Rhubarb gone to seed already?

Sue Haberger · #1 April 27th, 2012, 06:30 PM

I planted two roots of rhubarb last year - gifts from a friend's garden
They are growing nicely now but one of them is sending up a big flower stalk already.
Is this expected? Should I cut it off?

**togata57** · #2 April 27th, 2012, 10:53 PM

Yep, mine is flowering too.
Flower stalks should be cut off as they appear, so that the plant can put its energy into leaf-making.
If you harvest the leaves, go easy with it for the first couple of years.

**Lysichiton** · #3 April 28th, 2012, 08:35 AM

...or, if you don't need all that Rhubarb, let the one flower stem grow to impress your friends & family! Biggest darn flowering stalk I ever get in MY garden, for sure.

Just don't eat anything but the young stems. The leaves are poisonous & I don't know about the flowering parts. I don't intend to experiment personally.

Sue Haberger · #4 April 28th, 2012, 09:39 PM

Thanks for the responses! I cut off the flower stalk, but after reading Lysichiton's post, I kind of feel bad :-)
By the way, as I was surfing around, I discovered a whole website devoted to rhubarb!?!
http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/
Gotta love that internet!!

**togata57** · #5 April 28th, 2012, 10:23 PM

Indeed! The internet's existence is amply justified by the fact that, through it, we have this Forum.

Don't worry, Sue. There will be more flowers! Lysichiton is right about the XXL size of these. Often I let mine go just for the colossal-ness of the thing.
But I think that you made the right decision in this case. Daresay that it will help your year-old plant get itself established. Since it is flowering, sounds as if it is doing OK.

I have a soft spot for rhubarb: my grandma used to make THE BEST rhubarb pie in the world. Oh wow. The plant I have in my backyard was given to me by my mom, about 20 years ago.

**Barbara Lloyd** · #6 May 4th, 2012, 09:45 PM

Togata - which one do you have? I have an old type of what I was told is Strawberry Rhubarb. The stems turn bright red. I have drug this plant from So. Seattle to just about every town I've moved to, and now back to Anacortes. It's the only one I'll give space to. I stopped by the Community garden last fall to see if they wanted some. The Man mowing the grass said H33L yes! For me! and he followed us home to get some. I thought that was pretty funny. barb

**togata57** · #7 May 6th, 2012, 05:48 PM

Barb, I must have the same variety you do.
Rhubarb sure does get around. Mine went from Illinois to NY to Ohio!

**Barbara Lloyd** · #8 May 8th, 2012, 09:34 AM

Sounds like it Amy. I isn't as tart as the green ones and it mixes with just about any in season fruit for a heavenly Rhubarb crunch.