Rhubarb question

Hi all

after about 4 years my, very healthy looking, rhubarb crown flowered last
year. I was told that if a rhubarb crown came into flower it was doomed
to die.
This year its still going fine. Is it just an old wife's tell or was I
lucky.. If it happens again should I cut off the bud?

Regards
DAVE

Dave wrote:

Rhubarb question
after about 4 years my, very healthy looking, rhubarb crown flowered last
year. I was told that if a rhubarb crown came into flower it was doomed
to die.
This year its still going fine. Is it just an old wife's tell or was I
lucky.. If it happens again should I cut off the bud?

Old wives tale.
Mine flowers every year with no ill effects.
Alan.

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"Dave" wrote in message

after about 4 years my, very healthy looking, rhubarb crown flowered last
year. I was told that if a rhubarb crown came into flower it was doomed
to die.

Not so. Flowering has no impact on the life of a crown.

This year its still going fine. Is it just an old wife's tell or was I
lucky.. If it happens again should I cut off the bud?

Sometimes I break off the flowers, sometimes I don't. Seems to make no
difference whatsoever to how the all my crowns crop in the next season.

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"Dave" wrote in message

after about 4 years my, very healthy looking, rhubarb crown flowered last
year. I was told that if a rhubarb crown came into flower it was
doomed to die.

Not so. Flowering has no impact on the life of a crown.

This year its still going fine. Is it just an old wife's tell or was
I lucky.. If it happens again should I cut off the bud?

Sometimes I break off the flowers, sometimes I don't. Seems to make no
difference whatsoever to how the all my crowns crop in the next season.

You may be right, but I snip the flower off as soon as I can get a sharp
knife to it so the plant is not needlessly putting energy into it.

--
Brian

"Brian Watson" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"Dave" wrote in message

after about 4 years my, very healthy looking, rhubarb crown flowered
last year. I was told that if a rhubarb crown came into flower it was
doomed to die.

Not so. Flowering has no impact on the life of a crown.

This year its still going fine. Is it just an old wife's tell or was
I lucky.. If it happens again should I cut off the bud?

Sometimes I break off the flowers, sometimes I don't. Seems to make no
difference whatsoever to how the all my crowns crop in the next season.

You may be right, but I snip the flower off as soon as I can get a sharp
knife to it so the plant is not needlessly putting energy into it.

I figure that if I'm feeding my rhubarbs, then the amount of 'energy' needed
to produce a flower spike is negligible in comparison to the crop I've taken
off them already. It must take much more energy to produce dozens of stalks
than a flower stalk or 3. (Mind you, as I have have at least 6 large blobs
of rhubarbs in various places in the garden and there are only 2 of us to
eat it, I don't bother overly about anything but giving then lots of
manure).