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RHUBARB Options
JO
Posted: Sunday, May 22, 2005 3:17:11 PM
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Joined: 11/9/2007
Posts: -195
HI YEH I WAS WONDERING IF U CAN COMPOST RHUBARB LEAVES I HEARD THEY ARE TOXIC! AND I WAS WONDERING ABOUT IT HURTING MY VEGETABLE GARDEN IF I COMPOST THEM, THANKYOU JO!OH AND ALSO THE BROCHER I READ ON COMPOST SAID NOTHING ABOUT RHUBARB LEAVES, BUT IT DID SAY U CAN USE CAT DROPPINGS EEEWWW!! HA HA, BUT WHAT ABOUT KITTY LITER I DON'T KNOW IF I'D WANT THAT IN MY GARDEN DOES ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THESE TWO THINGS???
Sponsor
Posted: Sunday, May 22, 2005 3:17:11 PM
Susan
Posted: Sunday, May 22, 2005 9:59:45 PM
Rank: Guest

Joined: 11/9/2007
Posts: -195
Here's what I found on the subject subject, and no, no to the kitty stuff!

Many people have been concerned about adding rhubarb leaves to their compost piles. If the leaves are poisonous, they must be bad for compost as well, since rhubarb stalks contain a high concentration of oxalic acid which slightly toxic. What actually occurs when rhubarb is added to a compost pile is that the oxalic acid is decomposed and pH balanced rather quickly. People do not eat compost piles as a rule anyway, and even if a child were to eat compost dirt, there would be problems other than residuals from the decomposing rhubarb stalks. Experience has also shown that the level of acid does not inhibit the microbial action of composting. Compost piles which were nearly all rhubarb leaves and stalks have decomposed very nicely and the compost has behaved like ordinary compost and no inhibition of plant growth was noticed from the compost.

Note that some items are a problem for composting including: eucalyptus leaves and bark, omnivore (cat and dog) pet feces, diapers, meat scraps, and treated lumber. 29
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