How to Transplant Rhubarb Plants

Transplanting rhubarb is one of the easier tasks that you will carry out in your garden.

Step 1 – Time Properly

Ideally, you want to transplant rhubarb in the spring. Transplanting before the leaves sprout is best, after the last frost of the year.

Step 2 – Dig Up Plants

Carefully dig up the plants that you would like to transplant. Make sure that you use the spade carefully because you don't want to damage the root structure of the rhubarb. You need as much of the root structure intact as possible, because the next step will make each individual plant have a smaller amount of root structure to fall back on when the transplanting has taken place.

Step 3 – Divide Plants

The only real reason for transplantation is to separate and increase the number of spots where rhubarb plants are growing. To do that, divide the plants by separating the root clumps into constituent parts. You want to have at least two good starts in each replant that you perform, so use that as a guide when dividing the roots. You can do it by hand as long as you don’t crush the roots in the process.

Step 4 – Transplant

Pick out a part of your garden that has soil with plenty of organic matter and a pH of between 6 and 7. If you are going to place rhubarb plants back into the holes from which you got them, fill up those holes before doing the rest of the replant.

Dig holes that are approximately 2 inches deep and that are at least twice the size of the root bulb. Make all holes at least 3 feet apart from each other, both in the same row and in between rows. Place the plants in and fill in the soil gently, patting down with the spade a few times to make the fill permanent.

Step 5 – Mulch

Place a layer of mulch around all of the new plants. This is especially important if you're replanting them during the fall or spring months.

Step 6 – Water

Water all of the newly transplanted rhubarb immediately. The water will help the roots take shape within the new holes, allowing the plants to become acclimated to their environment a lot quicker than they would if you had delayed the watering by a few days.