Rhubarb flower?

[percy charlie]

i know rhubarb does better in the shade, i had a neighbour whos rhubarb plant never flowered, and was 9 foot square in size he never feed it it just got lots of water his garden was over grown with weeds and the stalks it produced was at least 6 inch think if you measured the girth and that was near the top, it really was a monster, ive moved house but if i ever see him about the village i plant to ask him for a chunk of the crown, as he never uses it he used to let me have a few stalks a week and this gave my mum and dad rhubarb all week as the stalks would often reach 3-4 feet high so 2-3 stalks went a long way. il check my own rhubarb tomorrow i think the weather must be causing it.

[terrier]

How can I be sure it is a flower stalk?

Could be wrong here but don't the flower stalks grow vertical and fruiting stalks grow out sideways(ish)?

[Glutton4...]

Aaaaah, I'm glad I found this thread (thanks Lottie Dolly )

Mine has a huge flower stalk, and guessing by the above comments, it must be due to the sunny spells, as it was well-mulched in the autumn, and well watered (including by me in the warm spell). Mine too is a Glaskin's Perpetual.

Off to the plot wiv me knife...

[divvy]

Thanks for putting this thread on . it made me go and look at mine , and , yes , there was a flower stalk right in the center so I cut it off . I don't know what type of rhubarb mine is , it was given to me, but as it's only a couple of years old , has loads of muck around it and is in a damp area , I can only think that it must be the time of year for it or the weather, as so many people seem to have the same thing .

[lisab]

Hi All,
I also have a question about rhubarb. I have planted rhubarb seed that are now cute little seedlings. What do i do next and when will it be about the size of shop-brought rhubarb plants? Sorry, as you can tell I know very little about rhubarb

[~kirsty~]

I was told a minimum of 12-18 months before you should harvest if growing from seed, which is why I brought my rhubarb plant already growing from the garden centre. I'm not an expert though.

[divvy]

I was told not to pick any from my new rhubarb for the first year , to give it a chance to root properly and get settled , but that was a plant not seed .

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi All,
I also have a question about rhubarb. I have planted rhubarb seed that are now cute little seedlings. What do i do next and when will it be about the size of shop-brought rhubarb plants? Sorry, as you can tell I know very little about rhubarb

I would suppose you pot them on when required until they are big enough to go in the ground, then plant them out. They don't need to be indoors so if they are, harden off and bung them outside. Plant with plenty of well-rotted manure with the soil level same as in the pot. Water when required and mulch with well-rotted manure in autumn and spring. Shouldn't bee too long before you enjoy them (usually the year after planting into the ground).

[bobleponge]

Lisab, remember that when you do plant them in the deck, in winter they will pretty much disappear completely as the plant above ground rots down. Dont be worried, its normal, but try and remember where you put them so you dont do anything else in that area.
Cheers for this one Shirl, I knew not to let them flower, but never actually knew why or what to do. Now all flowers have been hacked off and composted.

[lisab]

Thanks for your advice everyone.
I was wondering what on earth happened to my rhubarb, thought i'd lost it to rot - but I guess i'ts normal yay. More rhubarb on the way!