Growing Rhubarb In The South?
 

Question: Have any of you in the South ever tried growing rhubarb as an annual?

I grew up in the north where rhubarb was always available in season. Ah, rhubarb pies and my grandmother's canned rhubarb sauce. Wonderful stuff!
Down here it's too hot to grow rhubarb in the traditional sense. IF you can find it at any grocery (a BIG "if"), they have it only for a week or so and it's high priced. Not acceptable.

I've been doing some research and find that it can be grown as an annual here started from seed if it's started some time in July and planted out once temps start to cool down in the fall. A few young spears will be available to cut in spring before summer heat kills it. Time to do some experimenting growing it in a big container. The plan is to find a spot with six hours of sun but total afternoon shade and see how long I can keep it going.

At nursery trade shows we used to put ice on top of balled and burlapped show stock to keep them watered and I wonder if the same would help keep rhubarb roots cool on exceptionally hot days. For sure I'd paint the container white.

I'm not in the South and don't have trouble growing rhubarb in Minnesota, but I seem to recall a thread from many years back in which a woman from Texas or Georgia grew rhubarb in a large pot and kept it successfully from year to year by persuading a friend who owned a meat locker to keep it there in the winter months. I don't recall whether it was in a walk-in cooler or walk-in freezer, but she reported that it gave the rhubarb its required cold period.

That's what I was wondering earlier, is really too hot in the summer? Or not cold enough in the winter? I guess I chickened out on asking.

I cover our rhubarb with leaf mulch or wood chips...but there were many years that went by without any assistance. The corms were about 6-8" down when I moved them. I don't think they'd freeze at that depth.

Therefore I'd guess a cold fridge rather than a freezer that would be at 0F.


If you could do that in the winter and keep them under a heavy shade cloth when it got hot... it might work?

Checking temp requirements for rhubarb indicates that winters need to be below 40F for meeting required chill hours. The almanac says:
"Rhubarb does best where the average temperature falls below 40ºF in the winter and below 75ºF in the summer."

Another site says:
"Ideal temperatures for growing rhubarb successfully are below 40 ° F, (5 ° C), in winter, and temperatures averaging less than 75 ° F (24 ° C) in the spring and summer months."

And a third says:
"...in [I]really[/I] hot climes, rhubarb must be grown as an annual crop, planted fresh each year. Hot-weather rhubarb fiends start their seeds indoors (just like [URL="https://www.gardensalive.com/category/tomatoes?p=140643"]tomatoes[/URL]) in August, transplant the starts outdoors at eight weeks of age into fertile, well-drained soil and harvest stalks December through April—after which the poor plants just burn up in the heat. "

It's gonna be fun trying!

I started three pots last night, 2 seeds to the pot after giving them a requisite two hour soak in water. Off we go!

I have tried for 6 years in Atlanta - seed, roots, all ways. Never succeeded. As soon as it got really hot, the plants shut down.

Scott, when did you plant yours out? Fall or spring? If in the fall, did you have any stalks at all come up?

[QUOTE=GoDawgs;757897]Scott, when did you plant yours out? Fall or spring? If in the fall, did you have any stalks at all come up?[/QUOTE]


Always early spring. I never tried the fall planting.

Well, I guess we'll see how planting in the fall goes.

I'll be watching with great interest! :-)

I grew it for a couple of years with some success about 35 years ago but can't remember when I planted it out. I do remember that it lasted for two full years down here but I think we had a good cold winter because in the summer of the second year all but one plant died. I didn't get much of a crop the first year as the stalks were quite small but the second years crop was nice and I thought I was on my way to having plenty of rhubarb pie only to see almost all of them die and not return. I was so frustrated with the lose that I never planted them again. Kinda like my experience with asparagus down here.

Good luck Dawg.

Bill

My rhubarb plants are 20 years old and they were getting smaller leaves each year so this spring I decided to move them to an empty space near my compost pile. It gets some shade for part of the day but is generally sunny and we have had extremely hot temperatures this year.

