Laurel - cyanide

Posts

• GardenerSuze Posts: 5,692

  10 February

  I thought only a problem if directly ingested? However as with all things in the natural world we continue to increase our Knowledge. The work of Plant Heritage is critical for continuing to find out the properties of plants for medicinal use and also to find substances that may be harmful to humans that have gone undetected until now.

  I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.

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• nutcutlet Posts: 27,445

  10 February

  Never had a problem here. It goes though the shredder, presumably throwing cyanide in all directions. It's used as a much on the garden. Logs are burnt in the wood burner. Not a hint of death by cyanide.

  
  
  In the sticks near Peterborough

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• Linda60 Posts: 2

  10 February

  Thank you for your reply - shall pass on to fellow allotmenteers for reassurance. 

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• bédé Posts: 3,095

  10 February edited 10 February

  Back in the '50s when catching, killing and mounting butterflies was considered normal for a child, the Prussic Acid (HCN) releaased by crushed laurel leaves was widely recommended for the killing.

   location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
  "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

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• Pete.8 Posts: 11,340

  10 February

  When I was about 13-14yrs during a biology lesson we were given jam jars with crushed cherry laurel leaves and asked to collect insects and put them in the jar as it would make them 'go to sleep'.
  I was quite distraught when I found out that they would never wake up.
  
  When it got to the killing then dissecting frogs lesson I chose not to participate and dropped biology as soon as I could.
  Based on what I'd experienced, I presumed biology was all about killing creatures.

  
  Billericay - Essex
  
  Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
  Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

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