Rhubarb dilemma

[LustingAfterMarkDarcy]

Hey :~)

Our rhubarb plant is getting massive and due to having building work done on the outside of the house we have had to move it. Its in a huge pot and has been doing really well. Will the moving around to a different part of garden unsettle it or stunt growth?

Also as a matter of interests today i was taking stalks off and 2 came off with the white tip with just pulling and giving a wobble if that makes sense but the other snapped rather than pulling free. What do i do now? Do i pull on the bit has been left in the plant? Im sure i read somewhere that if you snap it that stalk will no longer produce.

Thanks for your help :)

[Grumpla]

Just pull off the rest of the stalk from the base. Mine do this if they are slightly dry so I try and harvest after rain / a good watering the night before.

I shouldn't think moving the pot will have any effect as long as it gets about the same amount of light, rain etc.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

If the plant is massive, it might be better, once the building work is over, to give it a home in the ground rather than a pot. Splitting the plant into smaller plants will reinvigorate it.

[LustingAfterMarkDarcy]

Yeah we were hoping once the building work is done to get it into the ground. The pot is huge but would do better in ground unfortantly the work was due in Jun and still hasn't been started so probably won't be done until end of summer. That's good its lashing down outside now so ill try to wriggle the rhubarb stalk free. I'm most disappointed its never snapped before haha x

[PaisleyLeaf]

I can't see moving the pot doing any harm.
I think I remember reading that if you want to dig it up and move it (when you go to put it in the ground), then it's best in really cold winter - even leaving the root out for a couple of days to get the frost. So maybe wait til winter.
Then I think you might be best not harvesting it the first year after that.

[LustingAfterMarkDarcy]

Thanks for the tip I will definatly leave it till over winter. All I need to do now is find
Low fat crumble recipes. X

[tiggy114]

Know this is an old thread but honestly, you'll have a tough time killing a rhubarb. I'd take the oppertunity when it's died down to split it up and share some with friends then plant it out in a corner of the garden where it can grow quite big. I got a plant which a friend dug up and snapped off all the major roots but it still grew like crackers!!! And i've snapped sticks off and left the white on loads of times. It's always produced.

[echt]

This has inspired me to dig up the rhubarb crown planted last year which wilted a bit on the 35+ days, but has come up trumps this winter, with lovely red, sweet sticks. I ignored the don't-use-the-stalks-in-the-first-year bollocks, and picked 3 kilos in one day.

Its reward has a been to be grubbed up, though put into a shadier spot with tons of shite to see it straight for the Aussie summer. Like tiggy I've put it in a corner where its can go daft.

[LustingAfterMarkDarcy]

Thats good, ive managed to wriggle the snapped bit free so im happy with that. No building work started yet again so its still in the pot at the minute, think it would be a good idea to split when we have chance though. I also ignored the dont use the stalks in the first year and have picked. The plant is huge its got lots on and the crumble tasted as it should. its also grown back bigger so am happy. Now that my evil neighbours who constantly came and meddled in my garden ripping plants ect have gone i think it shall have a new home in the garden when the builders have finally buggered off. What else can i make besides rhubarb crumble though?!

[Bienchen]

Cake: a sponge base topped with rhubarb bake for about 30 mins, then add a meringue topping and bake for another 20 mins or so.

Chutney: with some tart apples and fresh ginger.

[LustingAfterMarkDarcy]

cake sounds lovely will get my union jack apron out(courtesy of dp) at the weekend and get cracking!