Using Daffodil remains as part of Organic matter

[KVFilms]

Hi All,

I bought a bag of Daffodil bulbs the other year, which never found their way into the garden, subsequently, I found them in the garage today, dry to more or less crumbly, flaky dust, nothing green or living about them.

I know that Daffodils are poisonous, as living, growing, flowering bulbs, but what about after that, when they are well beyond use as bulbs and are desert dry, flaky, crumbly brown remains?

Can I put them on the garden as O/M along with the grass cuttings and manure, on ground where I grow edible veg/ fruit etc?

Thanks

[brooklyn1]

Why not sell such a valuable commodity on ebay.

[KVFilms]

Too late for that. Is it safe to use as part of the organic matter? as I'm growing edible foods on that ground. I thouhght better to use it for something rather than send it to landfill

Thanks

[Jeff Thies]

You may not get a definitive answer.

It appears that daffodils are poisonous to other plants as well as a animals.

It's hard to say just how harmful the alkaloids and amino acids would be, but since it is a relatively small amount of organic matter, it won't matter a great deal if you toss them or compost them. Safest option is to toss them.

I have them in large numbers here, as they are basically woodland flowers, but they are segregated from other plant life (whether accidentally or if they contributed to other species demise I do not know).

Jeff

[Billy]

That was a jolly romp. No definitive answer here I'm afraid, unless the absence of proof is a vindication. Wild daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus - L.) are said to contain more lycorine than domesticated daffodils. Narcissus pseudonarcissus - L. is a medical herd used as an astringent, and an emetic.

I found no reference to soil contamination from daffodils, nor assimilation by other plants. Toxicity in plants isn't unusual

but the toxicity doesn't seem to be transferable.

I wouldn't worry about composting the remains of your daffodils, or using their bed for use in food crops.

[Billy]

Jeff, can you give me a citation on the toxicity of daffodils for other plants. You may want to look at for a description of the compound in question, lycorine. The term poisonous, I feel, is an unfortunate term, since to me, poisonous means deadly. Apparently, to the greater world, it means something that elicits an unfortunate response. The ultimate question is can this toxicity be transfered from the daffodil to food crop, which I have tried to answer in my own post on this subject.

Anyway, a citation, please, if you have it.

Thank you,

[brooklyn1]

Daffodils as they reproduce crowd out other plants.

Citation:

[Billy]

That was a jolly romp. No definitive answer here I'm afraid, unless the absence of proof is a vindication.

Wild daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus - L.) are said to contain more lycorine than domesticated daffodils.

Narcissus pseudonarcissus - L. is a medical herB used as an astringent, and an emetic.

I found no reference to soil contamination from daffodils, nor assimilation by other plants.

Toxicity in plants isn't unusual

but the toxicity doesn't seem to be transferable to other plants, or unless it is consumed.

I wouldn't worry about composting the remains of your daffodils, or using their bed for use in food crops.

[Jeff Thies]

I didn't see anything regarding transferring toxicity, it would seem unlikely.

I did find this:

are not only poisonous to people and animals, they are even poisonous to other plants. When you place them in a bouquet of flowers, the other flowers will wilt. So if you give your mom daffodils for Easter, keep them in a vase by themselves.

I have no idea of any implications of that, but it caught my attention. That would be entirely different than growing them amongst other plants.

Jeff

[Billy]

Thanks. No one else mentions this, and there is no finding Traute, sie ist weg.

[Jeff Thies]

You are more than welcome. Daffodils appear to have a lot of calcium oxalate, not really harmful to animal life, but there are some ties to wilting. Ah, found this:

using daffodils in arrangements with other flowers, place them in tepid water for a few hours. Their sap contains calcium oxalate, which will shorten the lives of other cut flowers if the daffodils aren't first conditioned separately.

Kidney stones are largely made of the same mineral, but it seems highly unlikely that daffodils will cause any hazard to animal life through any possible transfers, the alkaloids appear to be the concern. It also seems that little "leakage" is likely from daffodils to neighboring plants. So, *probably*, nothing to worry about!

What I like about them, and mine are all of the wild variety, is that their flowering and growing season is largely before any other plants. Hence they can be grown very successfully in areas that will be quite shady later. Not where you would grow vegetables, but a habitat I have in abundance!

Jeff

[Billy]

So it appears that the daffodile is prepared to defend herself against other plants (oxalic acid), and animals (lycorine), and look pretty while she does it ;O)

[Doug]

They don't seem to be toxic to grass, dandelions, dock, or mint as I have all the above growing right next to or among my daffodils. -Doug

[brooklyn1]

That's funny... I don't think any plant is toxic to dandilions. LOL