Turkey Rhubarb Flowering, Bloodroot and Dog Rose Germination
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: D. Faturos
Posted on: September 28, 2009

I ordered seeds for Turkey Rhubarb and have successfully grown these magnificent plants. My question: last year (2008), my oldest plant sent up an amazing seed stalk for the first time. This year it did not, although it is happy and healthy. Do these plants seed sporadically/every other year/every year? Is this lack of seed stalk perhaps the result of the unbelievably crummy weather we’ve had in the Northeast?

I’d really like to know if someone has experience with Turkey Rhubarb and can fill me in.

The homeland of this species has a severe continental climate, which means hot summers and cold winters. The summer of 2009 has been more like spring for the majority of the time, so the plant was not making enough food to flower AND last through a severe winter. Flowering is the most energy robbing physiological function of a plant and can only occur if the plant gets the right triggers at the right stage in its development. When it grows in an environment that does not match the one it is adapted for sufficiently, it may not be able to flower (or expend a huge amount of energy) every year.

P.S. Still waiting patiently for germination of Bloodroot and Dog Rose. I’m determined.

I do not know if these seeds had had enough stratification to germinate when you planted them. I suspect you may need to be patient until next spring.

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