Transplant Rhubarb
Rhubarb isn’t a fussy plant. It likes a lot of food and water but dislikes weeds. Growing rhubarb is an old homesteading tradition in New England. It’s one of the first foods to break dormancy in the spring, and while it doesn’t like to be neglected it will grow on its own for years before it gives up. Choose a spot in full sun with sandy loam that drains well but doesn’t dry out quickly. Before you transplant rhubarb be sure you’ve chosen a place you want it to grow for years because rhubarb is a perennial.
Victoria rhubarb, my favorite. I plunked this into the garden while transplanting old plants.
I knew it was time to divide and transplant rhubarb because the stalks were small and dense, but there was a hole in the center of the clump. The root was woody and rotting. I sliced away at the plant with my spade, broke a lot of the rotting root off, and transplanted the pieces into a new row.
There are three things to remember when you transplant rhubarb.
- Rip grass out by its roots or rhizomes if you have to follow them all the way to China, or the edge of the garden, whichever comes first, before it establishes itself in commodity crop proportions. That goes for all other weeds, too.
- Keep the soil healthy with compost, dead fish, and straw that will break down to feed the microherd.
- Separate the plants before the roots are woody and rotting. Bonus: rhubarb plants to share.
Transplanting in general is best done on an overcast or at least cool day. Heat, high wind and intense sun can be hard on young plants. We can’t always choose our schedule by the weather but if you can, do so. You can see the results of sun and heat on these plants. They’ve wilted. I’d rather use plants that aren’t showing signs of growth yet but that doesn’t usually happen in my garden. Do what you need to do and make the best of it. I’ve either purchased or been given plants that are already growing, or like this instance, dividing the plant was long overdue. The stalks that don’t bounce back will be trimmed off and tucked under the straw to break down.
I dig a hole the size of basketball for each plant. Place the holes four feet apart to accommodate spreading. That sounds like a lot but it’s only two feet per plant in each direction. Pull all weeds, especially perennial weeds. Do it now no matter how small a weed might be. No weeds.
Our pond is over run with brown bullhead (hornpout) so we fish out the bigger fish and bait trap the small fish. I kill them and put them at the bottom of the holes, about a quart of fish per hole. Fish guts after a great day fishing work well. No picture needed, right? No fish? Use a half-gallon of compost. Rhubarb can’t be put on a diet; feed it well starting the day you plant.
- If you use fish you should mix a shovel full of soil with the fish then add two or three inches of soil on top.
- If you’re using compost you can mix the soil and compost together.
- You should have two or three inches of space left. Place a root in each hole and loosely cover with soil. You should have two to four inches of soil over the roots. The roots will spread out and down as they grow.
Water well as soon as you’ve covered the roots. The soil over the roots will settle down to the recommended one to two inches needed.
This step is optional. I do it to slow down weeds. Add a layer of cardboard around and in between the plants. I leave an opening eight to ten inches around the roots to give the plants room to grow. The cardboard will break down by the following spring. Water the cardboard until it’s soaked.
Apply a six inch layer of straw around the plants to block weeds, conserve water, and slowly feed the soil as it breaks down. If the the straw breaks down a lot between spring and fall you should mulch again with two inches of compost and more straw or leaves.
Ten days later:
Water deeply once or twice a week depending on the weather and wind, until the plants are well established. Once they’ve developed a strong root system, and as long as you’ve planted them in good soil, you shouldn’t have to water again except in the height of summer or in cases of drought.
KT
Thanks for tips! I’ve transplanted rhubarb a couple times but it never seems to do well…doesn’t grow very big, is late to start growing, even when I put lots of manure and compost on. I try to keep the weeds pulled but can’t seem to get them all. Will try cardboard and more mulch.
Robin
Feed it well. A dose of fertilizer now and compost in the spring and fall should do it wonders!
Victor
Rhubarb and beans, two of Mother Natures gifts to gardeners.
Charlotte
I live in Oklahoma where we have HOT summers. I planted rhubarb roots at least 10 and in 10 different locations. None have survived. The one I planted in a pot lasted all summer but died in the fall. Most plants succumbed to crown rot. I grew rhubarb by the bushels when I lived in Minnesota and I really miss having it in my garden. Any suggestions?
Robin
That’s a tough one. Have you tried planting in the shade in a damp place? Mine is in a “dry” spot but I bet it’s still wetter than your soil. I’d incorporate a lot of organic matter into the soil to hold moisture. If you don’t have a shady spot you could try adding a shade cloth over it with ample room to let the breeze through.
Pan
Rhubarb is the type of plant that needs to be in a very cold climate during it’s dormant time. If it doesn’t get cold and freeze where you live rhubarb will not come back. That’s why it does so well in states like Mn. Can’t tell you why but my daughter can’t grow it in Ks either because the winters are not cold enough there.
Nancy W
I’ve had great luck with transplanting rhubarb in the past and as a result ended up with a bed with five rhubarb plants!
candy
We love our rhubarb and several big plants that come back every year. We even have a local festival celebrating rhubarb.. Good stuff.
Robin
Oh I could totally go for a rhubarb festival!
Marla
Growing up we always had rhubarb and Mother still does. She still using from the same original stock from 50 years ago but just transplanting. Rhubarb is a wonderful plant to have and you can make so many tasty recipes with it.
