Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from "alan holmes" dont.bother.see.sig@bottom contains these
words:
"limey" wrote in message
...

This is the fifth year of attempting to grow rhubarb. Once the
summer heat
arrives it suffers. That's what is happening now. Looks like
it's frozen
rhubarb for me from now on. Sign me "Discouraged".

You should stop pulling rhubarb when the gooseberries are over. My
rhybarb was put in as a very small crown this spring, and now
folollops across more than five feet, leaftip to leaftip.

I haven't pulled a stick this year, but next year...

Try watering it now and again.

You can't easily overwater rhubarb.

I've never had any trouble with mine.

Nor I. In hot dry weather it gets about eight or ten gallons of
water
a day. In wet weather, it gets even more, as it's planted right
over
the soakaway for the run-off of roof water.

ISTR that rhubarb is properly a marsh plant.

I don't think I've ever watered rhubarb in my life, even in the worst
droughts. It sounds as though the OP, if he's still here (or even if
he isn't), is trying to grow it in soil that wasn't too well
prepared. I'm sure everybody will agree that it needs lots of organic
matter underneath to retain moisture, and preferably annual mulchings
with more of the same.

Maybe he was setting out his crowns in spring: you can, but doing it
from November to Christmas will give them a much better start.

Mike.