[hamstergbert]

Ah but, ah, but, ah but....

When all the leaves are brown, heave them off and compost then as already suggested feed with well rotted hossmuck.  Mark the edges with stick etc.  IN February mount an upside down black plastic dustbin or similar over it and peg down.  Check occasionally and water when you feel you must and wait until the forced rhubarb is scratching against the top of the bin, every stem flawless pink and with a taste to die for.....   After harvesting almost all the forced stems leave the plant uncovered   and in a week or so it will spring into the usual thuggish life.

Then wander round the supermarkets and see what they charge for a pathetic stick or two of forced rhubarb that is nowhere near as nice as yours and chuckle all the way home.

[evie2]

We love rhubarb and have relied on in laws for our supply; killed off ours years ago however thanks to son going mad a few months back we now have rather a lot of little plant-lets which I'm having as little to do with as possible

[shokkyy]

Ah but, ah, but, ah but....

When all the leaves are brown, heave them off and compost then as already suggested feed with well rotted hossmuck.  Mark the edges with stick etc.  IN February mount an upside down black plastic dustbin or similar over it and peg down.  Check occasionally and water when you feel you must and wait until the forced rhubarb is scratching against the top of the bin, every stem flawless pink and with a taste to die for.....   After harvesting almost all the forced stems leave the plant uncovered   and in a week or so it will spring into the usual thuggish life.

Then wander round the supermarkets and see what they charge for a pathetic stick or two of forced rhubarb that is nowhere near as nice as yours and chuckle all the way home.

I thought that if you forced rhubarb it weakened the plant, so that you get a reduced crop later in the year. Is that not true?

[hamstergbert]

I heard that too, all I can say is that we lightly crop it initially and let it recover before getting into full swing plus largely let it rest second half of August onwards with a bit of a feed to get some strength back into the crown.  Possibly blind luck but we seem to get away with it year on year.  (We have now however increased the number of locations around the garden with rhubarb growing so should be even less of a risk in future years!)