Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 11:24:43 -0700 From: Doug Burdic <dburdic@presys.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1816$foo@default> Subject: Re: Is smoking dangerous to your Nepenthes?
Paul Temple Wrote:
> Yes
>
> Assuming the smoker owns the plants, the smoker dies (painfully) and
> the plants then die from neglect! Poor plants.
>
> (Sorry - I just couldn't resist the opportunity)
>
> Paul (Believer that Directors of Cigarette companies should be jailed
> for murder.)
Perry Malouf wrote:
>
> Chia-Chern Chen wrote:
>
> > I have many nepenthes. They have been well until 2 weeks ago....
>
> > My question is 1.Is smoking dangerous to my nepenthes?
> >
> > 2.Is pesticide poisonous to my nepenthes?
> >
> > All the 25 nepentheses die within the same week.
>
> Ouch, sorry to hear about this. Such an event in my collection
> would leave me heartbroken, too. :-(
>
> Your first question is an interesting one, and I have no answer
> from experience. I'm not a smoker, and so my plants are not exposed
> to smoke of any kind. I would find it hard to believe that the
> smoke from a neighbor's apartment, seeping in through the walls,
> would be so toxic to your plants. If this is really the case,
> then you yourself might consider breathing from a scuba unit
> while you're at home. If it affects your plants to such a degree,
> then it probably will also affect you.
>
> There must be some other cause. Has some change occurred in the
> water you are using for the plants? Are you using colored
> styrofoam in the bottom of your pots? For the latter case, the
> plants wouldn't show symptoms until their roots grew into the
> styrofoam. But even then the symptoms would become manifest
> over a couple of weeks before the plant died (depending on the
> size of the plant).
>
> You should examine the dead plants to see where the damage occurred.
> Are there roots on the dead plants? Does the potting media smell
> anaerobic? Is there evidence of fungus or other pests?
>
> Regarding your second question, I've used Orthene, Subdue, and
> Zyban on my plants with no ill effects (to me or the plants).
>
> Regards,
>
> Perry Malouf
========================================================================
Hi,
I've been a cigarette smoker for 30 years and grown CP including
Nepenthes during that time with no ill effects to my plants whatsoever.
One of the original pesticides used in early horticultural days was
Nicotine Sulfate as a matter of fact. There is a plant virus called
Tobacco Mosiac Virus which can be transmitted by a smoker's hands to
members of the Solanaceae family like potatoes & tomatoes, eggplant,
etc, but not to cp. I smoke in my greenhouse constantly and anyone who
has seen it can verify that the only damage caused to the plants in
there is from little insects, fungus, kids, cats, racoons and maybe
dropping a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket onto some new growth
which snaps off upon impact. Might be careful about alcohol though..I
don't drink, but I know the effects which can result from having a drunk
near your plants, or spilling a drink on Nepenthes..not a pretty sight.
Take care,
Doug
Douglas Burdic
dburdic@presys.com
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