Rhubarb forcing

Guernsey Donkey2 · December 2018

I have two rhubarb that we planted a year ago, so they are just over a year old now. I didn't pull any of the stalks during the year as I was told to leave them for the plant to settle before harvesting. Now one plant - Champagne has died right down, and the other - Victoria has old stalks which look o.k. but are gradually dying down and a new shoot (stalk with leaf) that appears to be growing now. I read in G.W. that I could start to force the rhubarb plant now - so I am assuming that will be the Victoria or should I force both plants even though one has died down? Forcing is covering with a large container like a dustbin until the new forced shoots have grown good strong pink/red stalks, is that right?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/69/tx6vvruj5ctg.jpg

The first picture is the died down Champagne, you can see the blackened crown - will it come back in the Spring?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/wq/lg5e37amo58b.jpg

This is the Victoria, you can see the new green shoot, should I cut the old stalks off and just force the new shoot and should I cover just this new stalk and surrounding area but not necessarily these older stalks? Hopefully there will be more than one growing through soon.

Allotment Boy · December 2018

It's all a bit mad at the moment because most of us (in the south at least) have had such mild weather. I would normally expect all of them to have died down by now. Mine had died down but are re-sprouting already. I would not expect them to come back till late Feb / March. You can force as you say but in theory it does weaken the crowns slightly, though I do not find it so with well established crowns. Not sure about the Victoria that has not died down. Maybe someone else will have some ideas.

BobTheGardener · December 2018

I wouldn't force rhubarb until it is at least 3 years old, GD. At this stage you want them to be producing large roots and forcing them will make them use food stored in the roots as the leaves can't photosynthesize to make their own. Interestingly, when rhubarb used to be commercially forced, the crowns were lifted from the ground and forced in sheds:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb_Triangle

Obviously this is far more stressful on the roots and is probably why there are a few myths around. Forcing is purely to improve the culinary qualities and is in no way actually necessary to grow it successfully.

Guernsey Donkey2 · January 2019

Thank you Allotment Boy and Bob for sharing your expertise and knowledge with me. If my Dad was still alive he would have probably given me the same answers - he was an ace fruit and veg gardener, he tried his had at most of the staple food plants over the years, either in the garden or the greenhouse. I don't like Rhubarb so I am growing it for family and friends to enjoy, I wish I had paid more attention to what he had done.

butlerjonny · 18 February

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. Just a question about watering: I’ve just covered one of my rhubarb plants with a black plastic dustbin, to have my first go at forcing. Will I need to remove the bin at some stage to water the plant, or will sufficient moisture make its way in from the surrounding soil? Thanks in advance for advice!

Dovefromabove · 18 February

I’ve never watered rhubarb at this time of year, even when covered for forcing. And I should think
that with the rain we’ve had this winter there’ll be more than enough moisture reaching the roots. 😊

Waterbut · 20 February

I put a very large clay flower pot over the crown about the end of September to protect the crown from winter damage and force some early rhubarb then remove pot so the leaves enjoy the summer sunshine and feed the crown. I bury the pot lip in the ground to try and protect it from nasty beasties. I also follow the above advice.

Joyce Goldenlily · 22 February

If you force a crown of rhubarb you should not use the crown the following year to give it a chance to recover, you should not force rhubarb until it is about 3 years old. The main reason for forcing rhubarb is an earlier crop of very tender stalks. I have never forced mine because I think the flavour is insipid compared to stems left to grow naturally. If you want to force it you probably need several crowns so you can rotate the forcing.

Dovefromabove · 22 February

There’s often confusion about ‘forcing’ rhubarb.

There’s ‘proper’ forcing … and that’s when a crown is dug up and placed in a warmer place such as a dark shed or even covered and placed in a greenhouse … and then re-planted. That’s when the plant should not be harvested for a couple of years. This is what’s done in the Forcing Sheds in tge Rhubarb Triangle of Yorkshire.

Semi-forcing ie placing a forcing pot, dustbin etc over the crown in situ does not exhaust the plant as long as the rule of only harvesting a third of the stems at a time is followed, and it’s perfectly fine to repeat this in following years. 😊

Rhubarb forcing

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