[Jake]

Hello

I have sort of successfully grown a globe artichoke plant in my parents garden. Its very good soil and the plant is almost 2 years old now. I cut it back in November and covered with rotted manure. Last year it seemed to work as per what the books said and the plant started growing again in February / March (I think).

This year though it has just grown right back straight away. Its had quite a few nights of hard frost (although in a relatively sheltered spot) and its leaves are that kind of greyish green that I think they should be, in other words as of now it doesn't seem to be affected by the cold.

The question I have is should I cut it back again? The weather forecast is for even colder weather than we've had so far but I am pretty scared of harming this plant just as it has started to grow again.

The whole family (even my fussy brother) LOVES globe artichokes and I am hoping this plant can be a method of getting my mum and dad into growing their own (as they've retired and have a bit of space) and can for this year just tend this and that and get a couple of rewards later on.

Hope some of you folks can help, have searched if the question has been asked before and I can't find it.

[Chuffy]

I've got a similar dilemma. I planted out a globe from the garden centre early this summer and it's grown from a 1ft high pot plant into a 3ft tall leafy monster (it didn't produce any globes though). It's still going strong, despite several hard frosts, and I'm wondering if it needs cutting back or just leaving to get on with things.

[compostqueen]

you can cut back any dead stems in spring when it starts throwing up new growth. I've had my plant for years and each year it falls over under the weight of all the globes, so much so that it gets uprooted. I plonk it back in and it's always ok. No worries  

[Salkeela]

Mine is 20 yrs old or so.  Always grows up at this time.  No worries your plant is fine - even if it gets knocked back again by frost.  Let it grow.

Just thinking,  I haven't even got out to trim last year's old stuff yet!

[Jake]

Cool

Well I will leave it to its own devices then.

Thanks

[Noah'strolly]

I heard they wern't supposed to be frost tollerant but mine's been ok over two winters. Mine grow from new and old growth. I did mean to remove and plant out the side shoot but I'm awful when it it comes to pruning and stuff like that and didn't dare touch it. There was no obvious point to cut at so I left it and it did ok.
It grows extremely tall and has about 60 tennis ball sized chokes over the summer. I was wondering if I could encourage fewer but larger chokes if I pruned it to stop it growing so high.
Any one know?

[Jake]

I heard they wern't supposed to be frost tollerant but mine's been ok over two winters. Mine grow from new and old growth. I did mean to remove and plant out the side shoot but I'm awful when it it comes to pruning and stuff like that and didn't dare touch it. There was no obvious point to cut at so I left it and it did ok.
It grows extremely tall and has about 60 tennis ball sized chokes over the summer. I was wondering if I could encourage fewer but larger chokes if I pruned it to stop it growing so high.
Any one know?

Just send your excess chokes to me

seriously though, I bet if you let a couple of the chokes flower it would slow down.

Flowers take a lot of energy out of a plant.

[Salkeela]

I've heard that if you take out the leader (ie biggest top choke) on each stalk while it is still small, that the others on that stalk then grow bigger. Worth a try

[Noah'strolly]

Thanks, its worth a try.