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Some flower related questions

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  • 14-03-2011 10:07pm
    #1
    nudist
    Closed Accounts Posts: 157 ✭✭


    First off does rhurbarb flower? some of my 2 old plants seem to be growing these red bulbs on top of stalks...

    Secondly for white sprouting broccoli what can you eat? im assuming the white flower buds but what about the stems and leaves?


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    #2
    nudist
    Closed Accounts Posts: 157 ✭✭nudist


    bump


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    #3
    mountainy man
    Registered Users Posts: 985 ✭✭✭mountainy man


    Rhubarb can/does flower some cultivars are more prone to this, also can be a sign of lack of water and or nutrients, I would cut out the flower stalk and give it a good mulching with well rotted manure or compost. The flowers can grow to 5 feet on hollow stems , its a survival mechanism to flower and produce seeds for the next generation . If you treat it right it shouldnt bolt and serve you for many years.

    Question: did you harvest from it last year? They should be left to grow and die back in the first year , taking from them after planting can weaken them and is possibly causing the flowering too.

    hope this helps
    MM


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    #4
    nudist
    Closed Accounts Posts: 157 ✭✭nudist


    The plant in question was 2 years old by the end of 2010. However during the winter of 2010 the snow killed off all the top leaves and stems above the surface. The crown did not rot though. In January when growth started again i decided to cut off one of the smaller offshoots of the parent plant-now the bigger parent plant and the smaller plant both have these red bulbs growing in the middle.

    If i let the flower grow and mature to seed will the parent plant die off?

    So basically I should add a lot of compost rich in nitrogen right- Rhurbarb loves nitrogen rich soils does it not?


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    #5
    jezko
    Registered Users Posts: 454 ✭✭jezko


    nudist wrote: »
    The plant in question was 2 years old by the end of 2010. However during the winter of 2010 the snow killed off all the top leaves and stems above the surface. The crown did not rot though. In January when growth started again i decided to cut off one of the smaller offshoots of the parent plant-now the bigger parent plant and the smaller plant both have these red bulbs growing in the middle.

    If i let the flower grow and mature to seed will the parent plant die off?

    So basically I should add a lot of compost rich in nitrogen right- Rhurbarb loves nitrogen rich soils does it not?

    I always found Rhurbarb grown from seed tends to go to seed quite easily
    Allowing the plant to go to seed will not kill the parent, just takes all the energy from producing more stalks and into producing seed.

    Mulch with lot's of Organic material (FYM) in the Early winter it will feed the plant the following year and protect the crown from most of the harsh weather


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