Everything about Lime Sulfur totally explained
In
horticulture,
lime sulfur (
British spelling lime sulphur) is a mixture of
calcium polysulfides formed by reacting
calcium hydroxide with
sulfur. It can be prepared by boiling calcium hydroxide and sulfur together with a small amount of
surfactant. It is normally used as an aqueous solution, which is reddish-yellow in colour and has a distinctive offensive odour.
Use
Lime sulfur is sold as a spray for
deciduous trees to control
fungi,
bacteria and
insects living or dormant on the surface of the
bark. Lime sulfur burns leaves so it isn't as useful for
evergreen plants.
Bonsai enthusiasts use undiluted lime sulfur to bleach and sterilise portions of trees to give an aged look known as
Jin.
Diluted solutions of lime sulfur (between 1:16 and 1:32) are also used as a dip for pets to help control
ringworm. (Note that undiluted lime sulfur is corrosive to the skin and will cause serious injury.)
Safety
Lime sulfur reacts with strong
acids (including
stomach acid) to produce highly toxic
hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg gas) and indeed usually has a distinct "rotten egg" odour to it. Lime sulfur isn't extremely flammable but combustion produces highly irritating
sulfur dioxide gas.
Safety
goggles and
gloves should be worn while handling lime sulfur. Lime sulfur solutions are strongly
alkaline (typical commercial concentrates have a
pH over 11.5), and so it's corrosive to living things and can cause
blindness if splashed in the eyes.
History
Lime sulfur is believed to be the earliest synthetic chemical used as a pesticide, being used in the
1840s in
France to control
grape vine powdery mildew Uncinula necator, which had been introduced from the
USA in
1845 and reduced
wine production by 80%. In
1886 it was first used in
California to control
San Jose scale. Commencing around
1904, commercial suppliers began to manufacturer lime sulfur; prior to that time, gardeners were expected to manufacture their own. By the
1920s essentially all commercial
orchards in western countries were protected by regular spraying with lime sulfur. However by the
1940s, lime sulfur began to be replaced by synthetic organic
fungicides which risked less damage to the crop's foliage.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lime Sulfur'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://lime_sulfur.totallyexplained.com">Lime sulfur Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
