moving rhubarb

[janeyo]

Not sire if this was meant to go in the fruity bit or not.

My nan has some rhubarb in her garden, been there since before I was born I think. Still going strong, but noone tends that bit anymore.

I don't really like rhubarb so wasn't going to buy any for the garden, nut obviuosly free rhubarb is different!

Question is can I move the plant? Is small at mo as was chopped last year. When is best to move it and what conditions do they like?

janeyo

sorry fpr typos, screaminb baby on lap

[Arachne]

In my experience, rhubarb is unkillable, and a nightmare to get out of the ground - especially when it's well-established. This means that, although it really prefers to be moved earlier in the year, it should survive being moved now.

We moved one of our crowns a few weeks ago, and it's happy as anything.

My soil's alkaline, and the unmoved stuff is basically tree-sized, so it seems to like it - sun or shade, it doesn't seem to care so much.

Of course, it could be that we just have the hardiest rhubarb in the world

[Nicos]

I'd move it now with a nice big rootball and stick it in anywhere- I can't seem to kill the stuff off ( although it looks as if one or two Grapes have perfected that skill!!)
Split it at the same time cos if it's old, it'll need dividing anyway- so now's the perfect time to do it!
If you put them in different places then if one does die off you'll not really be bothered!
Good luck!

[Paulottie]

Agree with others difficult to kill (except planting too deep soas crown rots)

To remove dig around the plant and lever it out, Divide it up with knife or spade into manageable lumps each containing a crown bud or two. I prefer to wash it of and pick it over to remove any weed roots Pot it on for a couple of months. Meanwhile prepare a weed free spot with lots of muck and then plant it out with the crown level with the soil.

[percy charlie]

i have 5 pots of rhubarb that was divided from one crown. Dig it up chop with a spade rhubarb is best split about every 4 years anyway and like well manured soil. in my pots i put spade of fresh manure covered with 4-5 inches of soil then mixed some well rotted manure soil and compost equal parts put in my split crown sprinkled in some bone meal, sulphate of potash and top rose granules and heeled in with the rest of my soil mix, this was done 3 weeks ago and rhubarb stalks have took off and now 8-10 times size of what they were. (just remember that rhubarb leaves are poisionous my OH said so i dont want any cabbage with my dinner when you do a rhubarb crumble!) i thourgt he married me for brains!

[janeyo]

Thanks all, I will go and dig some up and pot it on for a bit and see what happens.

janeyo