left it to grow. I didn't harvest any stalks in the first year and just let it grow

Surbybird

Okay, thanks.

I might just leave it in the garden and see what happens now that it is no longer being drowned.

It'll be a shame to compost it so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

K

lizzyb1812

Hi

I had a rhubarb crown in a pot last year - it wasn't doing much but it was alive. Then my dog decided to give up digging to Australia and take up rhubarb harvesting instead. :eek: I found her parading round the garden with the crown in her mouth. By the time I rescued it there were almost no roots on it and it was nearly bitten in half. I put it in a corner of my allotment and left it to it.

After a slow start this year it is now fruiting well. So whilst I can't guarantee what will happen with yours, I reckon there's a good chance it will be OK - just give it time.

Lizzy

Surbybird

Thanks, Lizzy. That's reassuring. I've stood it in a pot with holes in it so that it shouldn't be drowning anymore and I'll see what happens. It seems to still be alive, inasmuch as the 2 small leaves that are sticking out are still green and so I shall keep it by the back door and give it some encouragement!

K

mrbadexample

If it's been sitting in water, you'll need to watch for rot. Have you been able to examine the crown, or is it still in the same pot?

If you can lift the crown, look for any soft brown bits. Cut them away, and replant the trimmed crown. It's best off in the ground, with plenty of manure.

Rhubarb's pretty tough, so as long as it's not rotting, it should recover well.

steady__eddie

Being an early bird, (because of my employment), I listen to the farming prog on R4 every morning. Last week there was an item on rhubarb, ears !!!!!, rhubarb addict wide awake. Apparently it originated in Siberia or some brass monkey paradise where it laps up cold and wet conditions. This year, warm and dry as yet, result, very poor rhubarb crop. I've only had a couple of feeds off mine so far and it seems to have gone into a state of suspended animation although it seems to have picked up over the last couple of days.

Surbybird

mrbadexample wrote: »

If it's been sitting in water, you'll need to watch for rot. Have you been able to examine the crown, or is it still in the same pot?

If you can lift the crown, look for any soft brown bits. Cut them away, and replant the trimmed crown. It's best off in the ground, with plenty of manure.

Rhubarb's pretty tough, so as long as it's not rotting, it should recover well.

It was rot that was worrying me, as every time I saw the plant it was sitting in a bowl of water. I took it out and left it to drain whenever I could but as soon as I went home it went back in the water.

The crown doesn't appear to have any soft brown bits; it has brown bits but they seem to be quite dry. It's still in the orginal pot and I need to find a spot in the garden for it before it can go into the ground. Can I plant it out at any time or should I wait until it's dormant later in the year? It's definitely still growing and the stems and leaves that are visible seem to be quite firm.

Manure shouldn't be a problem - my neighbour has a horse.



K

Surbybird

steady__eddie wrote: »

Being an early bird, (because of my employment), I listen to the farming prog on R4 every morning. Last week there was an item on rhubarb, ears !!!!!, rhubarb addict wide awake. Apparently it originated in Siberia or some brass monkey paradise where it laps up cold and wet conditions. This year, warm and dry as yet, result, very poor rhubarb crop. I've only had a couple of feeds off mine so far and it seems to have gone into a state of suspended animation although it seems to have picked up over the last couple of days.

Ah, that's interesting. Maybe this one isn't a completely lost cause then.

Now getting excited by the prospect of rhubarb crumble, which in the interests of fairness and friendship I shall share with my non-greenfingered friend.



K

mrbadexample

Surbybird wrote: »

Can I plant it out at any time or should I wait until it's dormant later in the year? It's definitely still growing and the stems and leaves that are visible seem to be quite firm.

Yep, get it in as soon as, I reckon.

cootambear

you must put it in the ground and cover it with soil and throw a lot of horse muck or failing that shop bought fertiliser on it