When do i stop harvesting rhubarb

Watering Proper watering will help rhubarb growth. Controlling weeds A giant rhubarb plant can be a strong competitor against weeds. While the plant is establishing itself during the first year or two, keep weeds controlled by hoeing or hand pulling. Frequent, shallow cultivation will kill weeds before they become a problem.

Be careful not to damage the plants when cultivating. Keep your tool away from the plant itself. Continue watering and weeding all summer long even after harvest. The plants can live fifteen or more years with good care. Dividing The rhubarb plant will produce the next year's buds at the outer edges of its crown. Insects Insect pests are generally not a problem on rhubarb. Rhubarb curculio is a dark-colored, snouted beetle about one-half to three-fourths of an inch long.

It can bore holes into the crown and stalks. Stalk borers may cause similar problems as rhubarb curculio. Control them by removing nearby grassy weeds and curly dock, a weed that is the normal host for rhubarb curculio.

Diseases Planting rhubarb in a sunny, well-drained site is important to avoid infection by soil-dwelling pathogens. In a wet year or a poorly drained site, root-rotting fungi can invade the plant. Start over in a new spot if this happens. There are two rhubarb leaf spot diseases that are common in Minnesota, Ascochyta rhei and Ramularia rhei. Manage them through selective harvesting of infected stalks combined with removing and destroying all leaves after the first hard frost in the fall.

Viruses occasionally infect rhubarb, causing abnormal growth, loss of vigor or unusual leaf coloration. If a rhubarb plant has a virus, it is best to remove it from the garden and start over. For assistance in diagnosing unknown problems visit the University of Minnesota Extension diagnostic site 'What's wrong with my plant? Harvesting Rhubarb is one of the first crops of the year. Begin picking stalks as soon as they have reached their full length.

Depending on the variety, they may be only 12 inches long, or as long as two feet. To pick rhubarb, hold the stalk firmly, pull and twist. Do not use a knife to cut the stalks from the plant. The knife can carry diseases from plant to plant, and the remaining stalk can be a point of entry for other pests.

Immediately upon harvesting, use a knife to trim the leaves from the stalks and discard. They are toxic, and leaving them on can speed wilting of the stalks.

The harvest season for rhubarb lasts until the end of June. Old plants tend to flower more than young ones. Regardless of the reason, flower stalks should be promptly pulled and discarded. Plants will be less productive if allowed to flower and set seeds. Flower formation can be discouraged with good cultural practices. Water rhubarb plants once a week during dry weather. Placement of 2 to 3 inches of well-rotted manure around the plants in early spring is an alternative to a commercial fertilizer.

Issue: May 14, Category: Horticulture Authors: Richard Jauron Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Horticulture and Home Pest News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on May 14, The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.

You are here Home. May 14, Easy Rhubarb Crumble. Mix together all the ingredients except the rhubarb , until it becomes a crumble it should not have enough liquid to become a real dough. Place more than half of the dough into a 30cm. Cut the rhubarb into 2cm.

Sprinkle well with sugar, and add remaining crumble dough on top. Bake in the oven on No. With the expiry date on most seed packets being around it makes sense to stock up now. November 11, Contact Us. Note: You can harvest some rhubarb stalks earlier than when they reach 10 inches, as long as you limit your harvest to a few stalks so as not to kill the plant.

It ensures that you do nick a stem that is not ready for harvesting yet since the stalks are often close together. After harvesting the rhubarb stalks, snip off the leaves and throw them in the compost or garbage pile.

This keeps the poisonous rhubarb leaves out of the reach of children, pets, and animals. That is all that goes into harvesting this tangy vegetable, homesteaders. Besides coming in handy in a wide variety of sauces, jams, tarts, and pies, you also stand to enjoy medicinal and cosmetic benefits from rhubarb.

The trick is to harvest it right so you can enjoy t longer. Do you have experience in growing rhubarb? What other helpful tips should we include here?