"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
Grub wrote:
Thanks David.

I finally have a fresh, still alive, root but now need a little advice
about growing it. I've heard soo many different conflicting
instructions I'm totally confused! I'm pretty sure now that I
shouldn't touch it for a year but I've read all about this forcing
business and in the Mirror today they have written that it only grows
pink if it IS forced.

Need a rhubarb expert to clarify for me! :s

I don't know anything about forcing or what that may have to do with
rhubarb.

The Brits are into forced rhubarb. Not sure why they bother.

Grub, rhubarb can be, and is, pink regardless of whether it's forced or
not - the colour of the stem has more to do the plant than it is with
whether it's forced or not. eg, you can have a plant that always produced
greenish stems or you can have a plant that always produces wonderfully rich
red stems all of the time. David and I would both grow our plants in the
same way - never forced, lots of poop and in an open sunny position in
clumps separated about ever 3 years if we're good or when we get roudn to it
if we're not. The rule about not cutting it in the first year of growth is
to make sure that the plant has time to get well and truly established and
you don't ahrvest it to death. Always leave some stems and leaves on the
plant so it can use these to feed itself.

Grow it like other vegetables, full sun if possible, plenty of
manure and/or compost, water when dry etc. Plant it now. You can cut at
any time of year just make sure you leave the roots alone and leave a few
stems and leaves so that it can keep growing, cut the older stems and
leave the younger ones to grow bigger, it is fairly tough. When the clump
is large you can divide it and grow more clumps.

Yup.