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Rhubarb pests
mike13
Posts: 8
I have been trying to grow rhubarb for the past 3 years and have been unsuccessful. I have purchased decent root crowns and each year I find that the rhubarb is attacked by some critter. I believe it could be slugs but the traps I have set like beer traps do not seem to account for the extent of the damage. The plants are decimated. Can you please advice. I have changed the location on two occasions and still the damage occurs. I have a large wild field at the back of my rhubarb plot, plenty of places for slugs to hide away. I am a very successful fruit gardener and am ashamed that I cannot be successful on a fruit.vegetable that is supposed to be easy. I would appreciate some help on this subject,
Thank you in anticipation,
0
Posts
Hi Mike
could you post us some photographs of the damage please. To post a photo you need to click on the green tree icon on the toolbar above where you type your post and follow the instructions. Sadly it doesn't work on phones - yet!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove from above,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I haven't taken any pictures but I will do when it stops raining. I hope you can give me some expert tips. It is disheartening to say the least.
Thanks again
Mine was eaten by little shiny green leaf beetles,along with lots of other stuff, I dont take much notice though, they only have a run then they go, I dont think it affect the stalks. Please try to post a photo, and have a look all over and see if you can find some.
Most likely it is the green leaf beetle. Don't know of an organic cure, Used Provado bug spray but didn't harvest any rhubarb since.
No expert!
Thanks for taking the time to reply to my dilemma.
The sun is sun is shining today so I will take a photograph and post it.
The leaves resembled net curtains and the stalks were/are the diameter of a pencil. Absolute rubbish. I suspect slugs or snails but with beer traps not a lot of evidence of drunken molluscs.
I suspect snails - they appear to be able to resist the lure of the slug pubs.
However, I'm puzzled at your description of the general state of your rhubarb. Mine was planted 3 years ago and we have had good crops. Tell me more about how you're growing yours, where it's planted, soil type, feeding and watering etc
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dovefromabove.
Dove from above.
This picture is not so good, I have had difficulty uploading to the forum but you will get the gist. Just look how spindly the plant is.
Hmm, not brilliant I agree - but the poor things have had some competition haven't they?
I'd give the bed a thorough weeding and feed them with some Fish, Blood & Bone and just let them grow for the rest of the summer without pulling any stems. I never take any rhubarb after the end of June, to let the crowns build up. Don't let the ground dry out totally.
Then in the autumn when the leaves have died down remove the rotting leaves and mulch the crowns with well-rotted farmyard manure - don't cover them. In Feb a good feed with more Fish, Blood & Bone and they should be cropping well for you next spring.
The following year you could try putting a forcing pot (or upturned bucket or old chimney) over one of the crowns in early January to encourage some early stems. This isn't 'real forcing', rather more 'encouraging' the crown to produce an early crop.
Stop pulling from the 'encouraged' crown at the end of May. As you have more than one crown you can alternate the 'encouraging' each year.
I never pull more than one third of the stems at any one time.
Hope that helps
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If it is Snails I find that they prefer some varieties to others. They like my Timperley Early, but don't touch a very red stemmed one I have called Raspberry Red. Have you tried different varieties?