Rhubarb, or Rheum rhabarbarum is a tasty spring and early summer treat. But only the stalks are edible. The level of oxalic acid is so high in the leaves that they are poisonous and cannot be eaten.
But that doesn’t mean that they need to be tossed in the trash. Here are 7 great ways to use rhubarb leaves:
Can You Compost Rhubarb Leaves
It is perfectly safe to compost rhubarb leaves. Most of the oxalic acid will be broken down and the poison is not transferred to other plants through the soil, nor will it affect soil microorganisms. Go ahead and throw rhubarb leaves in your compost. They will decompose and help to build your garden soil.
And did you know that you can also compost weeds? There are some things to consider, but they can be safely composted.
Can rhubarb leaves be composted?
Yes, it is perfectly safe to compost rhubarb leaves. They will decompose and help to build your garden soil.
Use Rhubarb Leaves as Mulch
The leaves of rhubarb can grow quite large which makes it easy to just lay them down as mulch between plants. They do a nice job of temporarily blocking weeds. They do decompose quickly and will need to be replaced. And like composting them, it is perfectly safe to use them in the garden. We love to use them in our lasagna garden.
Make a Bird Bath
Have you heard of hypertufa? It’s a lightweight faux rock and can be used to make flowerpots or bird baths. A form is needed, and for my birdbath I used a large rhubarb leaf. Learn how I did it here. It’s a fun project!
Create Stepping Stones For Your Garden
Stepping stones are an attractive addition to your garden and help to keep your soil from compacting. Learn to make your own using rhubarb and other large leaves from Garden Therapy.
Organic Garden Pesticide
Yes, rhubarb leaf can be used to make an effective, organic pesticide. It’s easy to make and can be used to control leaf eating pests. Just be sure not to use it right before harvest because rhubarb leaf is poisonous. Learn how to make it at Reformation Acres.
Mordant for Dyeing Fibers and Fabrics
For those of you who’d like to try your hand at dyeing fabric with plants, rhubarb may be just what you are looking for. Many plants produce color, but that color may quickly wash away. A mordant will help the color bind to the fabric. Because rhubarb is high in oxalic acid, it can be used as a mordant.
For more on creating natural colors for fibers and fabrics, be sure to check out A Garden to Dye For by Chris McLaughlin.
Clean Your Pots and Pans
So I haven’t tried this one, but the next time I burn something and can’t get my pot clean, I plan to run right out into my garden and harvest a rhubarb leaf. It is said that boiling the leaf in the pot will clean it up, spic and span!
Have you found any unusual ways to use the leaves of rhubarb?
More Great Gardening Posts
Plastic Mulch in the Garden: Friend or Foe?
Using Wood Chips in a Vegetable Garden
Growing Tomatoes: From Seed to Harvest
The Easy Way to Grow Raspberries
How to Grow, Harvest, and Cure Garlic
The Ins and Outs of Using Manure in Your Garden
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rachel moody says
i walways whated to know what to do with the leave
i have been trying the last 5 years to get my rubarb in one place, not to be
moved again so they can finally become the monster plants i know they can be. well with all the stuff that has been plaguing tthe garden not the least of which is serious illness in the family. so now i have gotten that taken care of
it finally dawned no me where to put the rubarb perrmently, never to be moved again for massive amounts of it. so then i can make tons of the stuff. idea triggered by reading your article..thank you. so after i finally finish getting the garden in , i can do that for next year
Susan Vinskofski says
Wonderful; thanks for stopping by!!!
Jerry Y. says
I was told the rhubarb leaves were poisonous? if so wouldn’t boiling them in your pots and pans leave toxins that need to be washed out?
Susan Vinskofski says
You should certainly rinse well, Jerry. Thanks for stopping by!
Marie Sherman says
Oxalic acid is the main ingredient in Barkeeper’s Friend cleanser, so the cleaning ability makes total sense.
Susan Vinskofski says
Oh, interesting, Marie!
Penny R says
Barkeepers friend is the only thing that will remove rust from my porcelain sinks. I wonder if rubbing the leaves in the sink would do that? I see I have a mission today since I just picked rhubarb!
Susan Vinskofski says
I’m anxious to hear the result, Penny!
Sunny says
Yes Marie. I wondered if the makers of Barkeepers Friend use rhubarb leaves?. I thought of drying it and powdering it. BF works great.
Jean Samuel says
We have friends with cottages and outhouses who claim putting rhubarb leaves into the hole reduces the odour. Not tested myself but would say they are reliable folks. Perhaps speeds up the decomposition?
Susan Vinskofski says
Well, that’s very interesting because we own a little cottage with no running water and an outhouse. I think I’ll be testing this out!
Kim says
Can you feed to chickens?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Kim, my understanding is that it’s best not to feed them to chickens because of the high oxalic acid content, but I have heard people say that their chickens have eaten them with no ill effect. I’d be inclined to err on the side of caution.
Kerry says
My chickens have eaten them up, too… no problems here either. And they were free range so had plenty of options.
Susan says
Use boiling liquid to clean rock?!?
Susan Vinskofski says
I’m not quite sure what you are asking (or suggesting), Susan.
Gill says
Hi new on here, thought I’d ask your followers if they know how true this is..
. boiling Rhubarb leaves and using the strained cooled liquid to spray on plants as a insecticide…
lindsay says
Could you share the recipe for Ginger Spiced Rhubarb Custard?
fluffy says
Hi Susan .
As an avid mineral collector i use the rhubarb water to clean iron stain from rock crystals.
Susan Vinskofski says
It’s so useful!!!
