Ahah Rubbish Rhubarb Mystery solved
Ahah Rubbish Rhubarb Mystery solved
My mum came up with a possible explanation as to why my rhubarb was not as good as it was last year. Its planted under the apple trees & we had such an enormous glut of apples last year that lots of them ended up rotting into the soil beneath the trees. My mum thinks that Rhubarb likes an alkaline soil & the apples will have turned the soil acid. Does this sound reasonable & if so how can I turn it back to alkaline so I get a good crop next year??
Jo
Do the best that you can do & be the best you can be
Do the best that you can do & be the best you can be
Re: Ahah Rubbish Rhubarb Mystery solved
I so hate to be the bearer of bad news - but your Mum's wrong. Rhubard prefers a neutral soil, but it will tolerate just about anything, and it LOVES having organic material around it as long as it isn't directly on top of the crown. How old are your crowns? Maybe it's time to lift and divide them. Or - did you let the plants flower last year? That's a sure fire way of weakening the crowns. Or, maybe, you over-cropped last year, not leaving enough leaves for energy gathering and storage.
A bit of TLC is probably all that's needed to ensure masses of rhubarb for next year.
Mike
A bit of TLC is probably all that's needed to ensure masses of rhubarb for next year.
Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
Re: Ahah Rubbish Rhubarb Mystery solved
from what you said I would guess over cropping may have been my mistake then, it didn't flower but we did get at least half a dozen or more good crops from it, it just kept on producing until finally by the end of the season the stems were thin & weak & yellow so I just left those to die back naturally. I think by the time the windfalls were rotting the crowns couldn't be seen so I would guess that some of them may have been on the crowns.
This year we've only had one small crop (we have about a 10 large plants) and after that the stems have been thin & weak. I've fed them & harvested again in the hope of producing something better, but alas, that looks like all we're going to get this year.
So I'll let it die back & then perhaps feed with pelleted chicken manure? & see what happens next year
This year we've only had one small crop (we have about a 10 large plants) and after that the stems have been thin & weak. I've fed them & harvested again in the hope of producing something better, but alas, that looks like all we're going to get this year.
So I'll let it die back & then perhaps feed with pelleted chicken manure? & see what happens next year
Jo
Do the best that you can do & be the best you can be
Do the best that you can do & be the best you can be
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phil55494
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Re: Ahah Rubbish Rhubarb Mystery solved
Given the right conditions Rhubarb will grow anywhere.
Ours is a large an vigorous clump in a garden with only acid soil in it.
Plenty of organic matter, plenty of water and leave plenty of stalks/leaves to keep the plants growing well.
Maybe give the rhubarb a year off to rest next year.
Ours is a large an vigorous clump in a garden with only acid soil in it.
Plenty of organic matter, plenty of water and leave plenty of stalks/leaves to keep the plants growing well.
Maybe give the rhubarb a year off to rest next year.
Re: Ahah Rubbish Rhubarb Mystery solved
a rest!!!!! 
we've only been in the house a couple of years, it's not 'allowed' a rest yet!!! TBH I've taken a small crop off it today & it's looking a lot better, I chucked some pelleted chicken manure at it a few weeks ago & it seems to have helped it along a bit. Will be careful not to take too much more from it between now & the end of the season though....
we've only been in the house a couple of years, it's not 'allowed' a rest yet!!! TBH I've taken a small crop off it today & it's looking a lot better, I chucked some pelleted chicken manure at it a few weeks ago & it seems to have helped it along a bit. Will be careful not to take too much more from it between now & the end of the season though....Jo
Do the best that you can do & be the best you can be
Do the best that you can do & be the best you can be
Re: Ahah Rubbish Rhubarb Mystery solved
To be honest i thought i had killed mine, It has done great over the last couple of seasons then i lifted it last winter (moving bits of garden around) and split it, I kept half for myself and the other half i slit in two and game half to my dad and half to my sister in law (theres are doing great).
Then i replanted it and after a while decided it had to move again as i found a better space for it, It was looking very sorry for itself and only in the last three weeks has it started throwing out some new stalks that look strong and healthy.
The poor thing was looking very bedraggled for so long i took pity on it and emptied the must (dregs) of my carrot whisky onto it so that all of the yeast and wheat could break down and feed it, to be honest that was the point that it started turning things around again. It is now looking great but i have still not taken any off it yet, maybe when its a bit stronger as we are dying for some in a crumble but think its best to let it completely recover from my abuse.
Hard as nails it is....
Then i replanted it and after a while decided it had to move again as i found a better space for it, It was looking very sorry for itself and only in the last three weeks has it started throwing out some new stalks that look strong and healthy.
The poor thing was looking very bedraggled for so long i took pity on it and emptied the must (dregs) of my carrot whisky onto it so that all of the yeast and wheat could break down and feed it, to be honest that was the point that it started turning things around again. It is now looking great but i have still not taken any off it yet, maybe when its a bit stronger as we are dying for some in a crumble but think its best to let it completely recover from my abuse.
Hard as nails it is....