Re: Yum, Yum won't grow
A few things I've learnt over the years...
1. Rhubarb is a heavy feeder so the ground needs preparing well initially, with plenty of well rotted manure or compost mixing in prior to planting. A good general slow release fertilizer should then be applied around the plant and at least annually thereafter.
2. You should not crop a new plant in the first year, to allow the crown to build up it's strength, and you should not crop the plant after midsummer at any time, again to allow the root to rebuild it's vigour before winter. Never crop a root completely. Always leave at least a third of the stems at any given time as it needs the leaves to photosynthesize it's food.
3. Beware of forcing a root in Spring, particularly to an immature root as this can seriously impair future harvests. Most professionally forced rhubarb roots are discarded after harvesting as they are completely spent.
Treated properly a plant will give many years of high productivity, but as with most things you only get out what you put in...