Ever wonder what would happen if you let your rhubarb go to seed? Someone gifted me a good-sized chunk of rhubarb a couple of years ago (thanks, Steve!), and I was able to split it into four new plants! When one of the plants started flowering this year, I wondered if I should let it go to seed like I do all my other plants. After some research, I learned that it's recommended to cut the flower off so the plant's energy will continue going to the edible stalks rather than to the newly forming flower. But since I have three other rhubarb plants that give me more than enough to eat, I decided to conduct an experiment. What would happen to the rhubarb plant if I allowed it to go to seed?
Look at this beautiful plant prior to flowering!
The leaves were enormous!
Starting to flower (left) and full flower (right). Absolutely gorgeous! I've read that some people witness tons of bee activity on their rhubarb flowers but my bees seemed more interested in other plants.
Going to seed! Close up on the left; full view on the right. Notice how the leaves are starting to yellow.
Here are the dried seeds. As you can see, the seed isn't flat.
For comparison, the photo on the left is a rhubarb plant that did not flower. Look at how large and lush those leaves are. On the same day (July 30, 2022), I took the photo on the right of the rhubarb that was allowed to go to seed. As you can see, all the energy has been pushed into seed production, causing the leaves to yellow and die. The two rhubarb plants are next to each other, with only a path separating them, so the soil structure should be very much the same.
Here is a progression of the leaves dying.
Eventually the stalk fell to the ground and the seeds are starting to sprout on this wet, cool winter day (December 31, 2022). FYI - the dark green leaves you see in the background are clover. The germinated rhubarb seedling is the front left lime green shoot. You can see other shoots in the background in varying shades of white/brown. These are sitting on top of mulch, so we'll have to wait and see if any of them actually take off.
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