Debra Cannon says
Hi Susan! Haven’t been on this sight in a long time. Ahh Rhubarb We enjoy it, only wish it would grow back more quickly. A neighbor asked my husband if he could pick some, to which he said yes. A few days later we went to cut to cut our crop only to find that he didn’t just take some he took two thirds of the whole plant. That was 3-4 years ago and it hasn’t grown back very well. I have been using the leaves to mulch right around the plant, could this be a problem? Should I put it in the compost pile instead. Any others suggestions? Thank you, Debbie
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Debra; so nice to have you stop by! Mulching the plants with the leaves is a great idea; it adds nutrients back into the soil. Cutting 2/3 of the plant at once isn’t so great, although it shouldn’t kill the plant – which, of course it did not. But it may have stressed it. I’m wondering how old your plant is, and when was the last time it was divided? That should bring some new life back into the plant. That is usually done in the early spring, although some people do divide theirs in the fall. Another consideration is to make sure that you are not allowing the plant to flower. That can take all its energy, and it won’t produce as many stalks. I hope all goes well with your plant!
Bessie says
Please do NOT cut you r stems off, grab the stem down by the plant and twist it a little and pull this will help the plant to recover and not leave a spot for bugs
Lily says
It is best to gently pull rhubarb so the whole stem comes away, by cutting it you are leaving a nice juicy piece to rot and attract bugs and disease..
Jill says
We have a smallish tree that gets infested with aphids every year. This year I started draping rhubarb leaves through out the tree and and on the ground around it and there are way fewer aphids than before. I don’t know if the rhubarb leaves really helping but I’d like to think so. My husband thought I was nuts when I started doing this but even he’s amazed! Can I repeat this effect next year? I sure hope so because it’s way easier than spraying insecticidal soap all over the affected branches!
Susan Vinskofski says
That’s fantastic, and I would say to definitely do it again next year!
Debbie Noonan says
We tend to have some bare spots in the yard after winter. I scrape the spot, mix a little seed with soil and sand and sprinkle over the spot then cover it with a rhubarb leaf or two. Keeps the birds from eating the seed then hubby just mows over it.
Susan Vinskofski says
What a great idea, Debbie; thanks for sharing!!!
Heather says
Helpful article thanks.
Yes rhubarb (all parts), WILL clean your burnt pans, BUT it can also ruin them by removing all the non-stick coating! (You only try it once!! 😮 ) They will come up immaculately clean, but you may not quite like the end result, after all?!
Nowadays, I usually cook rhubarb in a plastic jug in the microwave. Really quick and easy and my pans are safe. 😀
Lily says
I wouldn’t use them on modern coated or copper pans. I agree it works well on old style aluminium pans ( it was a favourite for cleaning the pans that came as part of a fully furnished army married quarter, so they looked as if they hadn’t been used for the three years you’d lived there)
Barry says
Rich composted manure should be put around rhubarb late fall early spring. Always pull rhubarb out do not cut out. Made my 2nd big harvest today.
Susan Vinskofski says
Thanks, Barry. I’ve been cutting my rhubarb for 15 years and the plant is gorgeous and still producing abundantly. I know many people say not to cut, but my experience is it’s just fine to do so.
Sharon says
Wonder if drying the leaves and crumbling it up and sprinkling the “powder” around the base of your house plants would keep aphids, gnats, and such away (or kill them). Think it would hurt the house plants? Might even be a good deterrent for deer for plants that they would normally eat since they typically don’t like rhubarb…?? The leaf hanging method mentioned earlier might be great for deer repellant!
Susan Vinskofski says
If the leaves are fine for use in the garden, then they should be just fine for house plants. As to the effectiveness of the dried leaves, I would say give it a shot and please report back to us!!!
Dawn Dennis says
Just wondering.. We piled some rhubarb leaves out in the back field last year. This year there seems to be a sticky frog egg like matter where we put them. Just wondering what you think it might be? thanks
Susan Vinskofski says
Without seeing that it would be hard to say, but I suspect it is part of the process of decomposition – likely a fungus that is breaking down the rhubarb. Mix the pile with some carbon like fall leaves and that should help.
Phyllis Tomchuk says
Well I have learned a lot, reading through the Rhub. Information. Mom always sent us to CUT off some Rhub. with a knife. And dont you dare pull it out by the root. ! We cut the leaves off and wore them for an umbrella, as it was usually raining when we were sent out to harvest it. The leaves were emense umbrellas. Never ever got sick from them. All 6 of us 84 to 91, are all still alive and doing well. Mother had a rhubarb patch to die for, it was next to the fence were we kept the bull pend. Access to a lot of “B. S. ” Making for the best rhubarb ever. Loved all the feedback,,, back and forth. Never had any insects in the rhubarb patch when it was CUT off. The person with aphides on a bush, spray it with Rhubarb juice. I wonder would it detour cats from my flower beds??
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Phyllis! So wonderful to hear your memories about your mother’s rhubarb patch. I especially love where you used the leaves as an umbrella!!!
Judy Malloroy says
I planted red rhubarb and it always has green stalks with barely any red. I use lots of wood ashes around it in the winter. What else can I do??
Susan Vinskofski says
If your plant has numerous leaves, they could be preventing the sun from reaching the stems and coloring them. If this is the case, try cutting back the number of large leaves on your plant.
Val says
This is the first year that little bugs are eating my zucchini blossoms. Would it be safe to lay rhubarb leaves around and under the zucchini plant? We love our zucchini!
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Val, yes, that would be perfectly safe!
Beverley Singh says
If you don’t want to use the leaves for cleaning your pots and pans cut a couple of stems and cook them with a little water. They do the job and makes your pots and pans look like new. Keeps few stocks in your freezer for winter to clean your pots. Fresh or frozen they do the job!
Patricia says
The only thing I found that eats rhubarb leaves is Japanese beetles! Strips the leaves bare! Will try several of these suggestions. Thanks for all you do, Susan!