Val
I love rhubarb, I mean adore it.. I normally have 30 plants at any time and I will be expanding it again this year with ten of them being split out to make a another 20 to 30 plants.. I love how you take your little parts. I also have saved rhubarb seed and grown it from seed.. its a fun little project to get new plants to grow out and try them and see if worth keeping or not 🙂 I have three kinds on the farm right now plus my Farmgal Special 🙂
Lisa L
Great tips, Robin! I need to transplant my rhubarb this year…it needs to be deivided and I think I want to move it to a new spot. Last year it had a horrible problem with thrips so I didn’t have a very good harvest. 🙁
Kristi Stone
Nice tutorial! I have never grown rhubarb before, but if I ever do, I know this post will help me with that!
Dianne
Great tips Robin. Thanks. It’s great you have access to the pond. You are so right, they are a great fertilizer. Thanks for all the ideas.
Shawna
Nice post, Robin. I had a huge rhubarb plant at my old house and didn’t know what to do with it. It was horribly overgrown and wasn’t growing like it should (probably needed to be divided) but I didn’t know what to do with it. It was in the spot that I wanted for my vegetable garden so I just pulled it out. Now at least I know what to do with it…too bad I don’t still have it!
Bethany
Great tips! I love rhubarb but my husband mowed ours down one year – seriously – and I’ve never gotten around to planting a new one 😕 rhubarb is amazing
Lacey
I am going to have to give my rhubarb some serious attention this spring. It’s been neglected for years! I will definitely be using some of these tips!
Tom
When splitting a plant to share with a friend or neighbor, be sure to remind them to break off the stalks they pick. Don’t cut them.
Rhubarb recognizes a stalk has broken away and will replace it/ keep growing there. If one is cut off, the root ball just stops trying to grow in that part of the plant.
Split a plant for a neighbor, told them to break off stalks when picking. They complained a couple years later that they were getting only a single harvest in spring. Why was ours full of stalks all summer long. Reminded them to break off the stalks at the base.
Last couple of years they’ve had stalks all summer long.
And yes. Our rhubarb is the first thing to show in the spring. Many times poking up through the last few inches of snow on the garden.
Robin
Excellent advice! I’ll be dividing the patches I share from again next week. By pulling, I’ve been able to put a half bushel of stalks into the freezer from a few two year old transplants. Pulling makes a huge difference.
Marge
I live in central Wisconsin. What is the best time to transplant?
Robin
Hi Marge,
Early spring or early fall is best. You want the plants’ roots to get established in the new place before it gets too hot or cold. If you need to do it in summer’s heat you can supply shade to help them through transplant shock. Thanks for asking!
Robin
Ruth Stone, Elk Point, Alberta. Canada
I have a rhubarb plant on my farm that is over 100 years old. It is a green one and very sweet – the grandkids eat it without dipping in sugar! My other rhubarb is only 30 years old and a “strawberry”? I got it from a neighbour and it has produced generously its whole life. I guess I had better dig them up this year and replant, especially the old girl which has been in that same spot for over a century! It got mowed one summer too but bounced back the next spring with no harm done! Thank you for writing such an informative post!
Robin
Wow! Congratulations on keeping the plant alive so long. Well done! I don’t have any rhubarb that is sweet enough to eat without a little sugar or honey. You’ve got a great plant. I think that unless you need more rhubarb or want to share some, it’s doing just fine right where it is.
Don
We also have a couple patches over 100 years. Transplanted some 10 years ago with thoughts of another move quick move but… That bunch is now just producing spindly little stalks. Now I know I need to thin and relocate. Thanks for the info.
Robin
You’re very welcome! I’m amazed by such old patches of rhubarb. Driving through the woods and countryside, a big patch of rhubarb is a good indicator of where someone homesteaded in days gone by. History in a humble plant.
Emma Schoenbauer
I live in Colorado and my rhubarb did so well I had to offer transplants in our local neighborhood bulletin. They went fast.
It is such a pretty plant with its dark big leaves and red stalks. I give it liquid fish fertilizer throughout the growing season and add compost in autumn and spring.
The only problem I’ve had is with leaf chewing insects, like grasshoppers, making holes. I leave it alone as the problem isn’t too bad and I don’t need the leaves anyway. If you should have this severe pest problem, dust the leaves well with flour. It messes with a grasshoppers digestion when they eat it. They won’t be back. Rinse your leaves after a couple of days.
Robin
Thank you, Emma! It’s been unusually wet and cold this spring, nearly a foot of snow on Saturday but it’s gone now. I don’t know what it’s going to do for pests. The plants look great right now but I’m watching them, and I’ll have the flour ready!
Dan
We are in a cool spot in the San Francisco bay area. We transplanted rhubarb June 9 and it has three red stems and green coming out of the crown. Should we cut off the red stems so it can concentrate on the crown? Thanks
Robin
Good for you! Cool areas are my favorite for gardening. You should leave the stems for photosynthesis this year, and should be able to pull a few next year. When you harvest, pull the stems out rather than cut. It creates a hormonal response that pushes the plant to produce new stems.
mal johnston
excellent article Robin! I’ve learned so much about rhubarb today. had no idea there was such a thing as green rhubarb? Edmonton, Alberta, Canada