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Wed, Jun 1, 11 at 12:14
| I heard rhubarb leaves are "toxic" and shouldn't be composted - Fact or fiction. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Rhubarb leaves are toxic to you if you eat them, but they can be composted. |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 1, 11 at 23:55
| If one were to exclude from the compost pile all the plants that were toxic to some degree or another if consumed, there wouldn't be much in it! Many plants contain toxins - oxalates, glycosides, alkaloides, etc. - that could cause severe gastric distress, cardiac arrest, neural disorders or various other serious health issues if eaten. And that includes rhubarb leaves, tomato and potato foliage, tea leaves and a host of ornamental plants. They are natural defense mechanisms that keep the plant safe form predators, usually grazing animals. That doesn't mean they can't be composted. Composting or the decomposition process neutralizes the toxins, as it does with most other harmful compounds. Besides, not too many folks eat their compost......:-) FWIW, the issue with rhubarb leaves is oxalic acid (oxalates) and to some degree, glycosides. Green or black tea, Camellia sinensis, has a far higher concentration of oxalic acid than does rhubarb and yet it is consumed readily. It's all in the dosage. |
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- Posted by squirejohn (My Page) on Thu, Jun 2, 11 at 5:25
| Thanks for the detailed explanation. I couldn't imagine how composted rhubarb leaves would be toxic but really NEEDED to have this "old wives tale" put to rest in writting. |
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- Posted by joepyeweed 5b IL (My Page) on Fri, Jun 3, 11 at 18:50
| Composting is decomposition, it breaks down materials into their base elements... once the leaves are decomposed they are no longer rhubard, they become N,C,O,H etc. etc. |
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