Features Of The Use Of Copper Sulfate In The Garden

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Any summer resident dreams of rich harvests and that all the harvested fruits are healthy and strong, but the conditions for this in modern gardens are often very far from ideal … However, do not despair - in this situation, copper sulfate, which has long been - has long gained fame as a fungicide that successfully counteracts the development of pathogenic fungi! Providing plants with reliable protection from dangerous ailments, it will have the most beneficial effect on the quality of the crop

When to process the garden?

Since a solution of copper sulfate is an active chemical liquid endowed with a drying and, to some extent, even a burning effect, treating young shoots with leaves with it will not only not provide them with reliable protection against fungi, but will also noticeably damage the plants. In addition, copper sulfate is endowed with the ability to act only on spores, without affecting the growing mycelium. That is why preventive treatments and treatments at the appearance of the first signs of damage are best carried out either in early spring, before leaves begin to bloom on trees with shrubs, or with the onset of autumn, when all the foliage has already fallen off. During the same periods, the trunks are also irrigated with a solution of copper sulfate - this approach helps to get rid of fungal spores accumulating in the surface soil layer, and this is also very important, because these spores are easily transferred to plants with water drops or with the wind!

But for green leaves, copper sulfate and preparations based on it should be used only in extreme cases and with extreme caution!

What is copper sulfate useful for?

Most often, copper sulfate is used as an effective and affordable antiseptic, as well as a fungicide for the treatment of fruit trees and shrubs, or for the pre-planting preparation of seeds or tubers. And copper sulfate helps to improve the quality of soil with a copper deficiency and an insignificant concentration of humus!

On soils, which are characterized by a high sand content, as well as on peat areas and areas with a copper deficiency, copper sulfate in the form of a powder is allowed to be applied both with the onset of early spring and before winter. Usually, this substance is consumed in the amount of one gram per square meter, while it is pre-combined with a small amount of the substrate. As for the cultivated soils, in order to prevent the accumulation of copper in them, copper sulfate is applied to them every four to five years with a parallel crop rotation.

Copper sulfate is used in horticulture not only in the form of a powder - a solution is usually prepared to disinfect the soil (for this purpose, five grams of powder are dissolved in ten liters of water). This measure perfectly helps to protect growing annuals from such unpleasant phenomena as black leg, all kinds of rot and fusarium. And if in the middle of summer, in the midst of the growing season, signs of inhibition of growth or chlorosis are found on the plants, they begin to water the soil under them with a weak solution of copper sulfate (no more than one gram of copper sulfate is dissolved in ten liters of water).

Precautionary measures

No matter how useful copper sulfate is, you should not use it thoughtlessly - an unreasonable approach to its use can lead to the fact that copper begins to accumulate in the water and in the fertile soil layer, and the plants treated with this tool will either receive tissue damage or burns. And the consequences for human health can also be far from the most favorable!

To avoid such troubles, it is necessary to observe both the processing times for various crops and the dosages of copper sulfate recommended for the treatments. And, of course, don't forget about personal protective equipment! Before starting to work with this substance, you need to take care of the presence of gloves, easy-to-clean shoes, appropriate work clothes, as well as a cotton-gauze bandage or respirator and, of course, glasses. And the solution for subsequent treatments must be prepared in a separate container, which does not come into contact with either drinking water or any food products.

And one more important nuance - before starting processing, it will not hurt to make sure that there are no unprotected people or pets nearby. And in order to exclude the possibility of extremely unsafe evaporation of the substance, during its use, the thermometer should not rise above plus thirty degrees!