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Gary350
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Rhubarb

Rhubarb has been coming up for a week. So far so good looks like we may have a crop of Rhubarb. The garden has been under 1" of water 2 times in the past 3 weeks. I expect garden will be under water several more times before May 1st. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, I sure would love to get 1 Rhubarb cake out of this. I planted 12 plants last summer every time we had another big rain a few more plants died. I transplanted the 6 remaining plant to this 12" high hill 5 of the plants lived. Relatives in Michigan harvest Rhubarb last few weeks of May their last frost is June 6th. More photos as plants grow larger.
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xtron
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throw the nitrogen to 'em. the more the better. I use rabbit manure.
I started with one crown taken from mom's plant in iowa and moved it here to Virginia. her plant was taken from her mothers plant, which was on the farm when g-ma and g-pa bought the place in 1927. so it is a true heirloom, in more ways than one.
the second year it was here, I had to divide it into 4 sets as it had gotten huge. I get between 4 and 6 pounds, depending on how soon I stop cutting, usually the end of july. the early cuttings, while it is still cool, are more sweet than tart, but after the heat sets in, rhubarb can get a real strong "whang", and get quite woody. trial and error will show you what and when to do things.
oh, if you want to kill off rhubarb, for whatever crazy reason, just mow it over a couple of times.

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jal_ut
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Lookin good. Hmmmm, sounds like you may want to dig a trench around your garden and put the removed soil on the garden to raise it above the level of the surrounding ground? Or haul in some soil to raise the garden? What I am suggesting is do something to raise the garden so the water won't sit on it.

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Gary350
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Rhubarb is getting larger. I put nitrogen fertilizer on the plants yesterday. We are probably still 2 months away from having a Rhubarb cake.
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Taiji
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That rhubarb is looking good! We've had such warm winter this year til only recently I'm afraid mine may be finished. I think it needs cold winters. I don't expect it to come up again(this is its 4th year) but we'll see.

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jal_ut
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Rhubarb is perennial. It will come year after year as long as some critter doesn't eat the roots. Enjoy!

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rainbowgardener
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The definition of a perennial is a plant that if it hadn't died, would have come up year after year. :) Perennials still have to have the right conditions. Your Utah conditions, James, probably are good for it.

"Choose a site that is well-drained, fertile, and preferably in full sunlight. Rhubarb does best where the average temperature falls below 40ºF in the winter and below 75ºF in the summer." https://www.almanac.com/plant/rhubarb

So rhubarb may not do as well in places with warmer winters and hotter summers.

Taiji
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Yes I agree. I'm actually surprised mine has lasted this long out here since we have been breaking heat records for the last 3 years. A couple of mine have actually sprung up since I last posted at my higher elevation garden. But, since I took down all the fencing in preparation for selling the property, I'm afraid they are just going to be javelina food!

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rainbowgardener
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Even though that quote says full sun, rhubarb in places where it is hotter than it really likes will do better with morning only sun.

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Gary350
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Getting bigger. Probably still a month until it can be harvested. Too much over cast weather sun more than once a month would be helpful.
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Gary350
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Plants are bigger and 1 plant looks like it is making seeds. I did not know Rhubarb made seeds?
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Gary350
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Last year I planted 14 Rhubarb plants then it rained for several weeks and plants were under 1" of water an most plants died. I dug up 6 remaining live plants and moved them where I hilled soil up 12" high in full sun an 5 plants lived. A few days ago I see a Rhubarb plants coming up where plants were moved from. I looks like 1 root lived all year and came up this year not sure if I should leave it grow or move it to the hill in full sun with the other plants. If I move it now it might die, if I move it later that might kill it too.

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Gary350
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HOW to FORCE Rhubarb

If you grow Rhubarb in the dark you get tall Rhubarb stalks with tiny leaves that look much like red celery stalks. Rhubarb grown in the dark is sweeter with a better flavor much like tart Raspberries and the stalks are red the full length of the long 24" stalks. If you already have Rhubarb plants growing outside cover them up with 30" tall clay pots while plants are small this forces the plant to grow tall stalks in a very short time about 2 or 3 weeks compared to 3 months growing in sunlight. Put a tall flower pot upside down over your Rhubarb plants then check them in about 2 or 3 weeks when stalks are 24" tall pull stalks off by hand. 1 video says Rhubarb is grown in the field for 2 years before moving the roots to a dark building. Another video shows growing seeds in a large bucket once plants grow transplant to the garden.

Watch this videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui2YdLbRTdY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHnT43YKL5g

According to 1 video if your planting a new Rhubarb patch plants should be 6" apart so plants crowd each other enough to block out sunlight this helps to produce red sweet better flavor stalks. If you already have Rhubarb plants cover the stalks with aluminum foil to block out the sun this produces red sweet better flavor stalks. I covered 2 of my green stalks with aluminum foil I will find out if this works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_A4GaFCEG0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acaEA29b9lQ

Taiji
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Some of my rhubarb started putting out flower stalks around the 3rd year. They say to cut the flower stalks back when they first appear down at ground level or they'll drain the plant's energy/nutrients. It seemed tho, the plants put out the flowers so fast it was hard to keep up with them. They were very determined! I don't know if they keep that up every year thereafter or if they give up for awhile then try again later!

xtron
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my rhubarb is flowering too. (see photos in my garden update post)
as I have more than enough rhubarb, I'm going to let it go and see what happen/how it effects things.
I'll try to keep you all posted.

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jal_ut
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Going out to cut rhubarb? Cut everything that is there, large and small. You can go cut every day or two. Keep it cut until the first of June. Then no more cutting, it has to come up tall and that tall growth needs to stand till fall frost. It is this time in the sun that lets the plant put stores back down into the roots for next years crop. You can put a little fertilizer on it and keep it watered. Enjoy!



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