UMaine Extension bulletin cited in BDN article on growing rhubarb
The Bangor Daily News cited a University of Maine Cooperative Extension bulletin in the article, “Tips to grow rhubarb in Maine.” The publication was written by Richard Brzozowski, food system program administrator with UMaine Extension. The cool-weather perennial, which is a member of the buckwheat family, thrives in northern states where it gets cold enough to force the plant into dormancy, according to Brzozowski. “Rhubarb crowns should be split at least every four to five years, or whenever the plant begins to produce many small stalks rather than fewer large stalks,” Brzozowski wrote in the bulletin. “Rhubarb splitting and subsequent planting can be done in either the spring, when foliage is not fully mature, or in the fall, after foliage has been removed.” Rhubarb does best in well-drained, loamy soil that gets full sun throughout the day, he wrote. Once rhubarb has been established, the plant is fairly drought-tolerant, but when the weather is hot and dry, it needs adequate irrigation, the BDN reported.