sunflower seed shells toxic to plants? - Ask Extension
Due to the hard winter I fed over 200 pounds of black oil sunflower seeds to the birds & the shells are very deep below the feeders. The ground i...
Knowledgebase
sunflower seed shells toxic to plants? #553001
Asked April 13, 2019, 11:18 AM EDT
Due to the hard winter I fed over 200 pounds of black oil sunflower seeds to the birds & the shells are very deep below the feeders. The ground is bare because the area was tilled last fall in preparation for dwarf fruit trees & a few wild flowers to be planted this spring. Can the shells be tilled in or should they be removed?
Freeborn County Minnesota
Expert Response
Try to pickup as many sunflower shells as possible. All sunflower shells contain allelopathic toxins that prevent other
seeds from germinating. Consider feeding sunflower hearts instead because they contain almost no shell shell.
