Rhubarb Woes
 

Hi all

Noticed yesterday that the Rhubarb had 3 or 4 big squirly seed pod things on
:(.
Last year it did really well, but I didn't pick any stalks as it was its
first year.
This year I noticed what-looked-like corn on the cob wraps appearing at the
base of some stems, but didn't recognise them as seed pods.
Within a couple of weeks the pods sprouted like triffids - very strange
looking!

According to various sites, these should be removed, so I pulled up out the
stems that the pods were attached to.
My rhubarb now looks like a shadow of its former self :(.

Should I have started picking the rhubarb stalks earlier?
Would this have prevented the formation of the seed pods?
Will I still be able to harvest stalks for eating?
If so, should I leave the plant to recover a bit?

TIA

Phil

Rhubarb Woes
 

In message ,
TheScullster writes
Hi all

Noticed yesterday that the Rhubarb had 3 or 4 big squirly seed pod things on
:(.
Last year it did really well, but I didn't pick any stalks as it was its
first year.
This year I noticed what-looked-like corn on the cob wraps appearing at the
base of some stems, but didn't recognise them as seed pods.
Within a couple of weeks the pods sprouted like triffids - very strange
looking!

According to various sites, these should be removed, so I pulled up out the
stems that the pods were attached to.
My rhubarb now looks like a shadow of its former self :(.

Should I have started picking the rhubarb stalks earlier?
Would this have prevented the formation of the seed pods?
Will I still be able to harvest stalks for eating?
If so, should I leave the plant to recover a bit?

TIA

Phil



Hmm, I've either snapped off the seed stems or pulled them out
completely with probably a bit of plant damage and the rhubarb has kept
on going. You should still see stalks for a while yet, any plant that's
still established should keep on giving for a long while yet.


What's the reason for doing this? I've been told numerous times never to
let rhubarb seed, and also for mint, to the extent that my Mum won't
accept any mint that has seeded.

--
Mike Buckley
RD350LC2

It's so that the plant doesn't waste energy in growing seeds that you aren't going to eat and concentrates all the energy in growing the parts that you will eat. Can't see any reason to reject a mint plant that has seeded, though possibly a stem that is flowering/has flowered is less easy to get to take as a cutting.

The 'corn on the cob wraps' are actually flower buds. Left to themselves, the flower stem will lengthen and a bunch of flowers appear - rhubarb is in the same family as dock, so the individual flowers are tiny but the make an impressive cluster (and some rhubarb species are grown as ornamentals). It is enough to snap off the stem below the flower bud. There is no need to pull of the whole shoot and thus deprive yourself of future edible stems from that shoot.

Rhubarb Woes
 

TheScullster wrote:
Hi all

Noticed yesterday that the Rhubarb had 3 or 4 big squirly seed pod things on
:(.
Last year it did really well, but I didn't pick any stalks as it was its
first year.

Good

This year I noticed what-looked-like corn on the cob wraps appearing at the
base of some stems, but didn't recognise them as seed pods.
Within a couple of weeks the pods sprouted like triffids - very strange
looking!

Excellent for flower-arranging.

According to various sites, these should be removed, so I pulled up out the
stems that the pods were attached to.

Best to cut them.

My rhubarb now looks like a shadow of its former self :(.

Won't do it any harm in the long term.

Should I have started picking the rhubarb stalks earlier?

Always pick them while you can still snap them without fibres holding
the bits together if you're going to eat them. otherwise, it really
doesn't matter.

Would this have prevented the formation of the seed pods?

No. Probably needs more feeding. Lots of general purpose fertiliser and
even more water. Rhubarb is a marsh plant.

Will I still be able to harvest stalks for eating?

Yes.

If so, should I leave the plant to recover a bit?

I'd pull it sparigly this year. Always stop pulling when the
gooseberries are ripe.

--
Rusty

Rhubarb Woes
 

This year I noticed what-looked-like corn on the cob wraps appearing at the
base of some stems, but didn't recognise them as seed pods.
Within a couple of weeks the pods sprouted like triffids - very strange
looking!


I thought that by now someone would have pointed out that these are
not seed pods, they are infact theflower buds, well the covering for
the flower heads to be more precise
..http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...b-in-bloom.jpg
after flowering the seeds all hang loose from the stem
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...seed20head.jpg
David Hill

I did, on Thursday ;-)