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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Rhubarb
Growing
Overcrowding is a common problem with rhubarb and can lead to subpar growth. Dig and split rhubarb roots every 3 to 4 years. Divide when plants are dormant in early spring (or late fall). Divisions should have at least one large bud on them.
- Mulch generously with a heavy layer of straw to retain moisture and discourage weeds.
- Water your plant well and consistently. Rhubarb needs sufficient moisture, especially during the hot, dry summer days.
- Remove seed stalks as soon as they appear, as they will only drain energy from the plant that could be used to produce stalks or roots.
- Each spring, apply a light sprinkling of a fertilizer (10-10-10) when the ground is thawing or has just thawed. See your local frost dates.
- In the fall, remove all plant debris. Once your ground freezes, it鈥檚 best to cover rhubarb with 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch, preferably well-rotted compost. By adding nitrogen to the soil, you鈥檙e preparing the rhubarb plants for a good spring season.
Cooking Notes
Check out our list of best rhubarb recipes to put your fresh rhubarb to good use! Plus, learn how to make a rhubarb tonic.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hi, Candy. Some varieties of rhubarb are more prone to producing flowers than others. Do not worry about that. The holes, those you should worry about. If the holes are ragged and fairly big, check for a trail of slime鈥揳s slugs sometimes like to eat rhubarb leaves. Tiny to moderate holes in the leaves could be beetles, such as the Japanese beetle. Caterpillars, such as the European corn borer and imported cabbageworm, may sometimes attack leaves or stalks. Other pests, such as aphids or rhubarb curculio, make punctures rather than chewing holes. Look underneath the leaves, and at the base of plants in the soil, for any lurking pest. To learn about garden pests and diseases, check out this page.
We have moved into a home with an amazing rhubarb patch growing beside one garden shed. Within the next couple of weeks we will be building a second shed beside it, which will cast the rhubarb patch into almost all shade. My plan is to divide and transplant the patch, based on your advice waiting until the fall dormant period. What is the risk to the plants this summer if they are heavily in shade probably from June onward? I realize that any further harvest may be compromised but will the plants actually die from lack of sunlight, or just not grow much larger this year and be ok to transplant in the fall. There were a lot of flower stalks starting, which I cut off, but I"m gathering this is an old growth patch and would need to be divided nevertheless. Also in Ontario, how much shade can they tolerate, I have spots that will either get full morning or afternoon sun but unlikely to have full sun all day.
You can definitely move the plants for a harvest next year, but rhubarb doesn’t grow well in the shade so you will not likely have a good crop this year.
We planted a rhubarb plant last year and it looked like it was dying so we moved it. It took off. Did not harvest last year. This year after feet of snow it's out of control. It's a monster. I've never owned one before. I don't remember the variety, green or red but it's red at the bottom and green about midway up the stalk is green. How do you know when ready? It continues to shoot leaves upward. Is this normal?
Sounds like you hit the jackpot! If you have nice strong (celery-size) stalks, it’s ready to eat鈥攂ut not the leaves; they are poisonous. Twist off the stalks at the root or use a knife to slice them off. Take as many as you like/need; it should continue to produce for a few weeks. Leave the smaller stalks…they’ll get bigger. Enjoy!
Hi I can't get my rhubarb to grow!! It comes up in small little stalks about as big a round as my pinky finger. I figured I'd leave it last year to let it go to seed and hopefully grow and thicken up but it didn't even go to seed...it just died. Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong or what I should do? Thanks in advance.
I'm growing strawberry rhubarb, can't get them to get fat, they're very thin
Is this an established plant, that had been producing fine but then started to be spindly? If so, it could be that the plant is now overcrowded—sometimes the crown needs dividing every 5 to 15 years, ideally in late winter/early spring or in fall when the plant is dormant. Or, if this is a new plant, does it have enough nutrients to establish itself? Avoid harvesting the first year, and only harvest lightly the second. After those years, only remove 1/3 to 1/2 of the plant, so that there are enough stalks remaining so that the leaves can make food for the plant to keep it healthy. Another problem that sometimes occurs is when the plant is set too deep (more than 1 or 2 inches), sometimes causing weak or delayed growth. You might also check for insects and disease, such as crown rot. Be sure that the plant has enough water (but soil is not waterlogged); if it is growing in part shade, the stems will be more spindly. Hope this helps!
I have two plants that my mother brought to Toronto from north of here about 70 years ago. I don鈥檛 know how long she had them before that. She had them in her yard and when she died I have taken them with me wherever I move. It鈥檚 hard to believe they come up so heartily every year. They are the green variety.
We live in Pa. As soon as the rhubarb begins to grow it begins to have the seed heads. It is mid Apr after a very snowy winter and I have already taken off several heads. The stalks are not even large enough to pick yet. Why does this happen and is there anything we can do?
