Is Cigarette smoke harmful to orchids ?

[fred]

Cigarette smoke

Is that harmful to Orchids ?

[agolley]

In my days in the industry (quite some time ago by now) you were not permitted to smoke and handle the plants. It was not so much the smoke as the feared possibility that a smoker could transfer from his hands the tobacco mosaic virus to the plants he touched. And also by handling sterile cutting instruments. Many still hold to this theory and don't like the smoke anyway. Besides the smoke is as bad for you as it is the plants. Obviously you can tell I am a reformed smoker, but without the smoke my life is so much better now for about 15 years. Hope this helps answer your question.
Andy

And think how many orchids you could buy for the money that it costs to smoke!!!!!!

[fred]

thank you I find your post very interesting indeed.

I wonder what the first signs of the virus are ?



** I also agree with agolley regarding Cigarette Smoking **

[fzzdk]

the tar from tobacco smoke coats everything it touches, i can only imagine it'd coat the leaves of orchids as well, which can't be good for transpiration.

[snowballsarebad]

I had a high school biology project where we researched this. Been a few years....but I think I do recall that the tar can indeed build up on the leaves, blocking the stomata so the plant cannot breath. Just like humans. Kinda.

[Fabolusus]

I heard that smoke can cause bud blast. I don't know if thats true or not, but I still won't allow smoking in my grow room

[Maddy]

I couldn't find symptoms in orchids, but here's a link to symptoms in tobacco plants: http://www.apsnet.org/education/k-12...text/fig01.htm

Here's another interesting link - apparently milk kills the virus (if I'm reading this right?)
http://www.apsnet.org/education/feat...ages/tmv31.htm

[pikevi]

A very interesting question, fred.

I'd have expected the plants would do well with cigarette smoke.

Unlike humans( and animals) plants are a bit more selective in absorbing nutrients or so I have read..

snowballsarebad has a valid point about tar blocking the stomata. But I am not sure the amount released is significant enough to cause extensive blockage.

The carbondioxide(CO2) and carbonmonoxide(CO) are both utilised by plants , I think. May be a Botanist can help us here.

In humans CO binds with the haemoglobin irreversibly making the red blood cells useless to carry out their funtions. Also nicotine is known to block oxygen-uptake by binding to the Hb. And the tar has cancer causing chemicals(carcinogenic) as well as chromosome-damaging(mutagenic) chemicals. Those chemicals along with the psychological dependence caused by the nicotine are the harm caused by cigarettes

Thanks for opening up this topic. Very interesting although most places don't allow smoking in Canada, especially Ontario.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

The last thing I read said that orchids do not get tobacco mosaic virus, but personally, I feel that there are just too many weak links in all the evidence for it does or it doesn't. I will sit on the fence for a few more years and a few more studies.

[robb]

fred: to answer your question; cigarette smoke is bad for orchids, yes. the problem lies in the contents of the smoke, as piveki pointed out. i doubt that formaldehyde, arsenic, and several other equally nasty chemicals, are a benefit to any living organism!

however, smoke from wildfire for example, while damaging the ecosystem obviously, is toxic mainly in oxygen deficiency, not chemical content. mostly, just think about what is being burnt, as opposed to the burning itself. fire is very natural

Nice site
Thanks for your work

[fred]

Hi Qwoterf

welcome to the forum

nice to have you with us

do you have any orchids

thank you for your nice comments

[pikevi]

Welcome to the forum, Qwoterf.