growing conditions for rhubarb

[newbieveggie]

Hi there.
I am trying for a third and final time with rhubarb and I was wondering what are the ideal growing conditions for it. So far I have killed off two plants and I am hoping that this year I could actually crack it with a little help as I refuse to give up.

Many thanks

[JimmerG]

You've killed them!!!??? They should be massively hardy - However the one thing that can kill them is being left in waterlogged ground, they simply rot.

SO get yourself a few crowns, if the proposed site is prone to waterlogging - either stick them somewhere else, or dig a huge hole/make a raised bed, and dig in a whole load of manure/grit/sand/compost. I made the holes 1 - 2 feet deep, and a 3 - 4 feet apart.

This should avoid them sitting in water. All they need then is leaving for a year so they can get their roots sorted out - don't pick anything at all, and don't 'force' them either this year. Mulch with manure early next year.

They'll just about tolerate full sun but will also be fine with partial shade.

This should result in lovely healthy plants - do it now though, they need to be getting their roots sorted out now! In fact if you can find crowns that have been in pots for a few months - they'll have a few roots already.

Good luck

J

[rana]

Good advice from JimmerG..........................I had a similar mortality problem with rhubarb when I first moved here and manged to kill three big crowns. The problem was winter waterlogging. So I dug a huge pit into the clay soil (about 1M deep), lined it with rubble and stones, then rotted horse manure, compost and topsoil. The site is now much better drained and my efforts are rewarded with plenty of healthy fat sticks of rhubarb.

[bebee]

I had a rhubard plant last year in a pot and thought i had killed it of with i'm sorry to say neglect anyway while doing the garden pots last weekend i was about to tip it out and there were some new bits coming up so after some tlc it has started to grow again. and this time i have put it where i won't forget about it.

[Flummery]

Rhubarb does die down comletely in the winter and many people fear they have killed it. I always forget exactly where mine is! It's showing again now though. It's really hardy stuff - I think the suggestion that waterlogging is its main enemy is entirely correct.

[newbieveggie]

Great many thanks, yep the first two I think rotted and then I found another one I had discarded in a pot alive !! hurrah. However I now think that perhaps where I have sited it is too hot. Its gets the full sun all day. Its been in this position for a year now and didnt seem terribly happy in the height of the summer last year. So shall I move it to a shadier spot which is very free draining ? I am digging in plenty of spent mushroom compost and homemade compost so if its ok to move it I will do that this week.

[Flummery]

You could move it. There again, you could top-dress it with loads of home made compost or well rotted manure. They love a bit of muck! This will stop the crowns drying out and baking. Mine's in a sunny site - doesn't seem to mind.

[evie451]

i got one in Homebase, it was in a 3 for a £5 offer and i was getting two blueberry's so i lifted one of these but i thought it was dead! I planted it up and absolutely nothing happened, it had one wee leaf on it which died but just yesterday i noticed another tiny one poking up, its in a 25cm pot but i haven't watered it much i take it thats right by the advice on here