All 4 plants settled in and are now HUGE and making the biggest leaves and stalks that I have ever seen. I don't know if this helps, but mine are growing happily at hot temperatures and they are in very loose and very fertile soil. I never water them. They had been growing in poor soil with a lot of shade when they looked so puny. We get cold winters of course in PA.

[QUOTE=brownrexx;759485]My rhubarb plants are 20 years old and they were getting smaller leaves each year so this spring I decided to move them to an empty space near my compost pile. It gets some shade for part of the day but is generally sunny and we have had extremely hot temperatures this year.

All 4 plants settled in and are now HUGE and making the biggest leaves and stalks that I have ever seen. I don't know if this helps, but mine are growing happily at hot temperatures and they are in very loose and very fertile soil. I never water them. They had been growing in poor soil with a lot of shade when they looked so puny. We get cold winters of course in PA.[/QUOTE]

The more I read the more I think that the number of chill hours might be more important to rhubarb's success than surviving high temps.

[QUOTE=GoDawgs;759491]The more I read the more I think that the number of chill hours might be more important to rhubarb's success than surviving high temps.[/QUOTE]

Could well be the case GoDawgs. Just been trying to get a handle on your daily temps at this time of year and from what I can see your maximums are fairly consistent with long term averages being not much lower than daily maximums, coupled with high humidity.

From what I see I get temps that can be 20 to 25F higher than your maximums in your hottest months, but then we get a cold front come through and drop the temperature significantly. This cycle can run over a two week period, sometimes a bit longer, sometimes a bit shorter but temps will peak at anything upto 110F but then drop to maximums in the mid 60F range, sometimes even lower. Our humidity is generally low and with combinations of 100plusF and 10% humidity, the plants love it as long as the ground under them has plenty of water in it.

Don't forget to fertilize Rhubarb, as they'll thrive on a good feed of dry animal manure.

Rhubarb seeds or plants wanted
 

Would like to try rhubarb in containers this fall. Have tomato, pepper and okra seeds for trade. This year's garden was a bust in NC Piedmont region with early torrential rains and then scorching 90* days, not much productivity at all. Ready to rip everything out, till and get ready for next season.

[QUOTE=mcsee;759501]Don't forget to fertilize Rhubarb, as they'll thrive on a good feed of dry animal manure.[/QUOTE]

Mine have certainly gotten huge now that they were planted adjacent to the compost pile.

[QUOTE=MuddyBuckets;759542]Would like to try rhubarb in containers this fall. Have tomato, pepper and okra seeds for trade. This year's garden was a bust in NC Piedmont region with early torrential rains and then scorching 90* days, not much productivity at all. Ready to rip everything out, till and get ready for next season.[/QUOTE]

Check your PM.

[QUOTE=Whwoz;759495]Could well be the case GoDawgs. Just been trying to get a handle on your daily temps at this time of year and from what I can see your maximums are fairly consistent with long term averages being not much lower than daily maximums, coupled with high humidity.

From what I see I get temps that can be 20 to 25F higher than your maximums in your hottest months, but then we get a cold front come through and drop the temperature significantly. This cycle can run over a two week period, sometimes a bit longer, sometimes a bit shorter but temps will peak at anything upto 110F but then drop to maximums in the mid 60F range, sometimes even lower. Our humidity is generally low and with combinations of 100plusF and 10% humidity, the plants love it as long as the ground under them has plenty of water in it.[/QUOTE]

Yes, our max July-Sep averages in the low 90's, sprinkled with 7-10 day streaks of 97-100. Average summer lows are around 71, humidity in the 50-70% range. It doesn't really start cooling off until November-Feb when highs cool down to mid 60's, lows average around 40 and a few cold snaps in the upper 20's-low 30's. come visit.

I think I'm going to plant the three rhubarb plants in a 15 gal bucket, maybe all three in one and if they survive, repot them each to their own bucket.

