Nikotine is very toxic for many living organisms
like chlorine for life in general
if you use nicotine on aphids it works well if you use chlorine you
kill aphids and plant


I can't recall how many times we've been through this before,
but it is a VERY bad idea to use nicotine as a pesticide --
ESPECIALLY do-it-yourself concoctions whose potency you have no
way of measuring as which are quite likely to slop onto your
skin during preparation!

Anyway:

From: Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening (which, normally is much
in favor of so-called "natural" pesticides):

"Nicotine is a highly poisonous alkaloid extracted from . .
..tobacco selected for its high nicotine content. As
insecticides, nicotine products are poisonous to most plant
pets, including aphids, mealy bugs, scales and spider mites.
*Nicotine is also highly toxic to mammals when taken internally
or absorbed through the skin -- more toxic than many synthetic
pesticides.* (emphasis added. And, please note that WE are
mammals.) It remains toxic on leaf surfaces for several weeks
after application. Also, nicotine products may contain the
pathogen that causes tobacco mosaic virus in related plants . .
.. ."

What they don't mention because it's not appropriate to the
subject is the long-term, after-the-fact effects of nicotine on
mammalian organisms. You can get sick WELL after you have
forgotten you ever came in contact with the stuff.

From: Sunset's "Garden Pests and Diseases:"

"Nicotine sulfate

"Extracted from tobacco plants, nicotine is so poisonous that
it's not available to home gardeners in its pure form.
Suppliers sell only nicotine sulfate, a formulation that's
slightly less toxic but still potentially fatal if inhaled,
ingested, or absorbed through the skin. . . . Nicotine kills
soft-bodied sucking pests . . . ."

snip


so fungi live evyrwhere some of them are sensible to some
chemicals some are not

AND, some of which (fungi) are especially important to the GOOD
health and well-being of plants (including your bonsai).

snip

I might also add here that nicotine not only kills BAD bugs, it
kills good ones, too -- and, maybe, your cat.

There are so many, properly prepared, well-tested,
environmentally safe (when used properly) pesticides available
today, I can't imagine why anyone would be so stupid as to play
with fire of this type!

BIG snip.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - WISHING
that people would snip their messages. I deleted "two feet" of
junk material from the end of this message!

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