smadams11
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Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 1:58 pm

loose tobacco okay to compost??

hi all,
I have only recently begun my recycling and composting journey so I'm unsure on some things. hope you can help!

I buy loose tobacco (ahem, 'drum' brand, ahem-just for clarity). now, I know, I know, its such a waste of money but I simply cant stand the little bits of tobacco that accumulate in the bottom of the pack so I usually just throw the last dregs away.

now I am wondering if I can compost it instead? I have read some 'for' and 'against' but all I have found pertains to cigars or cigarette butts etc......just to clarify, this is completely unused loose tobacco, and not wrapped in cigarette paper.

so what do you think? can I chuck it in the compost bin?

thank you.

before you start-I know its bad for my health, but I am concentrating on ditching the poison (alcohol) right now; ciggies are next on the list.

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rainbowgardener
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Nope. Sorry, I wouldn't. There's a thing called tobacco mosaic virus, that is a plant disease that infects tobacco plants and can also infect tomato and pepper plants. I don't know if your tobacco would be carrying the virus, and I don't know for sure that the virus would survive the composting process. But I did read this:
Tobacco mosaic virus is the most persistent plant virus known. It has been known to survive up to 50 years in dried plant parts
https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yar ... v-disease/

Dried plant parts aren't the same as decomposing plant parts. But since the virus is incurable and just means you would have to destroy any affected plants, I would rather be safe than sorry. The amount your little bits of tobacco from the bottom of the pack would add to your compost pile is negligible.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Yes. It is also why most smokers are not supposed to be near the garden and if they do smoke they need to wash their hands because the virus may be on their hands from handling the tobacco. Many plants like tomatoes have been bred to be tobacco mosaic virus resistant but not all of them are and because of the persistence of the virus, if it shows up you need to get TMV resistant cultivars thereafter.



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