Sunflower Seed Hulls in Compost

Louis Cohen

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Feb 25, 2001, 2:56:32 PM2/25/01

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I have been sweeping up the empty sunflower seed hulls from under the bird
feeder and tossing them into the compost bin.

But, I just read that something in the hulls inhibits plant growth and they
should not be used for compost.

Is this correct? Should I toss the batch of compost? Or just use it as
mulch?

Thanks

Regards from sunny San Leandro

Louis Cohen
N37° 43' 7" W122° 8' 42"
http://members.home.net/louiscohen

King Pineapple

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Feb 25, 2001, 7:36:05 PM2/25/01

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Louis Cohen <louis...@home.com> wrote in message
news:Qrdm6.57255$Xj4.2...@news1.rdc1.sdca.home.com...

> I have been sweeping up the empty sunflower seed hulls from under the bird
> feeder and tossing them into the compost bin.
>
> But, I just read that something in the hulls inhibits plant growth and
they
> should not be used for compost.
>
> Is this correct? Should I toss the batch of compost? Or just use it as
> mulch?

Don't toss it, use it as mulch. The seed hulls take a long while to break
down ( 2 years?) anyway. I've not heard about the growth-inhibiting factor,
but they may have salt on the outside.

Craig

Ann

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Feb 25, 2001, 7:40:58 PM2/25/01

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"Louis Cohen" <louis...@home.com> expounded:

>I have been sweeping up the empty sunflower seed hulls from under the bird
>feeder and tossing them into the compost bin.
>
>But, I just read that something in the hulls inhibits plant growth and they
>should not be used for compost.
>
>Is this correct? Should I toss the batch of compost? Or just use it as
>mulch?

What you read is correct, sunflower hulls are allelopathic and will
inhibit growth where they land. However, if they're well composted
and mixed in with lots of other waste, I think you'll be ok using it
as a mulch.

--
Ann, Gardening in Zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************
http://www.annzoid.com

Setzler

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Feb 26, 2001, 6:54:12 AM2/26/01

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That is exactly right, and if they are from bird feeders, there won't be salt
on them either.
susan

Lorenzo L. Love

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Feb 26, 2001, 8:53:31 PM2/26/01

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Are the hulls allelopathic, or is it something secreted by the plants
roots? I have a bird feeder with several inches of hulls under it with
millet, wheat, oats and whatever else there are in bird seed growing in
it as well as grass. The adjacent planter full of grape hyacinths that
gets lots of hulls in it is doing great. But anything I plant under
sunflower plants where there are no hulls come up stunted. It's not a
shade problem, I had the sunflowers in a single east-west row so there
was plenty of sun on the ground under them. In years that I don't grow
sunflowers, things grow fine in the same spot.

Lorenzo L. Love
http://www.thegrid.net/lllove

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
Cicero

Ann

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Feb 26, 2001, 9:30:08 PM2/26/01

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"Lorenzo L. Love" <lll...@thegrid.net> expounded:

>Are the hulls allelopathic, or is it something secreted by the plants
>roots? I have a bird feeder with several inches of hulls under it with
>millet, wheat, oats and whatever else there are in bird seed growing in
>it as well as grass. The adjacent planter full of grape hyacinths that
>gets lots of hulls in it is doing great. But anything I plant under
>sunflower plants where there are no hulls come up stunted. It's not a
>shade problem, I had the sunflowers in a single east-west row so there
>was plenty of sun on the ground under them. In years that I don't grow
>sunflowers, things grow fine in the same spot.

I have no grass under my feeder, yet the birdseed that falls does
manage to sprout. You can grow bean plants up sunflower stalks,
doesn't seem to harm them any. All I can offer is personal
experience, and what I've heard from many people with bird feeders and
gardens. Might depend on the type of sunflower seed, too, I've heard
the black oil hulls don't cause as much damage as the striped ones.

Roger Taylor

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Feb 28, 2001, 1:12:05 AM2/28/01

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I use uncomposted hulls of black oilseed type sunflower seeds for mulch in
several areas of my garden, and everything does fine - in fact the agapanthus
seem to grow better with 2-3 inches of seed hulls under them, versus unmulched
areas.

King Pineapple

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Feb 28, 2001, 2:18:10 PM2/28/01

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Setzler <chri...@psknet.com> wrote in message
news:3A9A445A...@psknet.com...

> That is exactly right, and if they are from bird feeders, there won't be
salt
> on them either.

That's what *I* thought, but I spilled a bunch of bulk sunflower seed for
birds from my car onto the icy driveway, and the seeds melted holes thru the
ice!

Craig

BobMac

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Feb 28, 2001, 6:48:12 PM2/28/01

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If they're black, they can do that. They absorb heat from
the sun much better than the ice or snow.

I remember many years back, there were ice jams on one of
the rivers in the American midwest. They scatterd coal dust
with cropdusters, to weaken the ice.

BobMac

King Pineapple

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Mar 1, 2001, 10:36:00 AM3/1/01

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BobMac <rom...@home.com> wrote in message news:3A9D9083...@home.com...

> King Pineapple wrote:
> >
> > Setzler <chri...@psknet.com> wrote in message
> > news:3A9A445A...@psknet.com...
> > > That is exactly right, and if they are from bird feeders, there won't
be
> > salt
> > > on them either.
> >
> > That's what *I* thought, but I spilled a bunch of bulk sunflower seed
for
> > birds from my car onto the icy driveway, and the seeds melted holes thru
the
> > ice!
> >
> > Craig
>
> If they're black, they can do that. They absorb heat from
> the sun much better than the ice or snow.

On a cloudy day?

BobMac

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Mar 1, 2001, 11:37:47 AM3/1/01

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Yes, even on a cloudy day there will be a difference.

BobMac

3 Sigma

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Mar 1, 2001, 1:01:03 PM3/1/01

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Gee, anybody ever think about TASTING the sunflower seeds? I did. No salt.

--

Larry F. Robinson
robinso...@home.com
fax or voicemail: (510) 401-3282 ext 2169

"BobMac" <rom...@home.com> wrote in message

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King Pineapple

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Mar 1, 2001, 7:06:33 PM3/1/01

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BobMac <rom...@home.com> wrote in message news:3A9E7D2B...@home.com...

Even when the high temp is in the teens?

StellrJ

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Mar 2, 2001, 9:35:56 AM3/2/01

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>Yes, even on a cloudy day there will be a difference.

This is the same mechanism seen in mountains, where the snow melts from around
the trees, but remains on open ground. The trees are darker than the ground,
and actually collect heat. It is referred to scientifically as "black body
effect."

Jason Hernandez
Naturalist-at-Large

to email me: my isp is not actually red

BobMac

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Mar 2, 2001, 10:09:52 AM3/2/01

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In my experience, it will make the most difference on an day
around freezing, with bright sunshine, but the colour of the
ground, In My Experience, will always make a great
difference to the rate of heat absorbtion.

BobMac

Setzler

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Mar 5, 2001, 11:17:11 AM3/5/01

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When I lived in Montana I saw people tilling their gardens in the snow so that
that the dark ground would absorb more heat.
susan

Carol Dickinson

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Mar 11, 2001, 12:34:34 AM3/11/01

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So do black stones, ashe from the fireplace, wood chips, and anything
else that will absorb heat from the sun. I've seen batteries, plastc
jewelry, keys, and lots of other things do it too.

Carol

BobMac

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Mar 23, 2001, 10:48:47 AM3/23/01

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Carol, saw it yesterday on the trail I was running: section
had rotten ice on them, with sticks and leaves sunk an inch
or two deep into the holes they had melted..

BobMac