[Hawthorne]

Now, I don't smoke, but I do love the scent of nicotinia flowers, and apparently nicotine tea makes a good, organic insecticide for black fly etc.

So, has anybody tried growing tobacco to use as a pest repellent / killer?  :shock:  :shock:

[gobs]

No, very serious, dangerous, non-selective toxin, which can hurt you too, one of the lasts thing you wanna be playing about with without proper detailed training and knowledge.

Otherwise, either growing it or using tobacco as processed, you can introduce unwanted viruses to your plot.

[Hawthorne]

Aah - that'll be a 'not a good idea' then!

[woodburner]

Just done some googling, and I'll second what gobs says. There's problems even with growing tobacco. Green tobacco syndrome.

See here for an interesting discussion on what is and isn't organic, too.

[Hawthorne]

OK - I'm now convinced  :shock: (and a bit scared too!) - maybe I'll pass the vintage gardening books back to my parents!

[Zak the Rabbit]

keep well clear of the stuff! very potent insecticide, and pretty toxic. I think it may even be a controlled substance as far as agriculture goes, even if not actually banned

[gobs]

OK - I'm now convinced  :shock: (and a bit scared too!) - maybe I'll pass the vintage gardening books back to my parents!

Wot? You mean you did not believe me?

[Zak the Rabbit]

OK - I'm now convinced  :shock: (and a bit scared too!) - maybe I'll pass the vintage gardening books back to my parents!

Wot? You mean you did not believe me?

i have an old readers digest 'gardeners yearbook' from the 70s, if i used the cocktail of chemicals it suggests in there i'd be up on trail at the Hague

[Hawthorne]

OK - I'm now convinced  :shock: (and a bit scared too!) - maybe I'll pass the vintage gardening books back to my parents!

Wot? You mean you did not believe me?

Now - you know that's not what I meant!

You scared me...then Woodburner and Zak came along...and now I'm not likely to sleep for the next 3 weeks  :shock:

[Zak the Rabbit]

You scared me...then Woodburner and Zak came along...and now I'm not likely to sleep for the next 3 weeks  :shock:

     

dont have nightmares...

something to think about though when using old books. If a chemical mentioned isnt common these days, then whats the likely reason? its possible it was superseded by a better substance, but far more likely that it was found to be dangerous

mind you, modern chemistry methods are bringing some of these back. An example (not horticultural) is Thalidomide. It consists of two 'stereoisomers' (that is, mirror image molecules.) one of which is amazingly effective, the other sadly extremely toxic. In the early days it was impossible to seperate them. Now we can, and its once again being used for what it was designed for. Its possible that some agrochemicals may make a comeback this way

that said, id stick to what your local nursury stocks if you need to use chemicals!