Rhubarb question for any gardner out there.
May 14, 2014 13:37:55 #
Patty wrote:
He only gets the strawberry/rhubarb Jello there on the ward and that is only if he goes all day without messing himself.
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
May 14, 2014 13:39:47 #
B****sheep wrote:
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Hey, what's the diameter, the distance across that root stump, in inches?
May 14, 2014 13:53:21 #
jonhatfield
Loc: Green Bay, WI
B****sheep wrote:
Maybe you should pay attention to what I'm telling Patty instead of ignoring my good advice.
When I decided to hit "quote reply" to Patty's post, there weren't any replies on this site, so I didn't have opportunity to "pay attention" or be guilty of ignoring your "good advice." I can't help it if I our grandson was left off and my half-finished post was delayed & posted after you had given your "good advice." I certainly didn't expect anyone to create a rhubarb over rhubarbs, but I should have known better...this is OPP. :-P
May 14, 2014 14:00:12 #
Patty wrote:
I took over Moms gardens for her last year and have never grown rhubarb. Does anyone know if I cut those seed tops off to produce more stalks. I didn't last year and didn't get enough yield for even a couple pies.
http://www.almanac.com/plant/rhubarb#
May 14, 2014 14:05:27 #
jonhatfield
Loc: Green Bay, WI
B****sheep wrote:
I swear, jon will pick a fight anywhere without any respect for the subject. I'm here to talk about rhubarb, not deal with some cantankerous jackass and I'm not going to get drawn into it and there will be no reply.
I didn't make this into a rhubarb...you did. I was simply being "any gardener out there" giving my small experience with rhubarb. My post had nothing to do with your post...it was addressed to Patty's gardening question.
May 14, 2014 15:30:31 #
B****sheep wrote:
Hey, what's the diameter, the distance across that root stump, in inches?
About 7-8 inches.
May 14, 2014 15:31:29 #
May 14, 2014 15:44:01 #
Patty wrote:
:About 7-8 inches.
If it's in rich soil and well watered, that would make it about 4 years old. Older under less beneficial conditions. Assuming good soil that's kept moist, you should get enough leaf stalks off it for at least 3 pies and maybe as many as 5 or 6.
The stalks don't have to be red. They can be green in color as long as they're fully grown. It's best to take off the bottom ones and let the upper stalks keep going. Since the stalks grow out from the plant's middle, the upper ones eventually become the lower ones. Just cut up, bag and freeze them as they get harvested and be patient, and before you know it you'll have a nice pile going.
With any plant, you kind of have to have a Luther Burbank feel for it. A sympathy. Taking too much will obviously slow the plant way down. Those big leaves are what makes more big leaves so you want to keep the plant growing larger as summer progresses and not make it stay the same size or smaller by too much cutting.
May 14, 2014 15:51:59 #
Patty wrote:
:thumbup: Thanks
You're welcome. I don't know if you're into soil amendments... you don't want to dig up around it now to add any because you'll damage roots if you do. But you can feed it Miracle-gro according to instructions and you could also feed it chicken poo tea. Just get a small bag of chicken manure and put it in a large container, like a galvanized wash tub or something, fill the tub with water and let the mess marinate for a few days. Then just scoop out water with a bucket and feed that to the plant. Keep filling the tub back up with water and using it that way until the water starts to show a little clear. At that point you've used up all the goodies in it. Then you can just empty it out on your plants.
There are other plant foods as well, of course, but you might want to consider the cost of rhubarb at the store against the cost of some of those plant boosters. I prefer the tea method. You get the mostest for the leastest.
May 14, 2014 15:54:28 #
Thanks. I believe it is at least 10 years old. I might have to till around the outside without getting to close and put some better dirt in around them. They are growing just along the driveway and this is all Pennsylvania forest ground up here and it is pretty clayee. Its probably pretty high acidity also because of all the ever greens up above us.
We save all our organico (which is a lot we eat mostly fruits and veggies)and it is great for mending the soil so I think I will do that tomorrow.
We save all our organico (which is a lot we eat mostly fruits and veggies)and it is great for mending the soil so I think I will do that tomorrow.
B****sheep wrote:
If it's in rich soil and well watered, that would ... (show quote)
May 14, 2014 16:07:42 #
Patty wrote:
Thanks. I believe it is at least 10 years old. I m... (show quote)
Tilling around it isn't a good idea. In order for rhubarb to put out those long stems and leaves, it needs lateral roots extending at least as far out underground. What I'd suggest is to get a small bag of greensand and a soil piercer, like a small pitchfork or wh**ever, sprinkle the greensand out around the plants and then puncture the soil to get it into that clay soil. Greensand breaks up the clay and it's cheap.
By the way, rhubarb does poorly if t***splanted. Best to put it where it will always stay. Can't think of anything else to add at this point, there's only so much you can say about rhubarb. :P
Happy gardening.
May 14, 2014 16:11:30 #
May 14, 2014 17:17:55 #
The Dutchman wrote:
http://www.almanac.com/plant/rhubarb#
Patty, You may want to think about dividing the older plant. I do this and then let the oldest ones go to bloom, The do produce a nice flower head.
In this area rhubarb flourishes and requires very little to no care.
Check this out:
http://www.rhubarb-central.com/rhubarb-flowers.html
http://www.almanac.com/plant/rhubarb#
Patty wrote:
:thumbup: Thanks
Patty, You may want to think about dividing the older plant. I do this and then let the oldest ones go to bloom, The do produce a nice flower head.
In this area rhubarb flourishes and requires very little to no care.
Check this out:
http://www.rhubarb-central.com/rhubarb-flowers.html
May 14, 2014 17:30:29 #
The Dutchman wrote:
The Dutchman wrote:
http://www.almanac.com/plant/rhubarb#
Patty, You may want to think about dividing the older plant. I do this and then let the oldest ones go to bloom, The do produce a nice flower head.
In this area rhubarb flourishes and requires very little to no care.
Check this out:
http://www.rhubarb-central.com/rhubarb-flowers.html
http://www.almanac.com/plant/rhubarb#
Patty, You may want to think about dividing the older plant. I do this and then let the oldest ones go to bloom, The do produce a nice flower head.
In this area rhubarb flourishes and requires very little to no care.
Check this out:
http://www.rhubarb-central.com/rhubarb-flowers.html
Good thing I stopped in. If you just want flowers, sure, bust up the plant, but if you want stalks for pies, don't do anything to disturb that plant or it's root system at all.
May 14, 2014 17:35:31 #
B****sheep wrote:
Good thing I stopped in. If you just want flowers, sure, bust up the plant, but if you want stalks for pies, don't do anything to disturb that plant or it's root system at all.
Older plants need to be divided or they die off! I started dividing mine after 6 years and let the older ones go to seed....
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