We had a rhubarb patch when I was little and have lots of great memories munching on tart stalks dipped in sugar and so we set out last year to recreate a little of my childhood yard and planted our own.
This is our rhubarb patch's second year and, my, has it grown! (it's kinda crowding out my daffodils - may have to relocate the daffys to a more roomy locale). Though one thing has surprised me - it is blooming! Huh, I don't remember rhubarb ever doing that. There's this giant stalk in the middle of the patch with large cauliflower-like buds. Showbiz, our pup dog, even thinks it's odd - :)! (I love it when our pups sneak in my pics!)
With a little research (gotta love the internets!) I've found that this stalk is bad. Well, at least it is if I want to harvest the other stalks because the flower stalk will take away nutrients from the rest of the plant. Gotta get my butt out there and cut that baby down to the crown!
More info:
Rhubarb Flowers Blooming or Bolting?
4 comments:
Oh, bummer. It's so impressive looking!
that's exactly what i was gonna tell you! CHOP AWAY GIRL!!! (i grew up with it too and miss is terribly!)
My grandparents on both sides had rhubarb in their gardens, so I grew up with the same sugar dipping habits. Did you peel off the stringy skin first? That was part of the fun. My Grandma was always careful to cut the blooms back, but I think she was more concerned with them upsetting the grumpy next door neighbors than anything else. I keep meaning to plant some out of nostalgia.
Yup, cut that down! :-) I love rhubarb pie. So good!
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