Rhubarb help needed!

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Every year I promise myself I won't start picking my rhubarb too early as it then doesn't pick up again.

This year the best plant has huge stalks on already. It seems super early. Should I pick?
Will it grow better later if I leave it now? I always leave 2+ decent leaves.

All tips appreciated. I love rhubarb!

I've never had a problem, I start as soon as there is enough for a crumble and stop early July by which time its the size of an elephant but stopping then gives the plant chance to recover for next year.

I didn't even realise this could be an issue, mine has always rivalled the mint for rampancy.

Pull it up.

We've inherited a massive rhubarb on our allotment, I mean massive. It looks ready to pick but I'm no expert. Reckon I might give it a go. What's the worst that could happen?

General rule for rhubarb is don't pull more than 5 at a time and leave 5 on the plant.

Every few years dig the fucker up in the depths of winter and split into 3 chunks with a spade. For each chunck, dig a spade and a half down over 1m square, mix in as much organic matter as you can, and re-plant. Don't pick until the "new" plant is a year old.

You will have rhubarb coming out of your ears.

General rule for rhubarb is don't pull more than 5 at a time and leave 5 on the plant.

Oops

Omg so I had in my head I would be cutting it, like with a knife or something. Not pulling. This allotment lark requires a lot of knowledge that I currently don't have...

Awesome, crumble it is! Sounds like I can't go too wrong with it.

Oops

I often use a bit of leeway and pull off a couple more, but always leave 5 on! If you find yourself wanting to scalp the plant, you need another one, which is fairly easy as you need to split the crown every few years to keep things healthy and put some nutrients into the ground for it.

Omg so I had in my head I would be cutting it, like with a knife or something. Not pulling.

Method is to grab it low down, twist and pull. The whole stalk will come out nice and cleanly!

I'm not particularly good at gardening, but I love my rhubarb! A little TLC yields prolific results

So if you split a large rhubarb the the next year you can't pick from any of the resulting plants?

You're supposed to leave it to establish itself for a year. Once you have multiple plants though it becomes much less of an issue as you can always make sure you have at least one established plant to harvest while a "new" one is bedding in.

My bloody husky obviously can't count...
She ate the lot last year!!

My rhubarb is only just coming through 🤔 how come you are all picking it?

@YetAnotherUser you sound like you know what you're about, so can I ask another rhubarb related question? Any suggestions for dealing with the millions of snails we get on our rhubarb? We barely got to eat any last year because the snails feasted first. I tend to try and pick them off but it's a losing battle. Is there anything more effective?

Bloody hell Bob!

I'm in the Midlands and it's literally just poking out the soil all curled up 😂

@TheGirlOnTheLanding

I use slug pellets! I know they're bad, but my garden was pretty infested, and it did the trick.

Thanks @YetAnotherUser - I've been reluctant to go for the nuclear option but maybe it's time. I'm willing to share my rhubarb but not to miss out on the whole harvest! Greedy blighters.

Mines ready. I pulled 5 stalks today for crumble and gin!

Mine looks tiny compared to these. Last year was its first year and it only started sprouting a week or so ago so I don’t think I will be picking any for a few weeks. I’m itching to make crumble.

Never cut rhubarb, always pull. If it doesn’t pull leave it a bit. The leaves are poisonous.

I don’t know about the 5 rule. But don’t take it all, take as much as you need.

Mine has a tendency to bolt. The flowers are nothing special. I pick mine heavily early on in the season when the stalks are younger and pinker. Always have some stashed in the freezer.

@tinkly you need to split the crown, flowers are never a good sign on rhubarb it means the plant is stressed

Do you think? It’s not a massive plant. I assumed it was just getting a bit dry or something. I only really need and have room for one rhubarb lantern. Maybe I’ll split and give one away.