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Back-fill around the roots with soil, firm in, then water well. If planting more than one, space them 75–90cm (30–36in) apart. For more planting tips, see our guide below. If your soil is heavy or waterlogged, or you’re short on soil space, you can grow rhubarb in a large container, at least 50cm (20in) deep and wide.
Jun 5, 2024 · Space the plants about 3ft (90cm) apart, with the crowns exposed, and make sure they're in a sunny, open spot then water well. 4. Covering the crown when mulching. (Image credit: Getty Images/Trudie Davidson) Mulching rhubarb, usually done in spring, helps to keep weeds down and retain moisture in the soil.
- Move Pot-Grown Rhubarb Undercover
- Remove Old Foliage
- Mulch Annually
- Divide Older Plants
Rhubarb is a hardy plant and here in the UK does not generally need any winter protection. In fact, rhubarb actually needs a couple of months with temperatures close to freezing point to grow well. That being said, frost can damage any new growth or pot-grown plants, so it can be advisable to move any container-grown rhubarb out of a frost pocket o...
In autumn, the rhubarb foliage and stems will naturally die back and become soft and tatty looking. After dying back, the foliage can be cut away with a clean and sharp pair of secateurs or a knife and removed and composted safely, as the leaves will lose their toxicity as they decompose.
Being hungry feeders, rhubarb plants, whether grown in the ground or in containers, will benefit from an annual mulch of organic matter or well-rotted manure. This mulch can be added in winter or early spring and will not only help feed the plant for the growing season but also help conserve moisture during the warmer months. To prove effective, th...
Over time, rhubarb plants can lose vigour or become congested, so they can benefit from being divided every 4-5 years. In winter when the rhubarb is dormant, simply lift the crown with a spade from the soil and split it into 2-3 pieces using a knife, ensuring that each new division has at least 1-2 new buds. “I like to use an old bread knife for di...
If you have established plants, three or more years old, rhubarb is ready to harvest from spring onwards, as soon as the stalks are long enough – between 30-60cm, depending on the variety. There’s no need to use a knife when harvesting rhubarb, simply pull and twist the stems off the plant, as this stimulates fresh new growth.
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
In order to keep the plants healthy, rhubarb should be divided every five or six years during winter, when dormant. Each plant can be split into three or four separate crowns with a spade. Make ...
Apr 5, 2021 · Each growing rhubarb plant requires about a square yard of space. Take the crowns and place them in the ground. Don't put them more than 1 or 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm.) into the soil or they won't come up. As flower stalks appear on the growing rhubarb, remove them right away so they don't rob the plant of nutrients.
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Remove any remnants of old growth and add them to the compost heap. Begin planting one-year-old crowns of new rhubarb plants after thoroughly preparing the new bed. Lift and divide established clumps. Continue planting new crowns and dividing older plants. Begin forcing lifted plants of rhubarb for the earliest stems.
