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rhubarb leaves turning red - dying?
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Clara



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 268
Location: the green green grass of wales
PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 09 12:57 pm    Post subject: rhubarb leaves turning red - dying? Reply with quote
    

So I've managed to get rhubarb to live in southern spain , I was very pleased to see it make it through the winter and emerge through the mulch of donkey poo I'd covered it with as it died down last year. This is the second year, so the plants are still small (2 or 3 leaves) and I'm not harvesting.

However on a couple of the plants the leaves are turning red - any ideas? Are they dying?

I should mention that we're not in the baking heat at the moment, in fact it's been very wet and cold this winter/spring. How much sun will it tolerate? The willow that was casting shade on the spot has been severely tree-surgeoned because it got torn and bashed up in a winter storm, so I was anticipating having to create some artificial shade to protect them later on, but surely not now?

HELP! I want a rhubarb crumble next year!! TIA Clara

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 09 12:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

what are your night time temperatures?
just a thought, I'm not sure either

Clara



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 268
Location: the green green grass of wales
PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 09 1:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I don't measure the temperature (I seem to be allergic to buying a thermometer - it's stupid I know), the weather forecast has said that it hasn't dropped below 3 or 4 since the leaves emerged, though I have seen small patches of frost on occasion on the footpath to our house, but not at the house itself.

Is there such a thing as too much water for rhubarb? They aren't planted in wet ground but I have planted them next to where the spring runs past (in the hope that deep tap roots would mean they would water themselves) and I water them every couple of days - when it's not raining

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 09 1:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

can you take some pictures?

oliveoyl



Joined: 18 Sep 2008
Posts: 425

PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 09 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I found this... might be it?

Red leaf disease of rhubarb commonly attacks the roots and crown areas of the plant. The leaves of the affected plants become reddish and later wilt and shrivel. New leaves cease to appear, and all that remains of the plant above ground is a few dry leaves. In some plants this process is slow, while in others it is rapid. Examination of the parts below the ground reveals decay in varying amounts. With plants showing only reddening of the leaves, the roots may appear normal on the outside, but their centers will be found to have rotted away. Some rotting in the crown will also be evident. In more advanced stages, when the leaves become dry, the greater portion of the root and crown will be found in a decaying condition.

There is still no good measure of control for this disease. The causal agent is not known, and until it has been found, no definite control measures are likely to be formulated. Shallow planting and a generous moisture supply may help to reduce the incidence of this disease. Affected plants should be completely removed as soon as possible after they show signs of this disorder. It is also good practice not to place new plants in soil where diseased plants have grown.

Clara



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 268
Location: the green green grass of wales
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 09 7:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Oh feck, that sounds like it

So I'd better get rid of the plants - will I get away with moving the others now they are in leaf? How careful do I need to be with the roots to avoid killing the plant completely - I don't have very green fingers.

cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 09 7:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Hold your horses Clara, its still worth posting a picture before you nuke the site, could even just be a nutrient deficiency (depends on the red really). Give us a look at the plants, might not be that bad.

Could also be worse, of course...

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 09 8:31 am    Post subject: red rhubarb leaves Reply with quote
    

My forced ones got a red tinge- combination of forgetting to put the "hat" back on before a chilly night, and being forced- now they are getting warm sun and a bit of feed and no more pulling, they are recovering

Clara



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 268
Location: the green green grass of wales
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 09 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

What do you think of this then...

[img]Photobucket[/img]

I had another photo but it disappeared from both memory card and computer when I uploaded it - I'd say the other plant was further gone, much redder and one of the leaves dried up and crisp.

Clara



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 268
Location: the green green grass of wales
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 09 7:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

ANYONE OUT THERE?

I'm gonna pull the ones that look healthy this morning unless someone tells me otherwise!!

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 09 7:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

or perhaps pull the unhealthy ones, and leave the healthy ones give the plan a rest? Slim????

cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 09 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Again, hold your horses

Looks bad, but, but doesn't look like the pictures I've seen of red leaf on rhubarb... I'll wait for Slim to say more 'cos I think thats more of a problem over on their side of the pond than here.

Is it all of the leaves on the plant or just the larger outer ones? Are there lesions or marks of any kind in the middle of the plant? Did the leaf just fade to red or did it go spotty?

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 09 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I'm not familiar with the red leaf disease (I think it's more of a western problem), but your picture doesn't look too much like the photos of it that I've seen. It also doesn't look like the phosphorous deficiency/chilling stress that gz posted about.

To be honest, my best guess (emphasis on the guess) is sunburn. How long ago was the shade-casting willow cut down? Were the larger, now red, leaves the only ones that had come out at that point? If so, they were shade-acclimated leaves that may have gotten sunburnt when exposed to full sun. It doesn't have to be hot, so long as as it's really bright, and your plant will suffer from photoinhibition. The redness is a last-ditch defense mechanism to create red pigments that will help to absorb some of the light hitting the leaf surface. The damage to the leaf's photosynthetic processes has already occurred, and as it takes a lot of effort for the plant to repair, it will likely just let those leaves die.

If I'm right, the plant may let the damaged leaves die off, and produce smaller leaves that are better adapted to full-sun. Seeing as you're already pushing the plant a little bit to get it to grow somewhere warmer and brighter than it has evolved to be, it'd probably be a good idea to get some protective shade on it, and make sure that it's well watered!

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 09 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Then again, your leaf is such an even red...

frustrating

I'm not really sure what's going on, so I would cut off unhelathy leaves at the base, shade the plants, and keep on eye on everything as the new growth comes out...

Take a look at your worst plant, how does it look at the crown? is it a solid plant with a good set of roots?

Kathleen Perrelle



Joined: 31 May 2011
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Tue May 31, 11 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I am in New York and had planted 2 rhubarb plants this spring. One is fine, but the other had leaves that were turning red, and it was dying. I took it out, returned it to the nursery, and they replace it, but the new one still has some red leaves. It seems to be surviving at this point, but I am stymied as to why this is happening. Especially as the one plant is okay. FYI - the plants were planted in newly constructed raised beds.

Any idea why this is happening and what I can do to prevent it? It is the first time I have planted rhubarb.

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