Turning Green Rhubarb Red

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Turning Green Rhubarb Red

by Dana Van Hoesen
(Gays Mills WI USA)

Reading the different complaints about green rhubarb and noticing that most of the "experts" didn't have an answer, I would like to share a sure thing to correct this common problem.

Take wood ashes and put them around the rhubarb plants. The large leaves tend to fall and make the soil too acid and putting wood ashes corrects this. The stalks will turn a beautiful crimson the next spring.

Dana Van Hoesen, Gays Mills WI USA bobdana@mwt.net

Comments for
Turning Green Rhubarb Red

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rhubarb turning green NEW
by: heather

thanks for your advice. my rhubarb crowns had very red stems but now they green. i also have seed grown rhubarb that is the same. i don't leave the leaves around the plants. they have lots of feed and water (I am a commercial plant grower). i will try ash and let you know

Colour Unimportant
by: Anonymous

Not all varieties of rhubarb are red. Many varieties are meant to be green and never change colour. The colour of the stalk has no bearing whatsoever on the level of sweetness.

Thank You!
by: Anonymous

Wow its such a logical reason and simple solution! Thank you, I was almost ready to rip out all of my giant green rhubarb plants and try again, and now I wont have to!

Green Rhubarb
by: Lesley

I agree, thank you for this advice. I have a large green rhubarb flourishing next to smaller red plants - confusing many who are unable to say why. Now this may just be the simple answer.

Rhubarb Rhubarb Rhubarb
by: Peter hook

it makes no difference what colour it is

Green rhubarb
by: Ruth from Canmore AB.

My friend's rhubarb is green and mine is red. I picked some of his yesterday and the very bottoms of some of the stalks are red. He told me that he always puts the leaves back around the plant to give back to the soil & plant. NOW I know why his rhubarb is green! I can hardly wait to tell him.

Finally, An Answer
by: Debbie

I have looked everywhere for an answer to this problem. I used to have beautiful red rhubarb, but it has turned mostly green now. We always let the large leaves die off and rot on the ground around the plants, but no more. We'll try the wood ashes and see what happens. Thanks for this great advice!

green to red
by: Anonymous

Thank you so much. I have a plant that has gotten very large and until this year always produced lovely red stalks but this year they are green and I couldn't understand why. now i know. Thank you so much.

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