Are plants affected by passive smoking?
During one of my quiet thoughtful moments I began to ponder on the effects of passive smoking on plants.
With the ban on smoking in public places drawing ever closer I wonder what effect this will have on the general well being of the world at large.
Obviously carbon emissions are of greater threat to the world at large.
By-products of tobacco smoke have been found to harm third party inhalers but what about plants? Can they be affected by passive smoking?
It is well known that roses thrive in a ‘dirty’ atmosphere, many old fashioned varieties of rose have lost their brilliance since the passing of the clean air act in 1956 and subsequent amendments in the 1960’s.
Most nurseries where I have worked have banned smoking in the greenhouses and polytunnels, yet nobody has explained why this ban was instigated. It may have been merely to prevent piles of nub ends from littering the floor, or it could have been the fact that flammable products are used in glasshouses and polytunnels, gas heaters and various chemicals come to mind.
An old gardener I once worked with used to smoke roll ups,he told me that he threw the nub ends into a water barrel which he then used to use to fill his watering cans from. The result was a brown coloured water which he claimed was brilliant for killing off or preventing aphids. A nicotine based insecticide is not really an excuse to continue smoking and no doubt there will be somebody from the Health and Safety executive ready to pounce on anyone producing this potion.
With the smoking ban drawing near I wonder how many partners are going to extend the ban to the household leaving the smoking partner literally out in the cold. I envisage many smokers taking refuge in the shed or greenhouse, whilst it may be doing harm to their health at least the greenhouse will be free of aphids!
Technorati Tags: passive+smoking, plants, carbon+emissions, clean+air+act, roses, nub+end, insecticide, aphids, smoking+ban,