HELP planting rhubarb crown

[vixylix]

Hi all,

I bought a timperley early rhubarb crown the other day and just opened the bag to plant it. Theres a load of shoots in the bag but they're detached from the crown altogether. Will this be a problem?

Should I plant the shoots? bin them? Is it even worth planting any of it?

Thanks

[Bill Door]

I would plant the crown. Dig a hole deeper than the crown by about 4 inches and fill it (so that the crown is proud of the soil)with manure/compost with growmore sprinkled in (if you are organic use chicken manure pellets but avoid blood fish and bone if you have foxes in the locality). Cover the crown with soil and compost mix but do not cover the "buds". Make sure that the top is proud of the surface. Water in well but don't flood it as it does not like to be soaking all the time. Leave the crown alone and do not be tempted to pick any "sticks" of rhubarb. Leave the leaves and sticks over winter to rot back and cover with well rotted manure in October/ November. Only pick a few "sticks" next year.

If you have the room then get another crown and plant that as above.

I can't visualize the "shoots" you mention but don't think they stand a chance. But having said that dob them in a pot with soil/compost mix and see what happens, again don't flodd them but remember to keep them moist over the summer.

Good luck

Bill

[Baldy]

Pretty much concur with all that Bill has said.
I have one Timperly Early plant that must have hit a 'sweet spot' on my plot - I gave it a year to get going - since then its like a triffid and I can harvest from it from March till September... I planted Victori and another Timperly - treatedt them all the same but only the one really thrived - its the nearest to the compost pile so maybe benefits from that and some extra protection from the wind.

Pip pip,
Balders

[vixylix]

Thanks both - I'm trying (and failing) to upload a picture!

I've planted the crown and the shoots anyway - I couldnt find an buds anywhere so I've whacked it in and will hope for the best!

Serves me right for falling for Waitrose's pretty packaging!

[vixylix]

well... its sideways but its a picture - only taken 4 hours!!

[Kirk]

I would ignore the shoots, sounds like they have simply been damaged in transit etc and are a loss now.
Dig hole, add manure, the more the merrier, and put the rhubarb on top and cover.

Sideways seems normal here, would have thought that the times this occurs someone would have figured out what the cause was.

[Bigmallly]

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well... its sideways but its a picture - only taken 4 hours!!

.................

[degsy]

hi I put bonemeal in hole then top dressed with fishblood and bone

Hi I put bonemeal in hole then top dressed with fish blood and bone

[vixylix]

Thanks degsy and welcome to the vine! I'm honoured your first post is on my thread