Re: Safers soap, and nicotine concentrations

Wayne Forrester (forrestr@mendel.Berkeley.EDU)
Tue, 13 Aug 1996 08:04:31 -0700 (PDT)

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Hi,
I missed the original post about using a cigarette tea. This is a
topic that comes up with some regularity on both the CP listserv, and on
the orchid newsgroup. The use of any plant extract such as cigarette tea
is very controversial. The problem is that you may risk infecting your
plants with a plant virus. Although many viruses have a very restricted
host range, others are quite general. For example, tobacco mosaic virus
is apparently quite capable of infecting tomatoes and at least some types
of orchids in addition to tobacco. I know of no studies examining viruses
in CP, but it is always a risk when applying a "tea" made from plant
products. Given the large number of effective, and relatively safe,
pesticides available I don't think the use of a cigarette tea is wise.
Just something to keep in mind.
Wayne Forrester
forrestr@mendel.berkeley.edu

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Maybe in reply to: Nexus User elliott: "Safers soap, and nicotine concentrations"