GoDawgs, if you can, it maybe beneficial to place pot where it's shaded in the afternoon. When I had the plants where they got afternoon shade is when they performed at their best. Stems upto 20oz on the largest variety

[QUOTE=Whwoz;759558]GoDawgs, if you can, it maybe beneficial to place pot where it's shaded in the afternoon. When I had the plants where they got afternoon shade is when they performed at their best. Stems upto 20oz on the largest variety[/QUOTE]

That's what I've been thinking too. Thanks for the affirmation! I think where I've been growing the tomatoes this year would be perfect for the hot weather times. I'm also thinking that once it cools off they can take full sun all day. Thoughts?

[QUOTE=GoDawgs;759649]That's what I've been thinking too. Thanks for the affirmation! I think where I've been growing the tomatoes this year would be perfect for the hot weather times. I'm also thinking that once it cools off they can take full sun all day. Thoughts?[/QUOTE]

Yes, once the worst of your heat and humidity have gone full sun should not be a problem. Mine gets full sun all year round and while it is struggling a bit, it is because I have not been weeding the patch of late and it needs a good feed.

[QUOTE=GoDawgs;759555]Yes, our max July-Sep averages in the low 90's, sprinkled with 7-10 day streaks of 97-100. Average summer lows are around 71, humidity in the 50-70% range. It doesn't really start cooling off until November-Feb when highs cool down to mid 60's, lows average around 40 and a few cold snaps in the upper 20's-low 30's. come visit.

I think I'm going to plant the three rhubarb plants in a 15 gal bucket, maybe all three in one and if they survive, repot them each to their own bucket.[/QUOTE]


I wouldn't plant all three together, they need more space than that, they may grow bit I am pretty sure they would be puny.

Rhubarb Update
 

Just an update on the rhubarb:


Three rhubarbs were started from seed on July 4th and you can really see the diversity of open pollinated plants. The one on the left in a 15 gallon pot really outpaced the other two in growth speed. The one on the right in a 10 gallon pot is more compact, slower growing and the stalks are already tinged with red whereas the bigger one's stalks are light green. The third one isn't feeling well and needs to recover before being planted out. Rhubarb doesn't like wet feet and I almost killed that third one with too much water, I think.

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/I3nnUMF.jpg[/IMG]


I ought to start more seeds.

Red Rhubarb is not nearly as vigorous as regular, at least here. Three different sources of red so far, always dogs. No difference in taste that I can tell either. Just a lot less of it.

I hope you succeed. I want to follow in your footsteps!

Finally Rhubarb Growing From Seed
 

Finally, had one good start from ~14 seeds provided by another generous TV member. This looks like it will make it. Lots of "no sprouts" and "didn't germinate". Happy! Suggestions on up potting, temps, hardening off, or just keeping it alive. Temps here in Piedmont of NC hovering and below freezing at night anf high 40s in daytime. Lots of winter to come until March.

That must be why there were so many seeds in my pack! Glad you got some to germinate. I think I had 4 or 5 seeds in each of the four pots. Got none up in one pot, two up in another and just one seedling in the others.

Of the three that came up, one died and the other two are now outside and dormant. Now to see if they wake up come spring. :)

Rhubarb Update
 

This is the plant today (1/19) from the previous pic. Dropped a leaf and is getting quite leggy. Fingers crossed for survival planting out in April. Any advice on potting up since it may be getting root bound?

Mine would drop a leaf now and then too. In the fall mine was about that size and living on the front porch. When I took them out of the pots to check the roots, it seemed OK to just pot them up in a three gallon. That was in September and it's been out there dormant all winter since it's supposed to get chill hours. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they put out new growth in the spring.

My seeds weren't started until July but this year I'm going to start more indoors in March so they have all spring, summer and fall to grow before winter comes again.

Well, the two plants would each push out several leaves and when the leaves got about 8" wide they'd yellow up and die. This went on all late spring/summer. No type of spray would prevent it the problem or protect the foliage. First one plant died. Then in early July the other looked like it had finally caught hold, had healthy foliage on it (about four stalks/leaves) and then it too died.

They were in 15 gallon pots and I tried to not over or under water them. They had about 6 hours of sun a day so they wouldn't cook.

That's it. I'm throwing in the towel. No more rhubarb experiments.