Tobacco tea as a bug killer?

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I Love Spuds

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Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« on: April 11, 2014, 10:33 »
Hi all,

I have made some tobacco tea to spray in my greenhouse, as someone suggested it makes a good bug killer. But before I go spraying has anyone tried this? Will it work, and more importantly will it do any damage?

I have radishes, spinach, early beets (in the ground), young; cabbage, pak choi, beets, kale and lettuce. I also have 12 strawberry plants, and a single cucumber plant (just to see how it goes!). Later in the year there will also be tom's, chillis and more cucumbers.

I'm not sure if you needed to know all that, but thought maybe some things might be effected more than others (if at all!)

Thanks in advance.
"Every time I learn something new, it pushes old stuff out of my brain" Homer J Simpson

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Aunt Sally

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2014, 10:49 »
It is actually illegal to do this under EU law, by the way.

The last thing I would put on my food is nicotine  :ohmy:

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moose

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2014, 10:49 »
Apart from the fact that the EU says we can't do this I seem to remember reading that you should not smoke in the greenhouse if you have tomatoes as they can get a virus. Don't know if that is correct and may not apply to outdoors.

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I Love Spuds

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2014, 11:06 »
Oh, OK, best write that off as bad advice/idea then! :nowink:

Makes sense not to put nicotine on plant, being highly addictive! But I wasn't sure any would be present in the actual crop though! As you can spray approved bug killers on plants, but you wouldn't drink any of it! Just playing devil's advocate btw  :D

Just to be clear, I will not be doing this, thus obeying EU law :)
« Last Edit: April 11, 2014, 11:07 by I Love Spuds »

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Aunt Sally

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2014, 12:15 »
I think that's a good decision :)

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solway cropper

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2014, 22:29 »
My grandad used to keep a bucket of water in the greenhouse and he threw all his fag ends into it. When he felt it had reached the required strength he would spray it on his tomatoes, etc. I can guarantee that it kills bugs, but then so does DDT and we all know what that led to.


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Markw

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2014, 07:38 »
I would never recommend using old cig buts for making it as they contain so many other addes chemicals while the tobacco was being processed. A traditional tobacco tea was made from a Rustica strain such as Aztec or Cornplanter due to their high nicotine content.

Tomato's, Tobacco, and Potato's just to name a few are all come from the same family of plants, and all contain small quantities of nicotine in the leaf, not so much the fruit. you can graft a tomato onto tobacco root stock for a bigger and earlier crop.

You need to use a tobacco that has very low nicotine in it's leaf. I would never use a tobacco tea made from cigarette buts. and you should remember that nicotine is highly poisonous and is easily absorbed through the skin. let alone what other friendly insects such as ladybirds you could kill.  .
“When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.”

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azubah

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2014, 08:12 »
My Dad used nicotine on his runner beans about 50 years ago when it was legal. During the next few days he found a lot of dead birds in the garden. It is very toxic.

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gavinjconway

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2014, 08:53 »
My Dad used nicotine on his runner beans about 50 years ago when it was legal. During the next few days he found a lot of dead birds in the garden. It is very toxic.

Mmmmm. I have my doubts on the birds being killed by a tiny bit of nicotine on a bean plant... probably they ate some DDT or the ants eaten that were killed by DDT etc...  just my opinion.
Now a member of the 10 Ton club.... 2013  harvested 588 Kg from 165 sq mt..

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Yorkie

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2014, 09:33 »
You need to use ...

Please remember the earlier post on this thread and do not suggest home made remedies which are illegal.
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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Goosegirl

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2014, 11:15 »
Apart from the fact that the EU says we can't do this I seem to remember reading that you should not smoke in the greenhouse if you have tomatoes as they can get a virus. Don't know if that is correct and may not apply to outdoors.
I think it is called tobacco leaf virus.
I work very hard so don't expect me to think as well.

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azubah

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2014, 18:21 »
My Dad used nicotine on his runner beans about 50 years ago when it was legal. During the next few days he found a lot of dead birds in the garden. It is very toxic.

Mmmmm. I have my doubts on the birds being killed by a tiny bit of nicotine on a bean plant... probably they ate some DDT or the ants eaten that were killed by DDT etc...  just my opinion.

Dad never used DDT. He never used nicotine again, and never had a lot of dead birds again. It can kill people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine_poisoning

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Markw

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2014, 21:43 »
You need to use: has nothing to do with  making tobacco tea. It was referring to root stock for growing tomato's
This has been shown to be perfectly safe and is used  in the States. If you read my post correctly you can  see it is not related to tobacco tea.

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Yorkie

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2014, 12:30 »
You need to use: has nothing to do with  making tobacco tea. It was referring to root stock for growing tomato's
This has been shown to be perfectly safe and is used  in the States. If you read my post correctly you can  see it is not related to tobacco tea.

The context of the thread, and the content of part of your post, is the use of nicotine for use as a pesticide.

This is illegal as you know in the EU and this forum does not condone this.  What happens in the US is irrelevant for that purpose and hence my warning to you.

Please do not continue to recommend a the particular variety, or method of growing, of nicotine in order to make an illegal pesticide.

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Aunt Sally

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Re: Tobacco tea as a bug killer?
« Reply #14 on: April 13, 2014, 13:26 »
You need to use: has nothing to do with  making tobacco tea. It was referring to root stock for growing tomato's
This has been shown to be perfectly safe and is used  in the States. If you read my post correctly you can  see it is not related to tobacco tea.

I have to agree with Yorkie the reference was to tobacco tea not to tomatoes rootstocks:

You need to use a tobacco that has very low nicotine in it's leaf. I would never use a tobacco tea made from cigarette buts. and you should remember that nicotine is highly poisonous and is easily absorbed through the skin. let alone what other friendly insects such as ladybirds you could kill.  .

I think this topic has run it's course and the OP has decided it's a bad idea so will no lock the topic.



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