[alang]

I've grown three rhubarb plants from seed this year and they have grown very well indeed. I know i don't harvest them vigorously next year as i need the crown to establish. But my question is. What do i do with the stalks/leaves this year? Do i just let them die off (if indeed they do). Or do i just leave it to do it's thing?

[Fleecewife]

The stalks and leaves will flop to the ground and disappear, the goodness being drawn back into the roots, so just leave it to do its thing, and give the plants a mulch of FYM on top of the shrivelled stalks.  New shoots will pop up in about Feb.
If you treat it well and are not greedy, rhubarb can grow huge.  One year we had two birds nesting in neighbouring rhubarb plants - one a blackbird, the other a hedge sparrow! The chicks fledged the day of a huge storm which totally flattened all the plants, but at least the birds were ok.

[alang]

Thanks FW. I'm actually really happy with these seedlings. They have developed into really nice sized (about 3ft across) plants. The crowns i bought all failed but the seeds thrived. Just goes to show that sometimes a shortcut doesn't always work.

[alang]

Just a quick update on this.

Left the leaves to die down naturally just as FW suggested. Low and behold... we now have new growth coming through.
Well chuffed. Going to have some home grown rhubarb this year

[chrismahon]

We bought a young rhubarb plant last year and it said on the label to leave it 4 years before harvesting. It wasn't growing well where it was so we moved it- suppose another 4 years? It has plenty of new growth now but compared to our plants in the UK it's just a baby.

[alang]

I watched some vids on YT and also the advice on the package and it said to leave the first year, Take up to 50% the second and then whatever i need the third onwards.