Rhubarb problem

[Sanjo]

Good morning everyone.
Could somebody please point me in the right direction. I bought a rhubarb crown from a GC back in March.
It went into a huge (and I do mean huge) pot filled with garden compost, soil and Harrington & Jessop composted manure (which I checked with them before use was free from aminopyralid) and I have kept it watered.
My problem is that the damn thing is dying!!!
I pushed my hand into the soil yesterday to check whether it was dry and it felt moist.
However, I did notice that it has loads of little white, almost tiny threadlike, crawling things in the manure.
Does anybody know what they are and what the treatment is please.
I have done a search on here and also a general search on the computer but cannot find anything to match.
Any help much appreciated.

[vicky]

Sounds like it is rotting and these are maggots eating it...bad news, I hope I'm not right.
If you plant into too large a pot this can cause the plant to rot.
If it is rot there will be a slimey, smelly area where the maggots are, if there is you could try to cut this off and remove it - take the whole crown out, shake the excess earth off and look for the rot, remove then repot into a smaller pot and keep it drier (not dried out). Good luck

[Sanjo]

Thanks Vicky. I'll have a look after lunch. Just sent the OH down there and told him to take his specs, but despite having them on he says he can't see anything!!
I'm sure I didn't imagine them. (I hadn't even had a drink at that stage!).Sanjo

[NOG]

Why is it in a pot?
I doubt it will survive in a pot.
Check there are holes in the bottom.

Rhubarb needs a lot of space and nutriments.

If its dead PM your address and I will post you some Rhubarb seeds and you can grow some crowns...they grow very quicley.

[Sanjo]

Aw, thanks Nog, that is so kind of you.
The reason it's in a pot is that I just ran out of room. It really is a big pot.
It holds at least 75 litres of mixed home compost, manure and soil. There are drainage holes because before I put it in I researched it and knew that rhubarb does not like to be waterlogged.
As I said in my ealier post I got my OH to go and check on the little white wigglies but he came back and said there weren't any!!
Thinking to myself MEN! I went and checked for myself, taking my reading glasses as they really are tiny little ahem! pests.
I found one!! and what looked like the same thing but slightly bigger and greyer, which jumped all over the soil.
When I first saw them it followed a very hot dry spell. Yesterday, when we checked, followed heavy rain both overnight and into the early hours.
I can only assume that they come to the surface when the top compost is dry.
I have tried to research it on the net but obviosly without knowing what the pest is, I can't find a cure.
Again, many thanks for your offer of seeds. I might take you up on it if I can't get this sorted. Best wishes Sanjo

[rana]

Sounds like springtails (Onychiurus) to me which are pretty common in compost. As far as I'm aware they don't do any harm but it may be a sign that the compost is a tad too damp.