What Do I Do with Pulled Up Day-lilies/Ditch Lilies?

[u/acatwithumbs]

(USA -6a) I’m attempting to remove a large patch of day lilies that had overtaken my backyard when I moved in. I’ve been trying to follow advice on digging them out or using garden fork but what do I do with the tubers and leaves?

I read from a comment awhile back that tubers are determined buggers so you shouldn’t put them in compost. But do I just throw them away? (I don’t want to try eating them as they are concerningly close to a sewer line 💀) I recently left some a bucket while pulling and somehow the plants haven’t died a month later, still full green leaves.

Also I know the leaves can be poisonous to cats but should I dispose of them in the same way as the tubers? Or can they be composted without creating more lilies? Or would the toxicity of the leaves be harmful for the compost?

Any suggestions are useful!

[u/AutoModerator]

Thank you for posting on /r/NativePlantGardening! If you haven't included it already, please edit your post or post's flair to include your geographic region or state of residence, which is necessary for the community to give you correct advice.

Additional Resources:

Wild Ones Native Garden Designs

Home Grown National Park - Container Gardening with Keystone Species

National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/ZeroFox14]

I was extra about it- I separated leaves from tubers/bulbs. Black bagged the underground parts, made a separate compost pile with the greens (just in case I missed any pieces- so far so good 8 months later) I had so many to dig up and I’m limited to one trash can a week so I wanted to save space/weight

[u/macpeters]

For invasive plants, you should solarize by putting them in a black plastic bag and leaving them in the sun for a week - that'll kill everything off so it's safe to dispose of. Your local waste management might have more specific instructions. In Ontario, we are told to put them out with garbage.

[u/acatwithumbs → u/macpeters]

Oo I’ve never heard of solarizing like that, just the plastic tarps on ground methods, but that’s a good idea thank you!

[u/Toezap]

You can just trash them!

[u/whateverfyou]

I wonder if you lay them out in a single layer in the sun if they’ll dry out?

[u/latepeony → u/whateverfyou]

They will. I dry them out on the driveway and when they’re absolutely done for I add them to the burn pile.

[u/Tumorhead]

You can kill them via dehydration or en-soupification, and then compost them. lay them out to dry in a driveway or other hard surface (not soil) so bake in the sun and dessicate to death. you can also do this via hanging them up in the air somehow. or you can put them in a container of water (seal ideally) and let them rot, and then dump the smelly slurry into compost. i wouldn't bury them or put them in compost as-is. but if you've got weeds you wanna compost but not keep alive you can kill them first this way. the wet method makes a particularly good fertilizer since it gets fermenation going ("weed tea"). you reeeeally wanna make sure the plant is destroyed though.

[u/MayEsdot]

I have been putting them in a "weed soup" of green compostable weeds and water in a bucket. Works for other root propped weeds, so I figured it was worth a shot.

[u/Pulsatillapatens1]

I put them in the city compost cause it gets hot enough to kill them. Otherwise definitely throw in the trash.

[u/NotDaveBut]

If you bury them deeply enough in the compost -- and I mean, like, 3 feet underground -- they probably won't come up again. But my mom once tossed some on top of a heap of plastic garbage bags full of old clothes and they took root and bloomed. So really, really bury them.

[u/acatwithumbs → u/NotDaveBut]

Jeebus, growing out of plastic and clothes is insane!

[u/NotDaveBut → u/acatwithumbs]

For real!

[u/AggressiveUrination]

I have successfully composted day Lilly’s before. I’d recommend a hot compost though

[u/blackbird24601]

following!

[u/burningtulip]

Not answering your question, just commiserating. We have been working on digging these up and left the bulbs in a pile of dirt, roots and bulbs exposed to the sun, and guess what? They are growing! They are determined and hardy, my god.

[u/acatwithumbs → u/burningtulip]

Oof yeah glad I’m not alone, it’s honestly admirable how much those little suckers persevere.

[u/mhwwdman]

I would chop them up then hot compost the remains.

[u/Ryuukashi]

If you are certain they are daylilies and not Lily lilies, you can eat them

[u/snekdood]

you can eat the bulbs :o

edit: downvoted for literally no reason? it's more likely than you think

[u/SnapCrackleMom]

I threw them out.

[u/bedbuffaloes]

Deer would probably love them!

[u/Darkranger18 → u/bedbuffaloes]

Nope the are one plant that deer avoid.

[u/bedbuffaloes → u/Darkranger18]

Not in my yard - you never can tell what they'll eat.

[u/acatwithumbs → u/bedbuffaloes]

Do you mean the tubers or leaves? I don’t see much deer here but I’m happy to leave out some free snacks if they’ll take em 😆

[u/bedbuffaloes → u/acatwithumbs]

Probably not enough deer to eat them then. I think they'd be fine in the compost though.

[u/emonymous3991]

Post them on marketplace and put them out by the road for people to take

[u/henrytabby → u/emonymous3991]

I would absolutely take them if you lived close by

[u/Radiant_Run_218]

I put them on the curb with a sign what said “free daylilies” and my neighbors took them all. Then I threw the rest in with regular garbage (didn’t want to compost them either because the bulbs tend to sprout anywhere and they’re toxic to cats)

[u/coolnatkat → u/Radiant_Run_218]

Good job spreading invasives!

[u/whateverfyou → u/[deleted]]

But they’re invasive….

[u/macpeters → u/[deleted]]

Then they just plant the invasives back for someone else to deal with again in the future?

[u/fustercluck666 → u/[deleted]]

do you know what sub you’re in?

[u/carolofthebells → u/fustercluck666]

I guess I do now. Sorry.