Talkback: Flowering rhubarb

Gardeners' World Web User · November 2011

I have several crowns, one in the garden and several in big pots but they seem to be dying off prematurely, can a crown have a limited life span or are they lacking in nutrients?

Gardeners' World Web User · May 2008

I grew rhubarb from seed for my allotment and with 3 seeds I got three lovely plants, but the rhubarb wasn't ready to pick until about september and old hands told me it shouldn't be picked after midsummers day. It was lovely right into october.Now I have had to leave my allotment and my one plant in my garden flowered before anything grew, I snapped it off, it's not recovering very quickly.

Gardeners' World Web User · May 2008

how can i keep ferral pidgeons out of my garden

Gardeners' World Web User · May 2008

I've tried using the juice from stewed rhubarb and making a bucks fizz with champagne! incredible!

Gardeners' World Web User · May 2008

Gunnera substitute. I grew a proper crown (like a giant doughnut) for years. A friend had thrown it on his rubbish heap and I made him retreive it. I grew it in dry soil next to a pond mainly for the leaves and the flowers and it flowered every year. I only removed it when I re-shaped my pond. It must have been very old. I don't know the variety. The flower stems were not as high as 'Champagne' but then it was never fed.

Gardeners' World Web User · June 2008

I have tree rhubarb crowns in my garden which belonged to an old tenant,the rhubarb is about forty years old, they love it in the shade, and the start of winter i pile the earth up and over the crowns and every year i get tall, thick stems and rhubarb that melts in the mouth.

Gardeners' World Web User · July 2008

I bought a 1 year old crown from Wisley last year and planted it as recommended. Unfortunately it has rotted off! I bought a forcer and placed it on top of the crown as soon as buds appeared in the ground, got a few stems and that was it. What could have caused this? Should i have left it a year before picking? Or shouldn't i have forced it so soon? Any help would be appreciated.

Gardeners' World Web User · July 2008

I have just bought 3 rhubarb crowns for my new allotment and they have about 4 stalks on each.
Will these stalks die off in time to just leave the crown or will they stay on over Winter.
I know I should cover the crowns with manure in January/February.

Any other tips please....one of the leaves has turned brown so I have removed both the leaf and stalk.

Gardeners' World Web User · August 2008

I'm new to growing rhubarb but not to cooking and eating it. Most stalks have small lumps of clear firm jelly on them which, when rubbed off, reveals a brownish stain, even a hole, in the stalk. Is it eggs or a secretion? Can I eat it?There are holes on the leaves and I've found 2 pale green caterpillars on the underside about 1cm long.

Gardeners' World Web User · August 2008

I also have the clear jelly on my rhubarb...I didn't have it earlier in the year ...does anyone know what it is?

Gardeners' World Web User · August 2008

I think I have found out what causes the clear jelly...the Rhubarb weevil/snout beetle. The jelly is sap from the rhubarb... the beetle lays in eggs in the stalk then in some plants the larvae burrow down the stalk -but in rhubarb the larvae can't grow..so it doesn't really harm the plant but marks the stalk. The only way to get rid of them that I've found is to keep the surrounding area clear of weeds -especially docks..but I don't have any around mine...so if anyone can come up with a better way to get rid of them I'd love to know...thanks

Talkback: Flowering rhubarb

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