Rhubarb

Hi Gents
I recently sent for three rhubarb plugs, they came with instructions to pot in damp compost and expect to see some life around about late January early February. Due to the extremely mild weather, one is sprouting and is about 2 inches high, also the roots are coming out of the bottom of the pot. I am at a loss to know what to do, just re-pot and leave it in the house or plant out and if i do what protection will it need.

 

We have Ladies on here too Jack.:D:D As you have plugs, I would suggest you pot them on into bigger pots and protect them over winter. May I ask why you didn`t just buy decent sized crowns and plant them direct?

 

£4.95 a crown I would expect Dai?

Rhubarb makes Humungeous roots so pot them on, don't worry about protection too much, its very hardy, but you could cover them with a pile of leaves.

 

Probably Zig, but without the hassle of repotting. Plus of course, you will get a crop about 2 years earlier than plugs.

 

Hi Jack, and as Dai says, please don't forget our lady gardeners! , Now, the rhubarb.

This stuff is almost indestructable, if the plants are big and sturdy you can plant out directly now, about 3ft (1mtr) apart and cover with some compost / leafmold. Smaller plants will be OK re-potted and kept in a cold greenhouse.

 

I've just dressed my prize winning rhubarb:yess::yess::yess:



(any chance to show off again)

With a bucket of sheep poo.

Where abouts are you Swansea Jack?

 

Well done Zig. Could Jack be in Swansea by any chance?:D

 

Your Rhubarb looks fab Ziggy...and i thought i was fussy about my charlottes:D:D

 

You never know. Could be cryptic.

 

You put Custard on this Ziggy :-)
Notice the Red colouring

Jack McH

 

Only 'almost'?

My dad used to grow rhubarb when I was a kid, but stopped because he decided it was too invasive.

Before he reclassified it as an invasive weed, he used to prepare a rhubarb bed by mixing some rocks and rubble with some horse manure. His logic being that the roots would search about, as roots do, and each time they hit a rock or lump of hardcore, the root would fork to find a route round it. This in turn would mean that more roots would come close to the surface, and send up new shoots.

Even to this day, he wont have rhubarb in his garden or his allotment, because as much as he loves it, he fears it would break its bounds and run rampage throughout the whole site again

 

Hi gents and the fairer sex
Yes I am in Swansea ,cryptic is far to complex for this simple soul. Lets see if I have got this right re-pot in a bigger pot, and leave in the house as I don't have a green house, and plant out in late February. (In a large builders bag so evasive is not a problem.)

PS plugs because they were cheap

 

I bought 3 good size plants off our market this year for £5 (2lt pots, 3 for £5!! :yess, I planted them and they raced away; they were huge by the end of the summer, I could have taken the odd stalk but I resisted and let them get established.

I also grew some from seed (Early Red), sown in June they were decent sized plants (4 or 5 stalks) by September, I'll protect these over winter and plant them in the Spring and wait until the following year before I harvest from them :thumb:

 

Jack, you dont say how big your plants are, but Rhubarb are really hardy plants and the best place for them is in the garden. Prepare the land and plant them. I recommend a handfull of slug pellets to protect the tender crowns and cover them with 2" of compost in case of severe cold. They will continue to put out roots untill winter hits, but the tops will die back till spring.