Larry, should the bloom stock be cut, similarly to scapes on garlic? I am new to rhubarb and trying to do it right for sustainable future harvest.
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Yes, it takes a whole lot of energy to push that stalk and it does nothing for your harvest.
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I don’t know the percentage of harvest that would be increased by keeping the bloom stalks cut off. I would think that for a relatively young clump, a bloom stalk could have an effect, but for an established, vigorous clump with ten or more thick stalks, a bloom is just a novelty. The bloom and its stalk are not even 5% of the plant mass.
It not just the biomass but the complexity of the chemical compounds that go into producing more than just stalks and leaves. Even the chemicals for the smell is metabolically taxing for the plant to produce.
I have a well established plant, my daughter decided to keep the ‘flowers’, I can see a whole lot of stunted stalks where otherwise would be big red ones. As a matter of fact the big ones are a whole lot more green than red.