[sellickbhoy]

one of my rhubarb plants has gone to seed!!

it's a new crown - only bought/planted it in october/november - and wasn't even planning to eat it this year, let it have another ful year to grow!

so, what do i do know? will it continue to grow and have nice tasty stalks - or after this year is that it for this plant?

i'd never encountered rhubarb going to seed until now (and 5 mins ago when i was in the garden centre and they were selling rhubarb plants and 2 of them had gone to seed)

[VSS]

cut off the flowering stem. It should continue to produce stems. But if you only planted it in the autumn I would be wary of harvesting too much  (if any) off it - it needs a year to establish and build up strength.

[Fluffywelshsheep]

you just cut of the flower stem.

[sellickbhoy]

thanks, ill go lop it off now

it has produced a couple of other stems, and i didn't plan to eat any of that one this year anyway.

[Fluffywelshsheep]

they may have gone to seed is due to the sudden warm weather we have had from a hard long cold frost.

Linz

[pickleandpreserve]

I've just had to cut about 10 seed heads off my two crowns. Must be something to do with the weather.

[Rosemary]

I've never known our rhubarb to flower like it has this year - must be the weather. I just lop them off.

[gallovidian]

I had an enormous clump on the allotment years back and that almost always went to seed; as folk have said, just lop the flower heads off (pref as soon as you see them) and it will do fine.

[doganjo]

Yes, I've just taken off a few flower heads on the one I got from Rosemary.  Another one grew so I've cut that off too.  It's quite slow growing so I won't use any of it this year to let it make itself at home.  My cousin has loads and she brought some down at the weekend.

[sellickbhoy]

I think i'll be having some of my first rhubarb in the next few weeks - having resisted picking any all last year!

I've also started some off from seed i'm doing 8 in the greenhouse and 8 indoors - so far they are both doing well, though the ones indoors in the heated propogator are way ahead of the greenhouse ones (despite going in several weeks later!)

the indoor ones are now out of the propogator and are getting hardened off a bit, but in a few weeks i'll move all the seedlings outdoors to enjoy the scottish summer

depending on how big they get by the autumn i'll either leave them out for the winter or they'll come into the greenhouse

i don't expect they'll be near ready to eat for 2 years - which will be about the time i'm planning to lift and split the rhubard that's already growing

I hope i'll have far too much of the stuff - i've a big enough plot for it all and i've already picked a spot on the roadside across from the house to plant it wild! always nice to have a wee stash close at hand!!

[Fluffywelshsheep]

mine is still in it's pot waiting for hubby to set plot up but i have taken a couple of stalks off and put them in the freezer for when it need to be used.

I have read that you can take of stalk off as long as you leave at least half the stalk on the plant.

Linz