- Joined
- Oct 16, 2012
- Messages
- 18,252
- Reaction score
- 9,579
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire UK
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 6
They need LOTS of compost ... As Dani says they prefer well drained soil so when I split mine (once every five years or so) I dig a deep hole and fill the bottom with as much compost as I can then set the rhubarb rhizomes in it and fill the surrounding hole with soil, grit and compost. Then cover the whole lot with another layer of compost, leaf mould or any organic matter you have to hand. Only very lightly harvest the first year until the roots are well established - after that you will never be short of rhubarb but the plants do need digging up and splitting every five years or so as they fruit best from the 3- 4 year old roots.One plant I struggle with is rhubarb!!! I've moved it all around the garden and it doesn't like any place i choose for it. Next door has two huge rhubarb plants and he hardly bothers with it!!!!
I have three varieties - Champagne, Timperley Early and Victoria .. I don't force them as they start to produce stems around the middle of March and continue to stem right through until August. I have two plants of each on the go so I have one mature plant of each and one 2 to 3 years old so when I split one I've got another that's fully productive.
I leave the stems and leaves on the plants that I don't harvest and they rot down over winter putting the leaf goodness back into the soil. I usually chuck the spent compost from my tomato pots on top of the plants when the tomatoes are finished and a good layer of leaf mould in the autumn.. Other than that - just let them get on with it.