Darn it - the rhubarb's dying off again
 

"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".

Try watering it now and again.

I've never had any trouble with mine.

Alan

Dora
--

"alan holmes" dont.bother.see.sig@bottom wrote in message
...

"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".

Try watering it now and again.

I've never had any trouble with mine.

Was the original posting of the query very old? It's September now and the
summer heat has arrived and long since departed.

--
Brian

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.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

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.

The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:

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.

I excavated the soakaway to a depth of three feet and a width of four
feet, and slung in a lot of bones (obtained from the butcher) and then
lots of compost and fresh horsh... in the bottom, then well-rotted
horsh... and compost, and some bone meal, capping it with soil and
well-rotted horsh... and planted the crown in that, the spring past.

The fresh stuff acted as a hotbed, and the fist-sized crown grew
furiously, to the extent that it is now well over the diameter of a
football and the top is about five feet in diameter, leaftip to leaftip.

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.

Aye. But I only got my crown in the spring.

It will be given all the cleanings from the cockatiel's cage, composted
with kitchen scraps and other juicy stuff from time to time, as well as
being watered with infusions of nettles etc.

Anyone got any spare screwtop jars?

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/