crown rot

Why Cutting Rhubarb With a Knife Destroys Your Plant by August

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Why Cutting Rhubarb With a Knife Destroys Your Plant by August

A Vermont gardener’s three-year mystery revealed: vigorous spring rhubarb turning to black mush by August wasn’t disease or drought, but a single harvesting mistake repeated in May. One wrong tool choice sets off a cascade of decay that plays out silently over months.

Why Cutting Rhubarb With a Knife Destroys the Crown: The Harvesting Mistake That Causes Hidden Rot

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Why Cutting Rhubarb With a Knife Destroys the Crown: The Harvesting Mistake That Causes Hidden Rot

A seemingly simple harvesting technique—cutting rhubarb with a knife—can silently destroy the plant’s crown by midsummer. What looks like a precise, clean method actually creates open wounds that invite fungal rot during the warm, wet conditions of late spring and early summer.