Globe artichokes

[elhuerto]

Now we've harvested all the artichokes on a second year plant and the lower leaves are turning brown, should the plant be cut right back, left as is or something else?

Cheers!

[elhuerto]

[artichoke]

For what it is worth, I cut off the dying leaves, cut down the flowering stalk, and eventually fresh side shoots pop up. I love artichokes and grow lots of them.

[Squash64]

I've just removed the stalks from mine and then cut down all the leaves to almost ground level. 

It has rained here over the past few days so while the soil is still fairly wet I've put a thick layer of straw round them as a mulch.

[caroline7758]

My globe artichokes have not produced anything this year. :( My biggest, most established plant has healthy enough leaves but no sign of a flower shoot, and all the smaller ones were killed off by the cold. My own fault for not protecting them, I suppose.

[realfood]

After harvesting the globes, just leaves the leaves to continue growing and building up the plant till just before the Winter frosts. Then in the colder parts of the country, mulch or cover over the base of the plant to protect from the worst of the rain and frost.

[Jeannine]

Yes I agree. let the plant die down on it's own as you would do with rhubarb , asparagus or spring bulbs. The plant will draw nourishment from the foliage, cutting it will make it weaker. XX Jeannine

[lottie lou]

That must be why mine hasn't come back so vigorously. I put it down to the bad winter we had rather than cutting it down

[fi]

i love the flower heads of globe artichokes and let them flower, then i go and buy jarred ones in oil, crazy! so i now have 6 seedlings waiting to be potted on and planted out next year (i shall leave some to flower and the rest to eat)  i never cut the foliage down, do remove dead damaged leaves and old flower stalks.protect from frost with straw and fleece wrapped around. unfortunately 3 years ago i had 2 of my 3 globe artichoke plants stolen, dug up, not a root left, swines! so now i have planted some in the back garden in fear of being artichokeless. have also divided remaining artichoke. 
why is it that the plants have such varying globes are the spiked ones a better flavour or the round ones?

[Mrs Ava]

I'm like Caroline....no flowers at all this year.  :-\  The plants were badly knocked back by the cold and took a long time to start growing - I thought they were gonners.  They are strong now so fingers crossed for next year.  The cardoon however is reaching for the sky!

[elhuerto]

Thanks for all your replies, not cutting back so hard does make sense.

Andy

[antipodes]

I trim the artichoke in the autumn. I remove the dead leaves and stem and trim it a little but then I leave it.
I have baby ones growing for next year! My own arties! Trouble is the current one is now old and decripit and has got to come out. ANy ideas on how I can get it out?

[Old bird]

I wouldn't take out the old one - I would leave it to carry on as the artichokes tend to get bigger and more plentiful on the older plants.  I would cut it down hard and- I would take off/dig out the "slip" is what I think they are called and plant that somewhere else!  I have dug up quite a few of these and they tend to do well when moved!

O B

[antipodes]

I wouldn't take out the old one - I would leave it to carry on as the artichokes tend to get bigger and more plentiful on the older plants.  I would cut it down hard and- I would take off/dig out the "slip" is what I think they are called and plant that somewhere else!  I have dug up quite a few of these and they tend to do well when moved!

It is at least 4 years old and I find that it is diminishing... it also looks slightly ill. The other one I had, eventually got some kind of rot in the middle. This is why I am growing young plants for next year. What is the "slip"? is there a sort of growing crown like a rhubarb? I hesitate to divide the plant if it is unhealthy.

[grawrc]

After three or four years the plants get "tired" and need divided. I take "slips" every year - new basal shoots with roots which can be split off the main plant - and by the time the original plant is exhausted and needs divided or simply removed I have replacements mature enough to give me artichokes. I dig up the old plant late autumn/ winter. It takes a bit of work but it is  not nearly as tough as splitting rhubarb.

[antipodes]

Found on an Aussie site:
A typical artichoke plant has stems including a main one but also has suckers at the side, called offsets. Just get a spade – don't' just snap them off – and carefully insert it between the main plant and the offset, and drive it down. Then pull it free to make a new plant. It might need some trimming. Cut off the old, big leaves and leave the little ones in the middle. Trim the roots, removing any parts that are woody. Now you have the most beautiful plant.

[Squash64]

ok, what I do with my artichokes is not the same as everyone else does - I cut them down to ground level once they've produced their artichokes.

This is a photo of what they look like every year - it doesn't seem to be doing them any harm!
(cardoons and artichokes)

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[Old bird]

I don't do anything to mine until the flower has died off and they are looking sad - then I remove the flowering spikes - the leaves get tidied up - as and when!  Then in spring I just let them go!  Mine are well over 5ft high now and on 4 year old plants I have at least 15 flower heads.  I do take the odd lower leaf off when it gets tatty.

OB