Smokes as insecticide for seedlings?

[kadakuda]

As a final result in some cases i resorted to using cigarettes as killers for things like gnats. i just got a salvia in a trade and it is infested, so it is quarantined. that said due to a very bad time crunch i put it in the aquarium when i got it that houses all my cacti seedlings. so, needless to say, they are infested and now under quarantine (if you can quarantine these fuckers). so my question. is this a safe mixture to use with sprouting cacti? i usually use a soaked cigarette in a cup of water and mist it on the soil. works great, but i don't want to mess up my cacti babies. there are some that have been selectively bred and are rather pricey

take care.

[Evil Genius]

Hi Kakadu,

normally you shouldn´t have Problems with Nicotine and young cacti. I´ve treated seedlings very often. But nicotine isn´t always effective. Especially if you only take one cigarette. What about neem? Effective and approved! bye Eg

[Guest Øskorei]

If you are going to use commercial tobacco for your tea, you should definitely avoid spraying on or near any of your plants from the Solanaceae family. Nicotine is susceptible to TMV, or Tobacco Mosaic Virus, an [EDIT] infection that can kill your other plants. Most cigarette products have been found to contain enough infected material to be of concern (no evidence that this is a problem for humans, so no need for industry regulation). If you want to go down this path of organic pesticide, you might want to grow your own, in order to examine the leaves for TMV before cooking up a tea.

Mind you, this should have no impact on your salvia (or your cacti), but only other members of the Solanaceae family

EDIT: THERE ! In case anyone was misled and missed the actual essence of the thread, being about the dangers of using such herbicides on sol, not an analysis of TMV. Phew, glad we covered that off three times, guys. Go on, tell me it's not a herbicide, but a pesticide.

Edited May 3, 2007 by Øskorei

[t st tantra]

orchid growers are often wary of even letting people smoke near their plants for similar reasons.

t s t .

[kadakuda]

good points! thankfully i caught the buggers fast enough and it is just in the salvia and the cacti seedling area. all other plants are far away

your warning is a good one and well noted!!! all my rustica/tobaccum seeds are duds, so i wont be growing my own again any time soon. for the record i am using "Moore" brand. $1 USD for a 20 pack, not bad

[Guest Øskorei]

i am using "Moore" brand. $1 USD for a 20 pack, not bad

Noooo ! Are you in the US or Europe ? In Australia, a packet of cigarettes is aroung $12 (or $10.00 USD) The fucking taxman takes his pound of flesh, about 60% on the retail price from memory.

[KlUe]

Noooo ! Are you in the US or Europe ? In Australia, a packet of cigarettes is aroung $12 (or $10.00 USD) The fucking taxman takes his pound of flesh, about 60% on the retail price from memory.

Quitting cigarettes will help cure that problem :D

[Anodyne]

If you are going to use commercial tobacco for your tea, you should definitely avoid spraying on or near any of your plants from the Solanaceae family. Nicotine is susceptible to TMV, or Tobacco Mosaic Virus, a bacterial infection that can kill your other plants. Most cigarette products have been found to contain enough infected material to be of concern (no evidence that this is a problem for humans, so no need for industry regulation)

That's a really good point, and I've heard that it's a bitch to get rid of once an area's infected. (but wouldn't that be a viral infection? Sorry, pedant I know )

[kadakuda]

judging by the name TM-V- i would think v=virus.

i am in asia, cheap smokes. back in canada it was expensive like there, 8$+ for a 20 pack.

[TheFriendlyPlanter]

The virus (not a bacteria!) is often spread by sap sucking insects like White fly which seem to realy enjoy my Nicotiana and Petunia (a close relative) I'm always checking them for any sign of virus!

I cig per cup of water seems a little weak. Try at least 3 per cup. Or soak an ash tray of butts in just enough water to cover them.

Your problem may be mites which are effectively controlled with sulphur powder but be warned, sulphur can be deadly or at least cause brain damage if smoked, as it readily turns to sulphur dioxide when burned. So be careful what you put it on.

[kadakuda]

not mites, definitely gnats. i am watching them buggers move around and procreate. neem aint that easy to find here, so i am stuck with this for now. that virus is noted! i am only growing a couple other things in that family, and they are far away so i am not too worried...unless other plants can host the virus without being harmed... i made another batch much much stronger, they still live, but not as many. i will keep it up, as i cannot flood all these seedlings, they are cacti and not all are young.