I have had a rhubarb plant for years and it isn't doing anythin. At
most I will get about 4 stalks to make a pie. I have tried splitting
it but now I have 2 small plants. I add composted manure. Should I
buy a new plant or keep trying with this one?

Lori

is it out in full sun? what kind of soil conditions, what is your zone?

Kayla wrote:

I have had a rhubarb plant for years and it isn't doing anythin. At
most I will get about 4 stalks to make a pie. I have tried splitting
it but now I have 2 small plants. I add composted manure. Should I
buy a new plant or keep trying with this one?

Lori



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

I'm in zone 5. We have very good rich soil and it is in full sun.
Occasionally it gets a shot of aged manure.


On Fri, 14 May 2004 19:10:45 GMT, wrote:

is it out in full sun? what kind of soil conditions, what is your zone?

Kayla wrote:

I have had a rhubarb plant for years and it isn't doing anythin. At
most I will get about 4 stalks to make a pie. I have tried splitting
it but now I have 2 small plants. I add composted manure. Should I
buy a new plant or keep trying with this one?

Lori



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Oh he** Kayla, if its not doing well, replace it or augment it. Z5 with
decent soil and a little encouragement should get you more than a One Pie
plant.

Remember to cut the flower stalks as soon as you can tell them from new
leaves, so the plant doesn't waste energy going to seed. In my area of Z5,
that flower stalk will appear as soon as daytime temps get up to 80, which
was yesterday, so I'll be looking tomorrow.

My rhubarb lives in a low spot, and I keep a half hearted compost pile
close by. I also rake fall leaves into the low spot over the rhubarb after
frost. Our soil is sandy riverine ( floodplain) and prone to drying
quickly, but I have such a thicket of Rhubarb I'd be happy to share.

Sue
Western Maine foothills

"Kayla" wrote in message
...
I'm in zone 5. We have very good rich soil and it is in full sun.
Occasionally it gets a shot of aged manure.


On Fri, 14 May 2004 19:10:45 GMT, wrote:

is it out in full sun? what kind of soil conditions, what is your zone?

Kayla wrote:

I have had a rhubarb plant for years and it isn't doing anythin. At
most I will get about 4 stalks to make a pie. I have tried splitting
it but now I have 2 small plants. I add composted manure. Should I
buy a new plant or keep trying with this one?

Lori



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

"Kayla" wrote in message
...
I have had a rhubarb plant for years and it isn't doing anythin. At
most I will get about 4 stalks to make a pie. I have tried splitting
it but now I have 2 small plants. I add composted manure. Should I
buy a new plant or keep trying with this one?

Lori

Rhubarb is not a plant you can plant and use the same year. Your problem
appears to be that you are harvesting every stalk from your small plants as
soon as they are large enough to use. Rhubarb is like asparagus and should
not be harvested until the third season after planting and then only
sparingly that year. That gives the plant a chance to develop a good root
system, which is turn increases the following year's crop. After that,
harvest no more than half the stalks, leaving enough stalks to sustain a
good root system for the following year's crop. And yes, you should remove
flower stalks as they appear.

John

I hate to say this but the plant is about 10 years old and I split it
about 5 years ago. I only take 4 stalks out but leave as many on the
plant. Today I cut out the flower stalk.

lori



On Fri, 14 May 2004 21:27:16 -0500, "B & J"
wrote:

"Kayla" wrote in message
.. .
I have had a rhubarb plant for years and it isn't doing anythin. At
most I will get about 4 stalks to make a pie. I have tried splitting
it but now I have 2 small plants. I add composted manure. Should I
buy a new plant or keep trying with this one?

Lori

Rhubarb is not a plant you can plant and use the same year. Your problem
appears to be that you are harvesting every stalk from your small plants as
soon as they are large enough to use. Rhubarb is like asparagus and should
not be harvested until the third season after planting and then only
sparingly that year. That gives the plant a chance to develop a good root
system, which is turn increases the following year's crop. After that,
harvest no more than half the stalks, leaving enough stalks to sustain a
good root system for the following year's crop. And yes, you should remove
flower stalks as they appear.

John

On Fri, 14 May 2004 21:27:16 -0500, "B & J"
wrote:

"Kayla" wrote in message
...
I have had a rhubarb plant for years and it isn't doing anythin. At
most I will get about 4 stalks to make a pie. I have tried splitting
it but now I have 2 small plants. I add composted manure. Should I
buy a new plant or keep trying with this one?

Lori

Rhubarb is not a plant you can plant and use the same year. Your problem
appears to be that you are harvesting every stalk from your small plants as
soon as they are large enough to use. Rhubarb is like asparagus and should
not be harvested until the third season after planting and then only
sparingly that year. That gives the plant a chance to develop a good root
system, which is turn increases the following year's crop. After that,
harvest no more than half the stalks, leaving enough stalks to sustain a
good root system for the following year's crop. And yes, you should remove
flower stalks as they appear.

John

On 5/14/04 8:10 PM, in article ,
"Kayla" wrote:

I hate to say this but the plant is about 10 years old and I split it
about 5 years ago. I only take 4 stalks out but leave as many on the
plant. Today I cut out the flower stalk.
Lori

Lots of good ideas here, this is mine...I hope it works!
My parents had some rhubarb plants that were there for years and years.
They were stunted runts with barely a leaf, then all of a sudden they
started to grow like they should! Big thick stalks and large leaves.
The reason? There was a broken water pipe and the ground was damp, damp
damp.
So, try giving the plants a lot more water.
Gary
Fort Langley BC
Canada

go to local nursery and find a robust rhubarb plant for sale. there is no reason it
shouldnt grow gang busters unless the plant itself is a dud.
once it is in, dont cultivate around it, dont split it. treat it more like a peony
and leave it alone other than feeding, watering and mulching to hold down weeds.
Ingrid

Kayla wrote:

I'm in zone 5. We have very good rich soil and it is in full sun.
Occasionally it gets a shot of aged manure.


On Fri, 14 May 2004 19:10:45 GMT, wrote:

is it out in full sun? what kind of soil conditions, what is your zone?

Kayla wrote:

I have had a rhubarb plant for years and it isn't doing anythin. At
most I will get about 4 stalks to make a pie. I have tried splitting
it but now I have 2 small plants. I add composted manure. Should I
buy a new plant or keep trying with this one?

Lori



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Thanks for your feedback everyone. I'm going to water the crap out of
this one and also buy a new one and plant it in a different location.

Lori