Is pipe tobacco ash any good for bonsai?

[Mike Corazzi]

Just wondering.
It...looks...like it could have some good stuff in it.

Maybe not for people, but who prunes people?

 

[jeremy_norbury]

No, I can't imagine it is.

 

[10-brink]

Lol. I sometimes ash into succulent pots. It's just carbon right? Could slow down drainage though.

 

[garywood]

Be careful, ash is alaline

 

[AlainK]

Ashes contain a lot of Calcium, but also some Phosphorus and Potassium, and other elements depending on the vegetal that was burned.

It is not recommended for plants that don't like alcaline soils, but "slash-and-burn" agriculture has been practised for ages all over the world as a means of fertilizing soils.

A much more efficient method seems to be including not ashes, but charcoal to the soil: see for instance "terra preta".

Well, if pipe tobacco is ejected from the pipe, it isn't usually totally burnt like cigarette ashes as far as I can remember: there's ashes, but also some partially burnt tobacco, and even some tobacco that hasn't been burnt at the bottom of the pipe, but should contain a lot of nicotine.

Nicotine is a natural, organic insecticide.

Ashes will provide mineral salts.

"Charcoal" will help assimilate nutriments and fight fungus.

So, smoking slowly kills, OK, but I'm not in a hurry, and I'm pretty sure "pipe tobacco ash" is a mild, organic, beneficial addition to the cultivation of potted plants.

 

[LanceMac10]

Pipe Ash? Ya' mean like this?

.........

 

[hemmy]

I wouldn't, but then I'm way more concerned about what I put on my plants than I am what I put in my own body!

Check this out on Tobbaco Mosaic Virus. It may only affect the nightshade family, but why risk it!

"Tobacco products, particularly those containing air-cured tobacco, may carry TMV."
http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/tobacco-mosaic-virus-in-greenhouses

And ewww!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22959216/

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I will force them to vape, then.

 

[eferguson1974]

Where I live the slash and burn tecnique is very much alive. But also the locals cook a lot with coffee wood or other wood. So they have lots of ashes. And they swear by putting ashes in the soil before planting squash mostly, but anything really. I had a local squash that volunteered from our ashes outside the kitchen. Stretched out it was probably 200' long but was meandering all over. Out of pure ash. So Id say some plants like ashes. The folks saying its alkaline are probably right on. And as mentioned, its high in carbon, a building block for life. Pure ash is obviously not going to work for bonsai, but a little doesnt seem like it could hurt. Except azalias and such of course. And nicotine is used in insecticides regularly, a plus for bonsai. I bet it makes no changes or helps a little, for plants liking alcaline soils. If you water well I think it will wash thru bonsai soil pretty quickly if not a lot is used. A lot might clog up your soil. I bet bnut has plenty of folks who produce ashes in their pipes.....