Garden Q&A: My rhubarb has thrown up a flower spike. Should I cut it off?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Off with its head: When a rhubarb grows a flower spike, it can be detrimental to the harvest, says Peter Dowdall. File picture

Question

My rhubarb has thrown up a flower spike. Should I cut it off?

Answer

Yes, cut it off and do it now, before it goes any further. 

When rhubarb sends up a flower spike, it is putting enormous energy into seed production rather than into producing the thick, flavoursome stems you actually want. 

Left to its own devices, it will set seed, exhaust the crown, and your harvest will suffer for it. 

Cut the spike off cleanly at the base with a sharp knife as soon as you see it. 

Rhubarb is quite prone to bolting in certain conditions; a late cold snap followed by a sudden warm spell is a common trigger, as is an older crown that is beginning to lose vigour. 

If your plant bolts repeatedly year on year, it may be time to lift, divide, and replant into soil enriched with a good biochar-based plant food.

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