I have rhubarb in a half barrel container. It is the second year after planting a large root, and I harvested only a few stalks. The plant looked ok for a few weeks, but now it looks puny. I fertilized with manure early in the spring, and It looked great. Now the leaves are small, and they seem to be dying off. Any ideas?
This article will help you with the care of container grown Rhubarb.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/rhubarb/growing-rhubarb-in-pots.htm
My stalks are green with just a hint of pink. Will it taste alright?
Certainly! There are many varieties of Rhubarb and they come in pink, red and green colors!
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/rhubarb/types-of-rhubarb.htm
IF I DIDNT USE MY RUHBARB SHOULD I CUT IT OFF
Depending on how old your Rhubarb plants are, the advice is a bit different.
If you plants are new or only 2 or 3 years old, leave at least half of the Rhubarb on the plant to feed the plant.
If the plant is older and well established, you can remove all of the Rhubarb from the plant.
You may have more Rhubarb that grows and can be harvested into the late summer or fall.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/rhubarb/grow-rhubarb.htm
My rhubarb stalks are always green, not pink or red. Are they ok to eat?
There are some heirloom varieties of rhubarb, such as Victoria, that have green stalks. They are perfectly fine to eat.
I live in Saskatchewan, Canada to start with. My 2 year old rhubarb gave me at least 3 or 4 healthy crop yields so far until just now some leaves are starting to turn yellow rapidly and I wondered why. Having grown and eaten rhubarb stalks for the last 40 or 50 years, I see the new abnormalities with rhubarb in my rain barrel filled with top soil and being water fed from rain spout from roof top entirely covered with tar shingles. Tar issue the problem I wonder? Or chemicals from metallic (aluminum) downspouts? Thank you in advance, Ron
I'm suspicious of the watering you mention.
The leaf does not really appear as a leaf spot disease, but more clearly matches the description in the last paragraph of the article below.
I have not been able to locate an image that matches your leaf coloration.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/rhubarb/brown-splotches-on-rhubarb.htm
I would move the container and water with a different source of water. You may even want to flush the soil with fresh water.
How do I treat rhubarb plants at the end of the season?
This article should tell you everything you need to know about what to do with rhubarb at the end of the season:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/rhubarb/protecting-rhubarb-in-winter.htm
I have a rhubarb plant that keeps getting tubular stakes on it. The plant is still growing. This time the plant has what appear to be seeds (or flowers). I live in Upstate NY (Syracuse area). Can someone please advise what to do to keep my plant alive and surviving? I do have some stalks that are ready to harvest.
To keep the rhubarb plant productive, you will want to cut the flower stalks out of the plant.