Content
- 1 Is it possible to spray strawberries with Bordeaux mixture?
- 2 Advantages and disadvantages of Bordeaux mixture
- 3 When to treat strawberries with Bordeaux mixture
- 4 How to dilute Bordeaux mixture for spraying strawberries
- 5 How to treat strawberries with Bordeaux mixture
- 6 Precautionary measures
- 7 How to replace Bordeaux mixture
- 8 Which is better: copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture?
- 9 Conclusion
Bordeaux mixture for strawberries is an effective preparation used by gardeners in the process of growing fruit and berry crops. Regular treatment of plantings with a fungicide will help protect plants from fungal infections and get a good harvest.
Berries can be eaten three weeks after treatment with Bordeaux mixture
Is it possible to spray strawberries with Bordeaux mixture?
During the growing season, strawberry bushes may exhibit symptoms of various fungal diseases - late blight, gray rot, powdery mildew, rust and brown spot.
Treating plants with Bordeaux mixture is a mandatory measure aimed at preventing and treating them. Spraying with a fungicidal preparation can be carried out both routinely (spring and autumn prevention) and emergency (treatment of diseases).
Ignoring the symptoms of the disease can cause crop failure
Advantages and disadvantages of Bordeaux mixture
Bordeaux mixture is an effective fungicidal agent that has a number of advantages. However, this drug also has disadvantages.
The mixture is capable of destroying pathogens in a short time
Pros:
- safety for plants;
- high level of mixture efficiency;
- wide spectrum and long period of exposure;
- antiseptic properties;
- the ability to replenish calcium deficiency in the soil and reduce its acidity;
- does not accumulate in fruits;
- not washed off by rain;
- affordable price of the mixture and ease of preparation;
Minuses:
- has a repellent effect on bees;
- toxicity of the solution;
- ability to accumulate in soil;
- impossibility of use during flowering and fruiting;
- the possibility of leaf burns if the dosage is incorrect;
- long waiting period.
When to treat strawberries with Bordeaux mixture
During the entire growing period, strawberries have to be treated with Bordeaux mixture more than once.
Experienced gardeners recommend doing this:
- In early spring (late March or early April) until the buds open. At this time, preventive treatment of the bushes is carried out with a solution of Bordeaux mixture.
- Next time, strawberries are sprayed when signs of a fungal disease appear. It is better to do this before flowering or immediately after it, that is, until the ovary forms.
- If there is a need to re-treat the plants, you can treat the strawberries again with Bordeaux mixture, but no later than three weeks before harvesting.
- The last spraying, like the first, is preventative in nature, and is carried out after harvesting the strawberries.
The last time strawberries are processed is in preparation for winter.
How to dilute Bordeaux mixture for spraying strawberries
Bordeaux mixture is a mixture of water, copper sulfate and slaked lime, which are combined in certain proportions depending on the degree of concentration of the finished product.
During the preparation of a 1% solution:
- 100 g of copper sulfate is dissolved in a small amount of warm water, after which more water is added to obtain a total volume of 5 liters;
- 100 g of slaked lime are diluted in 1 liter of hot water until a homogeneous mass is obtained (the consistency of the lime should be like thick sour cream);
- add another 4 liters of cold water to the lime solution, stir well and filter through gauze or a fine sieve, you get milk of lime;
- Stirring constantly, copper sulfate is carefully added to the dissolved lime.
To prepare a 3% solution of the mixture per 10 liters of water, you will need 300 g of copper sulfate and 300 g of slaked lime.
In the process of preparing a fungicidal preparation, in order to prevent unwanted chemical reactions, experts recommend using plastic containers, for example, ordinary buckets, as containers for mixing the components. It is also better to stir the prepared solution not with an iron stick, but with a wooden one.
Before use, be sure to check the acidity level of the solution. An ordinary metal nail dropped into a bucket with the mixture will help you do this; if the acidity is too high, it will acquire a copper color, and if the acidity is too low, it will turn blue. In the first case, lime is added, and in the second, copper sulfate is added.
