[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

What should I do?

Why does it happen?

[Yorkie]

It's doing what comes naturally 

Just pull the flowers off.

[snowdrops]

Yep pull the flower stem off & give it a water

[m1ckz]

yes i noticed lots of flower heads coming on mine too

[Christine]

It's been warm weather and dry so the rhubarb thinks its season is over.

[Bohobumble]

It could well be that the plant should have been divided over the winter if it's been in position a while, snip the flowers off, keep fed and watered and consider dividing next winter.

Make sure 'new' plantings are well prepared with plenty of manure dug into the soil.

[Comfr3y]

the why is that plant is seeding - usually on older plants - which is not great news because its turned its mind from production of stalks to giving up and propogating future generations. agree with cutting all flowers off and heavy mulch & consider dividing. if you can't move them id consider cutting all the growth off and heavily manuring.

[RJR_38]

One of mine has done it for the first time this year (in its third year) so at least I know I need to give it an extra good feed and manure this year. How often should you dig up and divide ideally? I am dreading that job....

[Bohobumble]

You probably need to divide every 5-6 years or so, so don't worry, it's not that frequently, and you do it when the plant is dormant so at least you don't have to battle leaves too!

[pigguns]

I've never had flowers!  Maybe because my stalks don't get left long enough to produce perhaps?  I'm a very regular picker 

[RJR_38]

So am I pigguns and I snapped the flower off while it was tiny and had no chance to grow. I love rhubarb!

[mumofstig]

As soon as the flower buds break through it's obvious what they are, nothing to do with how long the stalks grow, pigguns 

[pigguns]

As soon as the flower buds break through it's obvious what they are, nothing to do with how long the stalks grow, pigguns 

<<goes out to have a look>> Nope, a couple of what looks like leaf lumps protruding...will leave them to see  how exciting.  Why in all the years I've had rhubarb have I never seen a flower? 
My mum who is an expert splits crowns every Autumn (which is why I have 7!! crowns) but all about 3 or 4 years after being split off.

[mumofstig]

They look like this, quite different to the leaf buds.