What is better copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid

Gardeners and farmers with experience have already learned to skillfully use a variety of fungicides in the battle for selected fruits. One of the best effective and best is considered copper sulfate and Bordeaux liquid.

Briefly about copper sulfate

For more than two hundred years, various means have been used to prevent the appearance of various diseases and parasites, but the most effective means are those that contain copper. To apply such funds without harm, and to have the desired effect, you should strictly follow safety precautions and follow all points of the instructions.

Copper sulfate is considered one of the most powerful and strongest fungicidal agents due to the presence of supergranules or small particles of blue color in the composition, which dissolve rather poorly in liquid. To make crystals with the correct composition, you need to mix them with a small amount of warm water, you must regularly stir the contents of the container or any other container with a spatula made of wood, then bring the solution to the required volume (ten liters of pure water per hundred grams). It is possible to purchase the product in specialized shops with a gardening theme or in ordinary supermarkets in the household chemicals department.

Briefly about Bordeaux mixture

In the nineteenth century, a botanist from France - Millard became the first person to put the Bordeaux mixture into practice. He tried to get rid of a fungal disease in his vineyard with her help.

This fungicidal agent can be made using vitriol of copper and lime milk. It is necessary to add the first to the second and mix. It is possible to buy Bordeaux mixture in specialized shops with a gardening theme or in an ordinary supermarket in the household chemicals department. Most often Bordeaux mixture is sold by weight. The extinguishing process must be done very carefully with protective gloves, special goggles and a mask that will protect your body from inhaling this agent. For the slaking process, it is recommended to use a pan with protective enamel or any other container with a lid.

After you place this product in any container, it is worth pouring boiling water into it and cover with a lid. At the end of the chemical reaction, you can add cold water to the resulting solution to obtain the required volume. Then the resulting solution should be cooled, while regularly stirring it and gently adding it to the milk of lime a little at a time. The drug you received must have light bluish tints.

Identical properties

In the compositions of both funds there is copper, thanks to which the prevention and treatment of various diseases of vegetable and fruit crops are arranged. Copper sulfate and Bordeaux mixture are excellently used in the fight against rust and stains on foliage, fruit rot, apple scab, plum and cherry coccomycosis, tomato late blight, fungal diseases, and plant mold.

Comparison. Differences

Bordeaux liquid differs from copper sulfate in that it is less toxic and harmful to herbaceous crops, is more resistant to various precipitation, and is perfectly preserved on foliage. In both remedies, the use of copper in the composition is presented as a poison, when using lime and Bordeaux liquid, the first neutralizes the copper in the second remedy.When using pure copper sulfate in rainy weather, you will cause severe and irreparable harm to the herbaceous culture. But Bordeaux liquid should be used only on rainy days. The time of using these funds also differs.

Copper sulfate is advised to be used exclusively at the beginning of the spring season, until the buds swell. Bordeaux mixture should be used exclusively until the middle of the autumn season. The disadvantages can be attributed to the fact that the composition of copper made in the spring season in a tightly packed container can remain until the autumn season, however, when adding milk of lime to it, you should immediately use the resulting solution.

The composition, which includes copper, in contrast to the Bordeaux mixture, is used for the process of disinfection and prevention of basements, surfaces made of wood and cellars. It fights well against mold on walls and ceilings.

How can you use it?

At the end of the autumn season or at the beginning of the spring season, before the buds swell, it is worth applying to trees and bushes either pure copper sulfate, or a three percent solution of Bordeaux liquid. All that is needed for its manufacture is three hundred fifty - four hundred and fifty grams of copper sulfate, one liter of boiling water, five liters of cold water. You need to put everything in one container and mix. Dilute three hundred grams of slaked lime with boiling water with water in an amount of up to five liters.

While cooling both with the solution, pour the vitriol into the milk of lime and stir regularly. It is worth considering that for the manufacture of the mixture it is possible to use only containers with a protective level of enamel, made of glass, plastic or clay. Recheck the acidity carefully.

An excess of copper in the composition contributes to an increase in the acidic environment, and this has a bad effect on the action of the agent, leading to chemical burns of herbaceous crops. To make sure of the normal amount of copper, it is worth placing a wire or a nail in the preparation for a couple of minutes. If rusty red spots form, you need to add milk of lime.

When purchasing all the components of the future solution, one protective box will contain instructions for using this tool, it says about the required copper content. A piece of paper, covered with a layer of varnish, is also put, which must be dipped into the resulting solution and, when acquiring a blue color (but not scarlet), do not add anything. Do not forget that if the concentration is incorrect, it is forbidden to dilute the solution with water. It is necessary to pour in the milk of lime.

After the foliage has blossomed, use a one percent solution to combat various diseases and parasites as a prophylaxis. Dilute the components as well, but change their mass. One hundred grams of lime is used per one hundred grams of copper sulfate.

The prepared composition is worth treating bushes and trees. In the absence of a broom, it is better to use a spray bottle intended for the garden or a sprayer, gently and thoroughly strain the solution through a couple of layers of cloth. You cannot get an effective result when using a broom to apply this solution. The droplets are large, which means that the herbaceous culture is not completely treated with the solution.

For a more comfortable use, it is possible to purchase a concentrate containing a Bordeaux mixture. Usually, there are ten liters of water for two hundred and fifty milliliters, the drug is ready for use.

It is necessary when using a solution containing copper, wear protective gloves, preferably rubber, special clothing, goggles and a mask that will protect your body from inhaling copper. Upon completion of the prophylaxis process, thoroughly wash your hands and brush your teeth.Do not forget that copper sulfate is a harmful preparation for both herbaceous crops and the human body. If you carefully follow all the advice of experienced gardeners and summer residents, as well as the rules written in the instructions, you will get an excellent result.