When to split rhubarb crowns?

Have you got a rhubarb plant growing in your garden or have you a family member or friend got one growing that you would like to take a cutting from? Well it is actually quite easy to take a cutting from a rhubarb plant. Here we will help you with the question of when to split rhubarb crowns in the UK.

Rhubarb can be an amazing fruit to grow in the garden producing bumper crops of fruit from around April to the end of July. Gardeners say you are not supposed to pick Rhubarb from the end of July as this is when the nutrients go back into the soil and feed the crown – so that is one rule that I have personally stuck to myself.

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Looking after your rhubarb plant is extremely easy all you have to do to look after it is give it plenty of water while it is growing. Rhubarb is made up mainly of water. So if you give it plenty it will respond well to the watering. If you don’t water it in dry spells it will just die back and shrivel up – which no one will want.

If you do end up picking bumper crops of rhubarb you can always store it by freezing it and using it as and when you need it. When picking rhubarb though you don’t want to pick it all from the plant. Leave around one third of the stalks on the plant.

At the end of July stop picking the rhubarb, however tempting it is to pick some of those beautiful sour sticks. Just leave the plant to naturally die back.

To split a rhubarb plant you should not do this until November. This is because the plant will have gone into a dormant state where it is not growing – it literally has gone into hibernation. The first thing to do to split the rhubarb crown is to dig up the plant. When digging up the rhubarb plant go gently as the roots are not very strong but go quite deep. You will need to dig a big circle round the rhubarb crown.

You can then get a spade and split the crown into pieces. You need to keep part of the thick root and at least one growing point in each section. This can then be planted in it’s new postilion. Water the plant in well. Keep an eye on the plant through winter and give it a drink of water if the winter is dry. You are best not picking the rhubarb from the plant in the first year after splitting the rhubarb. Let it settle in well. So on the second year you should get a great crop of rhubarb.

You can find lots more gardening tips and advice here.