A solution is considered normal when a nail placed in it does not change color.
If you don’t want to make Bordeaux mixture yourself, you can purchase a ready-made concentrate and dilute it with water in a ratio of 250 ml of the drug per 10 liters.
The finished solution should have a blue color
How to treat strawberries with Bordeaux mixture
In order for the processing of strawberries to provide the desired result and not cause harm to the plants, it must be carried out in accordance with the established rules:
- For the first preventive spraying, use a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture. This treatment is carried out until the buds open, so a high concentration of the drug will not harm the plants.
- The second and all subsequent treatments are performed with a 1% fungicide solution.
- It is recommended to treat plants using a spray bottle or garden sprayer.
- It is advisable to spray the bushes in cool, windless weather. Ideally, do this in the evening after the activity of the sun's rays has decreased. Treating strawberries with a fungicide at high air temperatures can lead to burns on the leaves.
- Strawberries should be processed in such a way that the surface of the leaves is completely covered with the preparation.
- During the spraying process, it is advisable not to allow the Bordeaux mixture to come into contact with the soil surface. Accumulating in the soil, copper can subsequently cause strawberry leaves and flowers to fall off.
Before filling the sprayer, the solution must be filtered several times.
Precautionary measures
Bordeaux mixture is a toxic substance that can cause burns or irritation if it comes into contact with exposed parts of the body, as well as the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose.
Compliance with safety measures when working with the drug will help prevent such troubles:
- You should mix the ingredients and spray the strawberries while wearing closed clothing. It is advisable to wear rubber shoes on your feet and protect your hands with gloves. A respirator and glasses will help prevent copper vapor from reaching the mucous membranes of the nose and eyes.
- It is better to process strawberries in calm weather. This will help prevent the fungicide from getting on nearby fruit trees and shrubs.
- After treatment, be sure to wash your face and hands with soap or other disinfectant, and wash your work clothes.
Following these rules will help make processing strawberries with Bordeaux mixture safe for both humans and plants.
A medical mask can be used as a respirator
How to replace Bordeaux mixture
The most common and popular analogue of Bordeaux mixture is copper sulfate.
However, this drug can be replaced with other fungicides:
- Acrobat MC;
- Vectr;
- Bayleton;
- Ridomil;
- Cuproxat.
In addition, some gardeners currently practice using organo-copper preparations instead of copper.
The list of these includes:
- Cuprozan (chomecin);
- Mikal;
- Polycarbocin.
Bordeaux mixture has many analogues
Which is better: copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture?
To determine which is better: copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture, you need to analyze the similarities and differences between these two remedies.
Both drugs are fungicides that are used for the prevention and treatment of a number of fungal diseases - rust, gray fruit rot, late blight, powdery mildew, mold, etc. The active ingredient of both drugs is copper, only in Bordeaux mixture it is neutralized by alkali.
Accordingly, copper sulfate can be called a more effective, but at the same time more aggressive agent, which, with the slightest carelessness, for example, when processed in wet weather, can cause plant burns. On the contrary, experts recommend treating plants with Bordeaux mixture at high air humidity.
The list of advantages of this fungicide also includes the fact that it stays on plants longer than copper sulfate.
The timing of the use of these drugs also differs: copper sulfate is mainly used for preventive treatment of plantings before the start of the growing season, and Bordeaux mixture is used both for the prevention and treatment of strawberry diseases.
To the list of differences we can add the fact that hermetically sealed copper sulfate can be stored for quite a long time, and the prepared solution of Bordeaux mixture must be used within one day.
The degree of toxicity of copper sulfate is higher than that of Bordeaux mixture
Conclusion
If you follow the instructions for use, Bordeaux mixture for strawberries will help you quickly cope with a fungal infection and save the plants from death. The simplicity of preparing the solution makes it possible to carry out the treatment not only by professionals, but also by novice gardeners.
