I just had the same problem w/ my rhubarb, in dry 70 degree weather. I gave them a deep watering, then mulched with 3 inches of fresh grass clippings. They seem to have perked up nicely.

Well, the leaves are now brown and wilted and the poor thing looks just awful. But! There is a bright green shoot emerging from the center of the crown. Do I have reason to hope? What I'm afraid of is disease...

Give it a drink. It sounds as if it's suffering from heatstroke. rhubarb likes deep cool moist conditions.

Hi,
I'm in zone 10, which is dry and hot. I planted rhubarb this
year without hoping that it will do well. To my surprise
the plant has taken off. However, I have had to nurture it
along and give it some 'special' attention. Unfortunately
it faces North-West under a patio in the ground,
and gets direct afternoon sunlight.
To remedy this, I went ot HomeDepot and bought one of those
roll-up shades ( the plastic kind that look like reeds).
and I put it right in front of the rhubarb. The shade goes
down in the afternoon. So it only gets filtered afternoon
sunlight. Also, I water it every other day. This forum
advised me to fertilize it, so I do with a liquid fertilizer
which has really made the plant grow more.

If your rhubard in zone 9 is wilting, it probably needs
more water and perhaps some shade

I hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:667711}}

Abrarage,
I had very good luck with a dry fertilizer called "Root Blast'. Its small brown round pellets and I use it around my rhubarb, horseradish, and even asparagus. It has virtually doubled the stem size of each leaf the follwoing year after applying it twice within the growing season. Right now, rhubarb is dieing down some, so don't be too concerned if it starts to dwindle. Its normal in this area to see it die out about mid August due to even our heat. Mine is in direct sun, but has only from 6am to about 3pm of sun.

My last year's plant didn't make it, alas. But you've given me some ideas. Probably not enough water. Just might try again! Let us know how yours do/does.

Wow, it's been hot here lately and my
rhubarb has taken a beating. I've lost
a lot of the big thick stalks and leaves.
I cooked some of them, but unfortunately they're
not ready yet. If the plant makes it thru
this heat ... I might transplant it in the fall/spring
someplace cooler/shadier.
Also, I've read extensively that rhubard will
need 40 degree temp. sometime in the winter months.
I seriously doubt my area will ever get 40 degrees.
So I'm not sure if this was a 'one time' event
for me. I did enjoy the big green leaves though.
It gave the whole flower bed a tropical look.
right now i have a few small, thin stalks and
that's about it. I'm still watering every other
day and keeping the shade down. But it must
be too hot for the plant, it looks pathetic.

Zone 10 is pretty hot for rhubarb. Perhaps shade cloth would help.

I gave up. Too many other things are easy to please. Why torture the poor plant----and yourself, when it dies?

Hi, two of my rhubarb plants have this thick growth just above the ground around their main stems. I'm not sure if its part of the plant and should be below the ground or if its a disease. This part had black (read frost bitten dead) little shingle like stuff (paper thin like a leaf but not shaped like a rhubarb leaf). I'm totally stumped. Are the plants history? they seem to be growning. Thanks.

It's likely part of the plant and the little black shingles are typical of previous year's growth remnants.

You can safely bury your plants up to the level of the new growth with compost, or next winter, aged manure.

These central stumps tend to rise above ground level after a few years.

You can grow rhubarb as an annual. Start the seeds indoors in late winter (they're easy to start). When you plant them out, follow all the recommendations for care and feeding that people mentioned above. The stalks will be smaller, so plant several plants. You can put them closer together than rhubarb that you grow perennially. And if any live through the next winter, you can keep them or pull them out, as you choose. I used to do this when I lived where rhubarb did poorly, and it worked quite well. In fact, the small stalks didn't need much peeling and were quicker to cut up. If it's warm enough in winter where you are, maybe you could plant the seeds indoors in late summer and grow it as a winter crop. (I hope it's OK to just jump in like this--I'm new to this and don't know what's customary.)

Yes, jean, it's just fine - jump right in; you don't have to wait for an invitation. Always great to have folks who can speak from experience on a topic.
I was also going to address the 'growing from seed' as a winter annual thing - haven't done it, but know it's done in warmer areas - and now we've got first-hand advice on how to do it.
Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Rhubarb Compendium

My Dad here in Indiana had a huge row of rhubarb and started to expand even more-into former flower bed and along the shed. He had friends, neighbors, and even drive-bys stopping by to pick from his huge patch. His big secret was to get buckets of cow manure in the spring, and water it down in 5 gallons pails. He would then pour the contents from the buckets on his patch. It's amazing what a huge boost it would give to the rhubarb, of course Indiana isn't quite as HOT so the cool weather probably helped too. Anyone with growing problems give that a try and see the results!