Do you want to prune your rhubarb in Michigan, but don’t know when the best time to do so is?
Pruning rhubarb is not as easy as it seems.
Here’s why:
- Rhubarb Plants can only be pruned during three specific time periods or else the plant may not produce a harvest or even die.
So if you prune them too early they will die and if you prune them too late you’ll limit your harvest. And if you prune them too much you won’t get any harvest!
Today, I’m going to teach you the ideal time to prune rhubarb in Michigan:
- To Learn More About rhubarb, Check Out This GUIDE!
When to Prune Rhubarb in Michigan
There are three specific times you should prune your rhubarb plants:
- Early Season
- When it is time to transplant your rhubarb plants into another pot or even your garden, simply prune 1 inch off the top of the plant down to its leaves. Repeat this for two to three of the largest stems.
2. Mid-Season
- In the first 3 weeks that your rhubarb plants grow flowers you will want to prune them off. By pruning flowers off your rhubarb plants you encourage your plant to put its nutrients into its root system first. This will then allow your plant to have even more flowers and harvest.
3. Late Season
- Finally, you want to prune your rhubarb plant throughout late summer to help promote a healthy plant and more harvest. In the late season, prune any dead leaves or stems any diseased harvest, and any suckers.
Why Prune Rhubarb Plants in Michigan?
Pruning is essential for your rhubarb plants to grow healthy, have lots of flowers, and produce a consistently heavy harvest.
You want to prune your rhubarb in the early season because it:
- Improves root production
- Improves branch strength
- Increase air circulation
You want to prune your rhubarb in the mid-season because it:
- protects against pests
- protects against diseases
- prevents your plant from getting too heavy, breaking, and dying
You want to prune your rhubarb in the late season because it:
- speeds up the ripening process
- increase harvest color and size
When NOT to Prune Rhubarb in Michigan
There are certain times you should not prune your rhubarb plant.
- Don’t prune seedlings that are less than 1 month old.
- Don’t prune rhubarb plants in the heat of the day or when it is extremely hot or cold
- Don’t prune rhubarb plants once they have ripened fruit on them.
If you want to learn WHEN to Prune ANY Plant in Michigan, head over HERE and just type in the plant you want to prune.
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