Do I remove the flower stalk from my rhubarb?
That's entirely up to you. Some people leave the flower stalks intact because they add a dramatic and attractive feature to their gardens. Others remove them because flowering is a part of the plant's reproductive phase and when a plant goes into reproduction, it channels its energy away from leaf growth and into seed production, making the plant less vigorous. Since you are likely growing rhubarb for food, removing the flower stalk will ensure that you'll be able to make plenty of pies.
You may have noticed that rhubarb doesn't send up flower stalks every year and there is a reason for this. Rhubarb is an extremely long lived plant and doesn't need to reproduce annually to ensure the survival of the species. So when those flower stalks appear, they're often in response to a stressor (or possibly several) that causes the plant to believe it should produce a new generation just in case it's about to croak.
Many things can cause rhubarb to go into stress, including temperature extremes, drought, excessive light exposure, and age – older plants are much more prone to flowering than younger ones. Rhubarb is also a heavy feeder and requires regular infusions of nitrogen to keep it at its best.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
