# cinnamon question



## Eric Muehlbauer (May 10, 2011)

I just bought a bottle of isopropyl alcohol just to use as a spray on mealies, etc. It occurred to me that I could just toss in a few cinnamon sticks, and maybe it might eventually be anti-fungal/bacterial as well. I put in 2 sticks. Is this a pointless exercise? Am I just going to get cinnamon scented alcohol?


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## gonewild (May 10, 2011)

Would have been better to have used vodka.


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## Heather (May 10, 2011)

Yeah, then if it didn't work, you could at least have a drink!


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## Ernie (May 10, 2011)

Ray's site (firstrays) has a recipe for cinnamon tincture.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (May 10, 2011)

I used to put cinnamon sticks in rum....But I think I read that isopropyl alcohol is the one to spray on plants...for some reason, ethanol can be damaging.


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## paphjoint (May 11, 2011)

I use cinnamon powder on bacterial and fungal rot 

but I'm not really sure know if it works - it sort of dries up the infection if you get in there in time 

I use a 80% solution of Ethanol to treat my plants for mealy bugs works fine 



Eric Muehlbauer said:


> I used to put cinnamon sticks in rum....But I think I read that isopropyl alcohol is the one to spray on plants...for some reason, ethanol can be damaging.


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## TyroneGenade (May 11, 2011)

Isopropyl alcohol will also abstract the cinnamon compounds but will extract a different profile as this is a non-polar solvent. Whether you get the right ones I don't know... As most of the active ingredients tend to be polyphenols which are hydrophobic you will probably get a lot more of the good stuff.


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## Brian Monk (May 11, 2011)

I was under the understanding thata cinnamon actually inhibited the development of roots in orchids?


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## Ray (May 11, 2011)

Brian, powdered cinnamon is a great desiccant, and will prevent root growth if you coat them. Dipping a cut tip to prevent infection is fine, and seems to encourage branching just above it.

To Eric's question, a tablespoon of cinnamon powder will allow extraction much faster - more like 24 hours, as opposed to the weeks if not months a couple of cinnamon sticks will take.

The active ingredient in solution is cinnamaldehyde.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (May 11, 2011)

Thanks Ray...the idea was not to get a cinnamon solution in a hurry....it was more to have, in the long term, a spray that could possibly be effective on rots but would be non-toxic. Fortunately I have no rots now. That story may be different by early fall, depending on how the weather is. I have 2 sticks in a pint bottle...should I add more? The alcohol is already a tea color. Thanks, Eric


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