Picking rhubarb

JMurph

All the advice I've read since I planted mine earlier this year is to not pick it during year one. However if it grows freakishly I'd cut back as necessary, but try to leave it as intact as reasonable to save its energy for good harvests in the coming years.

tim_n

And plenty of manure. They like it rotted or fresh. I plant mine in fresh manure and it goes crazy...

lostinrates

tim_n wrote: »

And plenty of manure. They like it rotted or fresh. I plant mine in fresh manure and it goes crazy...

I didn't know it would tolerate fresh manure.

Funnily enough, we did not pick newly planted rhubarb last year. This year, no sign of it, first time rhubarb has not been a thug. I do not relate it to the picking, but rather to other stuff......weather and soil prep And weeds.....there is more weed where we planted than anything else because we failed to prep that 'temporary' bed properly as we were in such a rush last year.

tim_n

Everyone seems to be aghast at the size of our rhubarb and how quickly it grows. All the neighbours have only small crowns with tiny leaves coming through. Ours is 3ft tall now with very large leaves. We generally get ours bagged fresh (or only a couple of weeks rotted) from the horse paddocks down the road and dump it on top at the start/end of the year. Works a treat!

spirit

tim_n wrote: »

And plenty of manure. They like it rotted or fresh. I plant mine in fresh manure and it goes crazy...

I have hens so they get some of that regularly too.

DebtFree2012

I have a new rhubarb plant bought in a pot from a garden centre. I have planted it in a large pot and it seemed to settle it. However now, one of the smaller leaves has turned brown an shrivelled - what have I done wrong, any ideas? There's a small patch of brown apprearing on a larger leaf too. I don't want to lose the plant. I haven't removed any stalks and left it well alone so far.

Thanks in advance.

Farway

Rhubarb stems do die out as the stalks get older and new ones grow from the crown

Assuming it is not waterlogged & as rhubarb is tough as old boots, just leave it

It really would do better in the ground though

DebtFree2012

Hi there and thank you. I will see if I can get some space cleared to pop it in the ground however we're very short on space hence the tub.

It's not water logged so I shall leave it to it's own devices.

Many Thanks!