Rhubarb division

[shine388]

Hello, We inherited this large rhubarb when we bought our property two years ago and I've been meaning to divide it since then. My understanding is that the large woody part should be underground ?

The previous two years it has produced most stalks from the huge corm (is that the word?) seen in the photos but it has started producing from around 5 different areas now..

How many do I divide it into without risking killing it?

Thank you in advance

[BUFFS]

I would lift the whole crown now and use a spade to split it into 4 pieces, making sure each piece has a good bud, enrich the soil in their new sites and get them back into the ground, with just the large bud above the soil level, if you can get hold of some horse manure, put a spade full onto each. next year do not pull the stems off and let the new root systems establish themselves, the following year you can pull from 4 plants instead of 1 and have plenty of rhubarb,pies/crumbles etc and when blanching the stems before freezing them, you can draw off some of the liquid to freeze separately to use instead of orange juice in the mornings, we do this with blackcurrants/gooseberries/raspberries etc so we rarely have to buy any orange/fruit juice at all, have you seen the prices of the fruit juices these days, multiply that for a years needed amount and freezing your own makes real sense, so split that crown and gain a freebie source of goodness..

[Bill Door]

shine388 Looking at the picture it seems that there is some plastic around the rhubarb, that may not be a problem.

A rhubarb is a bit like an iceberg. The main bit is underneath the visible part and can extend for some distance. The root is usually coloured orange and stores the "energy" for the plant to produce stalks for us to eat.

So first off I would clear the ground around the rhubarb and then dig about a foot away from the stalks. Gently dig down and try to clear the soil around the roots and ease the "clump" out.

You can now divide the "clump" so that the points at which the stalks emerge (roses) have a bit of orange root attached. From your picture I think you might get four new roots to plant. I also note from the picture that you have a portion that looks a bit like a "Vesuvius" cone and slightly feathered sides. This is another bit that can be separated and planted. Best to split with two forks or spades with a good hard cut through. If you are worried about this only split two "roses" from the main "clump". You can put the remaining "clump" back in the hole, personally I would not suggest doing this but would move the rhubarb away from the area it was in.

If you dig it out later this month then you can re-plant the split roots in the ground. Dig a hole with enough depth for plenty of manure, compost and growmore( plus whatever else you can find) so that the "roses" will stand proud of the surrounding surface. The roots like moisture but the "roses" like to be above the water line.

I have dug out rhubarb and split the roots and then left them to lie outside on the ground over winter. In the spring I planted the split roots in the same way as above. I have been told that this stops the rhubarb bolting (flowering during the summer). I have no knowledge that this works. The rhubarb survived the winter and produced a few stalks the following year.

My experience is that the rhubarb will only die if you bury the "roses" or don't give it a feed and try to strip it of all its stalks in the first year after planting.

So give it a go.

Bill

P.S. If you have 4 or 5 rhubarb then in 2017 try "forcing" one "rose" by covering with an upside down dustbin in January (bury it about two or three inches to stop it blowing away). Leave it for about a month and a half and gently lift off the bid to pick rhubarb. Gently cover the rhubarb again for more pickings over the weeks. then leave the rhubarb for a year to recover

[shine388]

Thank you so much for all your info both of you and thank you for taking the time to respond so thoroughly

Looks like my rhubarb is scheduled for an operation very shortly then, I'm interested to see just how big the root is as the plant at the moment is huge! Thanks again

[BUFFS]

Thank you so much for all your info both of you and thank you for taking the time to respond so thoroughly

Looks like my rhubarb is scheduled for an operation very shortly then, I'm interested to see just how big the root is as the plant at the moment is huge! Thanks again

it will be huge but it is the powerhouse of a plant that gives so much.....enjoy..