Contents:
- How to use sulfur?
- How to make Californian liquid?
At a time when the excess of chemicals destroys the natural environment and has a harmful effect on ourselves, we are increasingly turning to natural plant protection products. Easily available and versatile sulfur is mainly used as a fertilizer and fungicide, but it has a wider application.It is an insecticide that is non-toxic to humans, animals and bees. Sulfur-based preparations can be used to combat mites, spider mites, thrips, ticks and arachnids.
How to use sulfur?
Oil-based plant protection productswith the addition of sulfur have been used by growers to fight pear honey for a long time. In the leafless period until the bud breakage stage, we can spray a mixture of paraffin oil (10 l) with sulfur (5 kg) per hectare of orchard. This treatment destroys the eggs and larvae of the pests, covering them with an oxygen-impermeable coating.
Californian liquidis a sulfur-lime preparation, known in Poland for a long time. Currently, it is not a registered plant protection product in our country. It is not commercially available and cannot be purchased in the store. According to the law, however, we can use this measure in organic farming and in amateur horticulture. Californian liquid is used in orchards, inter alia, to fight the spider mite.Apart from the undoubted advantages, this preparation also has several disadvantages: it causes corrosion of the equipment used for spraying and clogs the filters, destroys useful fauna, and improper spraying can burn trees.
How to make Californian liquid?
Preparation method
Californian liquid is made of freshly burnt lime, sulfur and water in the proportion of 1: 2: 10 (i.e. 1 kg of lime, 2 kg of sulfur per 10 l of water).
- a metal vessel is heated 1/3 of the water, and when it is lukewarm, lime is added. Bring the mixture to the boil and slowly pour in the sulfur, then cook until the preparation becomes yellow. Then you need to add the rest of the water and cook for another hour, stirring constantly.
Disinfection of tunnels and greenhouseswith sulfur dioxide is a simple method of disinfection known even in ancient times.
This treatment is carried out after the end of the vegetation period of plants, necessarily at a temperature higher than 10oC.Carbonated facilities must be carefully sealed. Pour sulfur into metal dishes, in a ground or granulated form, mixed with kindling (ethyl alcohol or potassium nitrate) and set it on fire. Due to the high toxicity, great care should be taken to ensure that sulfur compounds do not leak outside to the crops, and to stay out of their reach. 24 hours after disinfection, the premises should be aired.
