Kitchen Garden Forum

I need to clear my rhubarb and have several people waiting for crowns, when is the best time to dig up and redistribute?

Winter

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/t ... arb1.shtml

After all the leaves have died off in the autumn and before they start to grow again in the spring.

Unless the plant is in this dormant state the green leaves will act as a net loser of water from the plant and as digging it up will have severed all the fine water gathering roots the plant will die.

Be careful to dig up as much of the thick yellow-centred main root as you can and try very hard not to damage the buds at the top from which the next years leaves will grow from.

Execellent. Thankyou both for the assistance.

Sorry for butting in. But I have a rhubarb plant out the back which has not been devided for at least 30 years! How far down should you plant the crown?

Same as you dug it up from.

Hi Fair Weather 33,
Rhubarb will actually, over the years divide itself, and is always seems to be regenerating. I your Rhubarb begins to deteriorate in performance
I would suggest then is the time to think of digging it up and selecting the crowns you think worthwhile. When you have dug them up you will easily determine the newer crowns which should be replaced and the old ones with bad roots should be discarded.
It is true what Peter has said but for anybody being given a root then at this time you can see next years growth and that should be planted with this growth at ground level and then put a spadeful of soil over the top which will be about 1" (25mm).
JB.

As the usual advice is don't use any the first year you could face a year without Rhubarb - perish the thought! If you have decided it is going off I would suggest you prepare a new patch now with lots of organic matter and a good dose of fish blood and bone. When the old plant has died down early in the Winter try taking about half of the newer parts away from round the outside, leave the woody middle where it is. Clean these up and plant then in the new patch at their original depth. Next year crop from the old clump then scrap it whilst the new clump builds up its strength for the following years.

Hi Geoff,
My posting should have included what you have said and it was really a grave error on my behalf. If you do pick in the first year you will certainly suffer in the second year. Rhubarb sometimes resents being moved and Geoff's timely suggestion of preparation of the new bed well in advance is exceedingly good and you can sort the wheat from the chaff and get the retained plants back into the soil ASAP.
JB.

Ta very much. I have been wanting to devide it for a long time but have been too scared in case I kill it.

Shall give it a go this year. Fingers crossed