Rhubarb propagation
young codger
Posts: 543
Last year i dug up some rhubarb that was growing where I wanted to grow something else. I put it in to a few large plant pots. It survived ok and has started to shoot.
I have recently taken them out of the pots complete with root ball and all soil intact, and sliced them up a bit with the spade. Two of them I have turned in to 2 individual plants, and from another I have got three individual plants. I’ve repotted them in a 50/50 mix of garden soil and well rotted horse manure (rhubarb are hungry plants). So, I have turned the original 3 plants in to 7 now.
Once I have increased the number of plants to an amount I am happy with (probably next year) I shall plants some at my local community meet-up. They have raised beds up there, probably some spare ground too. The other day the volunteers were erecting a small greenhouse. We are hoping to start one of these “men in sheds” projects that seem to be growing in popularity. I think it is nice to put something back in to the community.
Posts
Well done. As you've found, old rhubarb plants can easily be rejuvenated as you've done: I did the same last January, in my case because the bed was overgrown with ground elder (one of the things that the Romans did for us). Six 'new' plants all grew well over the summer - chiefly aided by the adjacent compost heap, I fancy - and I expect a good crop shortly.
Yum.