Pathetic Rhubarb

[mothhawk]

Marb, how much and how often do you apply chicken manure pellets to your tubs?

I'm thinking that this is the source of all your woes.

Chicken manure is NOT composted before being turned into pellets, which means that when "reconstituted" as it gets wet, it is undiluted "hot" manure you have mixed into the soil. I would not recommend using CM pellets in pots and tubs.

Used mushroom compost or other plant based compost would be what I'd use. Or seaweed solution.

Animal manure, and chicken in particular is high in nitrogen, but also in phosphorus. The plants take up nitrogen quickly, and any excess washes away with the rain or can become gaseous and evaporate. Phosphorus doesn't wash away, and doesn't convert to a gas. It stays in the soil, accumulating every time you add more of the fertiliser. This makes it harder for plants to take up other trace nutrients they need, and also, phosphorus apparently is toxic to the mycorrhizal fungi which enhance root growth in plants.

Do have a read of this page Too Much Compost - Is It Poisoning Your Garden? - Garden Myths
You'll see that over fertilisation may be the cause of your dreadful plague of pests too.

[Marb67]

I fed chicken manure pellets steeped in water over 3 years thinking nitrogen as rhubarb peoduces leaves, not flower/ fruit. I do have comfry so will try that but again, it's leaf and not fruit I am trying to harvest.

[Jay-ell]

Nitrogen for leaves, phosphorous for roots and potassium for fruits is a bit of a simplification.

Nitrogen is needed to build amino acids which, in turn, are needed to build proteins which, in turn, are used everywhere in a plant (the majority of nitrogen in legumes go into the seeds)

Potassium is used in roots and leaves where it can effect the ability to take in water and to control the transpiration of water. It also has a role in photosynthesis

Phosphorous is also needed to strengthen stalks and stems, strengthen plants immune systems and is a component of DNA which is in every cell of the plant

[Marb67]

This is the tub to give a better idea of depth. Shall I feed with seaweed and comfry also ? It seems to have perked up a bit this morning.

[Jay-ell]

When did you move it up to that pot and what did you fill it with?

It doesn't have to be a deficiency in the big 3 nutrients, an imbalance with the trace nutrients can also result in wilting. It might be best to make sure you feed it a balanced fertiliser with trace nutrients as well - the nutrients in the compost don't last long, especially for a heavy feeder like rhubarb, and some of the trace nutrients may be depleted and not be replaced.

[Marb67]

Its old soil as I haven't the space to remove old and put where ? and money to buy new. I have top dressed with composted waste from the recycle bin.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Now having seen the side view of the container I think we can disregard the size of the container as the problem.

In plumbing terms that is a 20 gallon actual, 15 gallon nominal cold water storage tank. In laymen's terms if you filled it to the top and levelled the compost with the sides it would hold 20 gallons or approx. 90ltrs. Of course we must take some of that away because it is not level but as someone suggested 40ltrs it would seem to be plenty large enough.

Over to the suggestions on feeding.....

[Marb67]

Weedy, holey rhubarb.

My rhubarb is in full sun, deep, rich moisture retentive organic compost but the stems are thn and whispy with lots of holes that are not slug damage. Dug into the soil and found a couple of vine weevil grubs but the roots are still ok.

What is wrong with this as I am feeding with chicken manure and watering regular. Drainage is fine.

[nickdub]

Being eaten by something most likely snails.

I'd pull the container over on to a bit of grass and and turn the whole lot out on to a sheet of some kind . The set the rhubarb to one side putting the roots in a bucket of water. Next check under the container and in t e compost for slugs snails etc. Leave the container empty to dry and spread out the compost in the sun.

A few hours later put the compost back, add a bit of general purpose fertiliser like blood, fish and bone and replant the rhubarb then give the lot a good watering.

Finally move the container somewhere a bit shady for a while, and put it up on some bricks or blocks so that it can't be re-invaded easily from the ground

[Runtpuppy]

I've been having the same problem with my rhubarb, although the holes are tiny, and not as many. The plant has three leaves with solid stems. Any new leaves have spindly, weak stems. I think I 'm going to do what Nick suggests this weekend.

[veggiechicken]

https://www.rhubarb-central.com/rhubarb-pests.html

All you need to know about rhubarb and more!

[Marb67]

Impractical for me to turn out the soul as I have no space to do this. Besides, this is not slug damage as there are non when I go out at night. Also the holes are more like cuts than slug/snail. I have top dressed it with some rotted leaf mould and fresh compost.

[nickdub]

Impractical for me to turn out the soul as I have no space to do this. Besides, this is not slug damage as there are non when I go out at night. Also the holes are more like cuts than slug/snail. I have top dressed it with some rotted leaf mould and fresh compost.

Well something is eating it - my feeling is that the likelihood is that whatever the pest is, its probably in the soil during the day, and may be eating the roots too.

[muck lover]

How old is the plant? It looks like mine did in its first year. It grew like a triffid the following year. Leaves full of holes but plant doing fine so im not too bothered.

[Greenleaves]

Just looked at mine in the back garden, same type of holes and 100% snails, we have said before Marb the rhubarb will never be 100% happy in that tank