[jimthejimjim]

I started on my plot today. First day of digging work after removal of all the rubbish that had been left by previous tennants.

My first jobs were to plant my Rhubarb from my yard and to plant my onions.
Whilst clearing overgrown grass from around the Gooseberry bushes established on the plot I found a hidden Rhubarb plant!

To me it looked in need of splitting up, novice guess. Maybe a mistake - time will tell.
I dont think I could have caused too much harm!

Anyway. When I dug it out the size of the root seriously shocked me!!

Has anyone seen a rhubarb root this big before!



Can I chop it up and get some plants to grow from it?

If so what would be your best advice

[johnnyboy]

Take a big axe to it, cut into four and replant. Rhubarb is pretty hard to kill.

[Jay The Digger]

Thats a biggie !!!!  It must have taken ages to dig out.

I agree with jonnyboy.  Split it up into 4-5 seperate crowns and replant (make sure each crown has at least one "bud")

The long tap roots can be trimmed also.  It is very hard to kill rhubarb so you can be quite brutal with it. 

I would suggest that for the first year, you don't harvest too much from them though, so they have a chance to properly establish.

[jimthejimjim]

I split the crown up there and then. It was the tap root that I was most puzzled with.

It had grown horizontally so came out quite easily.

Today I have split the root up into pieces and planted all the bits at home. All being well I will be swamped with Rhubarb plants!

[Trillium]

If the root was growing horizontally, then that's a clear sign that you have hardpan below. If tough rhubarb can't penetrate it well, then nothing else can. If you can't get a long bladed fork to help loosen the hardpan, then you'll need to build up soil with lots of compost, mulch, etc. Look for info on lasagna gardening and no-dig gardening.
And yes, a cut up root will create new plants, eventually.

[Babstreefern]

Absolutely, no matter how much you chop it up, you will get plants.  Rhubarb is worse than weeds for growing.  You can't kill it