Rhubarb already bolting!?

[Binkalette]

I live in Central MN.. 10 days ago there was snow on the ground. My Rhubarb came up this year (3rd year), the stalks are about 6 inches long before the leaf begins. There are about 8 leaves, and they are both already bolting! What is going on? I have never had this happen so early. Can I just cut them off and will they keep making new stalks?

[rainbowgardener]

I would expect that you could just cut the flowering stalks off and the plant would just keep making new stalks. Early in the season you can harvest most of the rhubarb stalks and it just comes back. But my rhubarb which is I think a year older than yours has never yet flowered.

[Binkalette]

hmmm... mine has flowered every single year.

[jal_ut]

Mine always sends up flower stalks. I have tried cutting them off and just letting them grow. It doesn't seem to help much to cut them off. I just wait until there are some nice leaf stalks then harvest all that look good. and let the plant do its thing.

If you wait until the plant has bloomed and cut everything to the ground, you will get some nice stalks toward fall for a second harvest.

[bogydave]

I'm alway cutting/pulling my bloom stalks off & adding it to the compost.
Seem to keep blooming thru the summer.
Mine is just now showing the sprouting heads.
My Mom said to keep them pulled off, don't know why, but that's what I do.
Great Grandma's are always right.