Botanical Name
Rheum rhabarbarum
Grown as
Toxicity
Sun Exposure
Water Needs
Height
Spread
Special Features
Resilience
Plant Type
Planting
When to Plant Rhubarb
- Rhubarb can be planted in late fall or early spring.
- Plant rhubarb crowns after dormancy has set in in the fall, and you’ll have rhubarb cropping in the spring!
- In spring, plant crowns when the soil is workable, when the roots are still dormant, and before growth begins (or as plants are just beginning to leaf out). If you have a temperature gauge, soil temperature should be 50°F minimum.
Where to Plant Rhubarb
Rhubarb grows best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade.
Choose a site with soil that is well-draining and fertile. Good drainage is essential, as rhubarb will rot if kept too wet. Mix compost, rotted manure, or anything high in organic matter into the soil. Rhubarb plants are heavy feeders and need this organic matter. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
Rhubarb gets big! It can grow to 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Make sure you choose a site where it won’t be crowded.
How to Plant Rhubarb
- Plant 1-year-old rhubarb crowns, which you can find at a garden center or nursery, or order online. Plants will be sold as bare-rooted specimens or young plants already growing in pots, ready for transplanting. (Rhubarb can be grown from seed, but this is not recommended.)
- Before planting, eliminate all perennial weeds in the planting site.
- Dig large, bushel-basket-size holes.
- Space rhubarb plants about 2 to 4 feet apart and 3 to 4 feet between rows.
- Plant crowns so the eyes are about 2 inches below the soil surface with buds facing up.
- Water well at the time of planting.
Check out this video to learn more about how to plant rhubarb:
Growing
Overcrowding is a common problem with rhubarb and can lead to subpar growth. Dig and split rhubarb roots every 3 to 4 years. Divide when plants are dormant in early spring (or late fall). Divisions should have at least one large bud on them.
- Mulch generously with a heavy layer of straw to retain moisture and discourage weeds.
- Water your plant well and consistently. Rhubarb needs sufficient moisture, especially during the hot, dry summer days.
- Remove seed stalks as soon as they appear, as they will only drain energy from the plant that could be used to produce stalks or roots.
- Each spring, apply a light sprinkling of fertilizer (10-10-10) when the ground is thawing or has just thawed. See your local frost dates.
- In the fall, remove all plant debris. Once your ground freezes, it’s best to cover rhubarb with 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch, preferably well-rotted compost. By adding nitrogen to the soil, you’re preparing the rhubarb plants for a good spring season.
Toxicity
The stalks are the only edible part of the rhubarb plant. These have a rich, tart flavor when cooked. The leaves of the rhubarb plant are toxic. They contain an irritant called oxalic acid, so be sure that they are not ingested.
Types
These common varieties have attractive red stalks and excellent growers:
- ‘Canada Red’
- ‘Crimson Red’
- ‘MacDonald’
- ‘Valentine’
In addition to the previous four, there is a reliable, green-stalked cultivar named:
- ‘Victoria’
I've had rhubarb for years and I need to pull them up now and divide them. But my stalks in June/July get small spots/lesions on them and are bumpy. Can you tell me what causes this?
I live in Montana and my plant is at least 5 years old.
It has red spots and a lot of dead leaves this year.
Des it have a diease? What should I do?
I am wondering if wood ashes are good to add to the soil for growing rhubarb.
Yes, wood ashes are good for rhubarb. The soil tends to get too acid from the old rhubarb leaves and wood ashes or lime will make the soil sweeter.
I also give my rhubarb wood ashes but now and then I give it a cocktail of Epsom Salt and Black tea. I make up a 1/2 gallon of Lipton Tea and put in a cup of Epsom Salt. I added this in early spring and my plant took off. The plant seemed to love this cocktail and this year I did the same. Today I harvest and I got more than 12 stalks that are going in a Rhubarb cake and Rhubarb/Strawberry crumb pie.
I planted a new rhubarb plant three months ago according to the directions. I saw some small green leaves come up shortly after, and now they are gone and there is nothing above the ground. Is it dead? should I dig it up and look at it? If so, what would I look for? Thank you.
Hi Eileen,
A common reason why rhubarb doesn't grow is because it was planted in the shade and isn't getting enough midday sun.
Also, rhubarb needs cool temperatures to start growing. To even get bud break and growth, temperatures need to be below 40 °F / 5 °C. In summer heat, the plant will grow dormant. As fall approaches and temperatures decline, foliage growth resumes. See what happens in the fall? If nothing happens, you may need to start over in the spring.
I out my roots in the vegetable draw for a week then planted them they came up in a week.
My rhubarb plants generate lots of seeds. I'm told all rhubarb seeds are sterile. Why is this?
Some hybrid seeds are sterile. You don't want to save hybrid seeds as the seed is not true to the parent. Otherwise, you can save seeds from rhubarb though many gardeners find that seeded plants are often of inferior quality. Seeded rhubarb is treated like an annual crop; plants that are allowed to go into their second year tend to bolt to seed stalks quickly. We do not plant seeds; we plant a few roots (or crowns) and treat it as a perennial; every spring, the glorious rhubarb comes back!
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