Rhubarb
Mighty mouse
Posts: 2
in Fruit & veg
My rhubarb has been superb this year. It has produced huge flowers which I have removed. Some stalks are very thick. Should I chop everything back now or let it die down naturally ?
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Mighty mouse
Posts: 2
Posts
Let it die down naturally, and don't over crop.
I moved long standing very huge rhubarb to different location last year. They are growing but very spindly. I did put buckets over to force growth. Is it just that they are a later growing variety?
Using buckets or similar light excluding techniques on rhubarb is to force early growth of tender stems, which are spindlier than those on a plant left to grow in the light. It is my understanding that forcing does exhaust the plant ( I suppose it can't photosynthesise so well in the dark) and shouldn't be used on the same plant the following year.
Thanks, I will try dividing up biggest clumps in the autumn.
Rhubarb is normally left to die back naturally so that the energy used to create the stems goes back down in to the crown for next years plant. I had one that I divided up in to 5 or 6 new plants this year (really easy just use a sharp spade in spring to chop the plant in to new sections after digging it up). I probably won't be taking any stems from them this year though giving all the new barbs a chance to establish.