GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

14-07-2004, 12:23 PM

Nick Maclaren wrote:

In article ,
(sarah) writes:
|
| My old copy of _Organic Gardening_ suggests the use of a nicotine
| solution (from soaked cigarette filters) to dilute the soap if you want
| something really vicious.

It is illegal, but more to protect the monopolists than for safety.
However, this IS one of the effective, organic, biodegradable
pesticides that is SERIOUSLY dangerous to humans. Be careful.
Be very careful.

Soaking used cigarette filters in water is probably inefficient
enough not to be a major danger, but extracting it efficiently is
easy, and nicotine is poisonous enough that it should be handled
only by those used to handling dangerous chemicals. This does not
include me.

I believe in the last line of my .sig :-)
In The Good Old Days we used to shred cigarettes to make nicotine
solution to narcotise leeches and other aquatic inverts; I wonder what
they use now?

Rhubarb leaf extract is nothing like as poisonous, but still needs
handling with care.

My rhubarb is still using its leaves -- I want lots of it to make jam
later in the year!

all the best
sarah

--
NB. Note change of *usenet* email address:
'amitiel.demon.do.uk' will soon cease to function.
My other email address will remain valid.
Think of it as evolution in action :-)