How is your rhubarb doing?

[Free Zucchini]

Mine is going nuts!

I'll most likely split two crowns into six come springtime. Each one is consuming seven gallons of water a day.

[applestar]

Wow that might be a clue to why I lost mine. The ones I had never really grew well.

Next time, I'll plant them where they will get more water....

[Free Zucchini]

They are real heavy feeders too. Doesn't hurt to dig them up pre or post season to add compost. Mine were acting like no amount of water would quench them until I added a little Miracle Grow. If the stalks are thin and pale and limp, the plant is starving. I should pick up something like Alaska fish. Been in the high 80's lately,

[Leezer]

I got some as transplants last year. They were doing okay this year until recently, they got a second wind and are doing great. After reading this I think the reason is we have been getting a lot of rain lately. I don't really know a lot about growing them, but it sounds like they like a lot of water! I think I will try dividing them as well.

[GardeningCook]

I've been hoping to snag some rhubarb from our local farmers market, but not one single vendor has it this year. Very surprising.

[Taiji]

I planted two new crowns this year, got em cheap from Wal Mart and they were doing great. I went on a week long trip to the mountains last week, when I got back, the protective cages I had over them had been toppled over and the leaves devoured! I think deer or javelina. I lost one really nice thick stem.

I read that it's good not to harvest the first year, and wasn't going to, but decided right then to harvest the remaining stems, cook and freeze them. Have enough for about half a pie, will add a pound of strawberries to make up the difference! Can't wait!

[GardeningCook]

I'm VERY sad to hear that about the possibility of deer destroying your rhubarb since they're my arch gardening nemesis here. I had been toying with the possibility of planting some rhubarb because I had heard that they're one vegetable that deer don't bother with because of the toxicity of the leaves. Oh well.

[Peter1142]

The deer don't eat my rhubarb.

Mine bolted in early May this year. Crazy weather.

[Taiji]

Actually gardening cook, don't be discouraged by the fact that my rhubarb was ravaged. Out where I live, the usual rules don't apply. It is very arid here, the vegetation is juniper, pinon pine, shrub oak and dry crunchy prairie grass. (with lots of sand in between) In most places with lots of natural vegetation such as where you live, I think your rhubarb will be fine.

I learned early that animals here are desperate for something, anything, and so eat stuff they wouldn't normally eat. When you see big bites taken out of prickly pear cactus, you know something's is not normal! They only eat the less desirable stuff here because they have to! My whole garden is fenced in to 8 feet high with hardware cloth. Thought I'd try the rhubarb outside the fence cause I heard the leaves were poisonous. Try tellin the javelina that!

[GardeningCook]

Thanks for the vote of confidence - I may just give it a try after all. But then I have deer actually coming up onto my deck to sample my container plants. . . .

[Taiji]

BTW, I lived in West Virginia till I was 6 years old; we had rhubarb and rhubarb pies all the time, nothing touched it. We had thick woods on 2 sides too.

[GardeningCook]

Again - another vote of confidence. Thanks!

[Free Zucchini]

My crowns are nearly my age. As kids my sisters had bunnies. We fed them the leaves and then we fed the rhubarb the bunny berries.

[jal_ut]

Its doing nothing. I pulled some stalks early on for eating, but since then it is doing nothing. The one clump looks dead. No leaves. The other clump has three small sick looking leaves. Looks terrible. Do you think I have killed it? Should I dig around it and fertilize?

[tomc]

I put most of my germinated Victoria (2015) seedlings into cells. Two have gone to field at the Sapling-In-Chief's. All are getting bigger. Some will go out in fall give-away at N4S at wisteria campground Columbus day.

[Taiji]

I don't think it would hurt at this stage to fertilize yours Jal. I think rhubarb is a heavy feeder. I've been tossing a couple of handfuls of all purpose fertilizer around mine every, maybe 3 weeks.

It was growing like crazy, seems to be coming back now too after being ravaged by whatever pest didn't get the memo about the leaves being poisonous!

[Free Zucchini]

Do you think I have killed it? Should I dig around it and fertilize?

Try using a liquid fertilizer with water.

[jasonvanorder]

I know Im bumping an old thread but just wanted to see if anyone else's rhubarb is this big. An older guy I work with has been growing it for the last 40+ years and never saw anything like ours. These were transplanted here about 15-17 years ago.

[Taiji]

Gadzooks! (as they say) Mine is doing better since I moved it away from the clutches of the javelina, but nothing like that! I was going to say by this weekend I'll have enough for my 2nd pie this season, but now I feel somewhat foolish...

Just curious, are the stalks edible when it gets that big?

[jal_ut]

jasonvanorder: That is awesome. Thanks for sharing the photo.

[jasonvanorder]

Gadzooks! (as they say) Mine is doing better since I moved it away from the clutches of the javelina, but nothing like that! I was going to say by this weekend I'll have enough for my 2nd pie this season, but now I feel somewhat foolish...

Just curious, are the stalks edible when it gets that big?

I only like rhubarb in pies but as far as that goes I cant taste the difference. The only thing we do to help it grow is till in A LOT of rabbit manure (kids have about 18-20 bunnies) and cut it back and cover it with leaves in the fall. If the tomatoes do as good this year as in the past those plants will be huge too. So far anything that has been planted has done great except for garlic. But I think that was because i planted it early this spring instead of last fall (fist time growing and didnt know better) So will try that again planting this fall and see what happens