How do you 'rest' rhubarb?

[Rodge2]

Ok. Folklore in my family says that you should 'rest' rhubarb plants. But no one knows how to do it. I can't find any reference to it on the net. Does anyone know if it is necessary and how to do it? Thanks.

[Clanad]

Not if your winter temperatures consistently get below freezing for an extended period. Rhubarab needs these low temperatures to "rest". In warm climates (such as our southern States here in the U.S.) rhubarb continues to grow over the winter and the stalks the following year are just a continuation of the previous years growth and are terrible tasting and consistentcy,

In those areas rhubarb is grown as an annual from seed. But that doesn't work most of the time either, since the resulting seed grown plants aren't genetically dependable...

[carlton23]

Here in the southern UK we just leave a few sticks on to feed the plant over winter, with a good dressing of well rotted manure.

[Twenty20]

The only two things I know about rhubarb are.....
1. If you force rhubarb, then don't pull any stalks the following year;
2. don't pull any stalks after July as the plant needs the stalks and leaves to store energy for next year.
Don't know if either of those is what you'd term 'resting'?

[woofgang]

twenty20 is right. In the UK resting rhubarb means not forcing it every year. Cover it and force it one year then just let it grow naturally the next year, taking any crop early. You can force in successive years but the stalks will get spindly and tasteless and the crown will die. If you want to you can keep stock rhubarb crowns going outside and divide the crowns, using some of them fresh every year for forcing then discard them.

[modeller]

There is a school of thought that says you should dig them up every autumn and and leave them exposed to the frost throughout the winter .