Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Yana on March 11, 2012, 14:48

Title: Is it too late to plant / move rhubarb?
Post by: Yana on March 11, 2012, 14:48
Looking for advice regarding planting / moving rhubarb and if it is too late now to do either / both? I've got a mixture of old clumps that don't produce much that I want to replace but in a different spot to where they are now and move the'good' crowns to the same place.
What should I do?  :wub:
Title: Re: Is it too late to plant / move rhubarb?
Post by: Trillium on March 11, 2012, 15:07
You've still got time. Since the old clump isn't producing much, it's time to divide it and move the bits into freshly prepared holes - manure, compost, some BFB and water. You won't be able to harvest until at least next year, but after that you'll be buried in the stuff.

Be aware that you can never get all the old roots out and it's likely you'll get some deep bits putting out new sprouts.
Title: Re: Is it too late to plant / move rhubarb?
Post by: Chappers on March 11, 2012, 15:22
Im no expert but i would say its a bit late. My book says Dec to Feb as i was going to move some myself. Its supposed to be done over the winter when the plant is dormant but with the mild winter we had mine was covered in new buds so i decided to leave it til next year.
Title: Re: Is it too late to plant / move rhubarb?
Post by: Trillium on March 11, 2012, 15:25
Normally you would move rhubarb earlier, but since this lot is not doing well, yana might as well move it now and leave it for a year. Rhubarb will always recover regardless of what the books say. Just try and stop it.  ;)
Title: Re: Is it too late to plant / move rhubarb?
Post by: LilacSandy on March 11, 2012, 15:42
Trillium is right, I gave away a three year old crown that I did not want in January, I thought we had dug down far enough and removed it all but when I went down today I notice that the darn thing had sprouted again and three leaves were showing.
Title: Re: Is it too late to plant / move rhubarb?
Post by: Yana on March 11, 2012, 20:19
Thanks for all this good info. I've put it on the list of things to do next week and hopefully will get a bumper crop now.