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.
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.