Rhubarb question

[Zootal]

I found some rhubarb off in the corner of my property that had put up seedstalks. I cut them off, but by the time I got to them, they were mostly dead. Three of the plants consist of dead stalk and dead leaves, and the other two are mostly dead and have one or two leaves that are green. I cut off the dead growth and am watering them, but there is no sign of new growth. Anyone here with rhubarb experience care to comment on the likelyhood of the plants surviving and growing back?

[enigma]

"Zootal" wrote in news:xOKdnWwRQPy7mvnVnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

they'll be fine... next year. it's perfectly normal & usual for rhubarb to die back once it's flowered, or once it gets hot (warm days, cool nights keep it going longer, but even so it never lasts past July). mark the spot where they are & start looking for new growth in late March or so. mine was growing under the snow this spring.

lee

[Zootal]

Thanks, I did not know that - I thought it would grow all summer long, and die with the frost :)

[Billy]

Odd, mine put up flower stalks all last year and never missed a beat. They died back in the winter. But you've got me wondering. I've never divided my rhubarb (at least 12 years old) and it appears that there are at least three crowns. I did mulch and fertilize it extensively last year. I guess I should start looking for new beds for my 'barb. Wonder if I should hand out cigars?

[enigma]

Billy wrote in news: [e-mail] ct.net.au:

heh. my 30' row hasn't been divided in at least 10 years, although i have cut off a couple end of row new crowns to get my friends started on a rhubarb addiction... when in the season the tops melt depends on a few factors including heat & humidity, amount of light, water, geographical location, luck... last year my rhubarb flowered & melted before the end of June. this year it's still growing like mad & i've only seen one flowerstalk. it's cooler this year. last year i ended up buying fresh rhubarb from a farm near my summer place in NY in July because mine was all gone & i hadn't gotten any into the freezer. i asked the farmer how he kept his going. he used rowcovers for shade & cold water drip irrigation. said he could usually keep it going through July that way. i noticed the other day that there's a woodchuck hole hiding in the rhubarb row... probably waiting for the pumpkins. lee

[Billy]

Your entire row died back or just the flowering plants? Last year was a cool year for me, and my little cluster of 'barb flowered and just kept ontruckin'.

[enigma]

Billy wrote in news: [e-mail] ct.net.au:

the whole row. it literally melts & disappears when it gets hot. that's when i feed it a load of llama beans, because the leaves are all gone & out of the way. lee

[Jan Flora]

Do you make rhubarb wine, by any chance? I'm always in search of new recipes : )

Jan

[enigma]

Jan Flora wrote in news: [e-mail]:

no, i don't. might try some rhubarb beer though... have you looked through the Rhubarb Compendium for wine recipes?

[Paul E. Lehmann]

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