In message , Nick Maclaren
writes
In article ,
Alan Gould wrote:
In article , Martin Brown
writes
Though many of the would be Organic growers indulge in extremely
dangerous kitchen sink chemistry based on dubious recipes using
"natural" toxic ingredients on the web. Among the more dangerous ones
are those based on tobacco. It isn't all that hard to extract enough
nicotine from one or two cigarettes to kill a human if you use the right
solvent. And nicotine carries mosaic virus which is quite promiscuous in
the plants it will infect.

The use of nicotine is banned by law in any form of horticulture.

That doesn't stop people trying to do this at home. The web is full of
silly recipes for various unlicenced dodgy brews that are really scary
given that they may be made in a kitchen.

In favour of ones that fill the pockets of the agrochemical companies
and cause much worse damage to the environment. Yes, nicotine is
seriously poisonous, but that's not the reason it was banned. It
was banned because it isn't patentable, and no company was prepared
to spend 6 figures on getting it permitted.

And nicotine does NOT carry any form of virus, though tobacco may.
I have no idea whether alcohol extraction will kill the virus.

It didn't. There was some trouble with it in the old days when it was
used. These days orchid growers are paranoid about not having anyone
smoking in their greenhouse. Apparently the live virus can be dispersed
in smoke.

However, it is nonsense to worry about that too much, as the virus
is common in the UK and spread by aphids.

Indeed. Though in a controlled greenhouse environment it can be kept
out.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown