The composition and principle of action of the Bordeaux mixture

got its name from the place of its creation - the city of Bordeaux. In France, this liquid has been successfully used since the 19th century. You can also make your own Bordeaux mixture. In this article, you will learn how to do this, how to dilute the Bordeaux mixture, how to use it and safety measures.

The composition and principle of action of the Bordeaux mixture

Compatibility with other drugs

According to the instructions for use, the Bordeaux mixture is not compatible with soap and other insecticidal chemicals, with the exception of colloidal sulfur. It is not advisable to mix the liquid with karbofos, with organic phosphorus compounds. The fluid can interact with systemic fungicides to enhance the protective effect and kill infections in severe cases, but there are exceptions - drugs that contain thiram. The mixture is used with fungicides such as Oksadixil, Alet, Cymoxanil, Metalaxil.

Did you know? Copper sulphate is used not only as a fungicide, it is used in the food industry, medicine, metallurgy, construction, paintwork, animal husbandry and many other industries.

How to prepare a solution of Bordeaux liquid

Let's deal with the preparation of Bordeaux liquid. For processing plants, a one percent and a three percent mixture is used, we will consider both options. To prepare a 1% mixture, it is necessary to prepare 100 g of copper sulfate and 120 g of quicklime. In a glass or clay container, copper powder is dissolved in a liter of hot water. After that, cold water is poured into the solution - five liters. In another container, lime is quenched with a liter of hot water and also diluted with five liters of cold water. Both mixtures are filtered and gently mixed: copper sulfate is poured into lime while stirring. The mixture is ready.

Important! It is unacceptable to use plastic dishes when working with lime, they will melt and you may be injured. Do not use metal containers to prepare copper sulphate.

We prepare a three percent liquid. To do this, you will need: 300 g of copper sulfate and 450 g of lime (quicklime). The principle of preparation is the same as in a one percent solution. For the preparation of both liquid options, it is advisable to take lime in a closed sealed package. Open lime loses its qualities by reacting with oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Work safety

When working with Bordeaux liquid, it is important to observe both your own safety and the safety of plants. Spraying trees with Bordeaux liquid after the flowering period leads to sad consequences: foliage burns, dropping ovaries, cracking and deterioration in the taste and quality of fruits. If treatment with fungicides is necessary during this period, use preparations that do not contain copper: Kuproksat, HOM, Oxyhom or Champion. Spring treatment of the garden with Bordeaux liquid is recommended, thus prophylaxis against infection with fungi is carried out. Moreover, Bordeaux liquid keeps on plants even in conditions of frequent rains. Gardeners are reasonably interested in the question of when it is possible to spray Bordeaux liquid. The optimal conditions for processing are morning or evening, in cloudy and calm weather.

Attention! It is forbidden to use Bordeaux mixture in strong heat or rain. This will leave burns on the foliage and shoots. It is desirable during processing to exclude hit on the soil.

For your own safety, it is advisable to adhere to the following rules:

• During the preparation and work with the Bordeaux mixture, you need to be in a protective suit, respirator, headgear, gloves.
• It is unacceptable to eat, drink, smoke while applying the mixture or in short breaks between work.
• You should pay attention to the wind, it is important that the spray does not fall on you, as well as on plants that you did not intend to process.
• If it starts to rain, work with the fungicide must be stopped.

Bordeaux liquid is harmful to the human body; it is forbidden to consume fruits immediately after processing. You can eat vegetables 20 days after processing, fruits - 15 days, berries - 25 days. But in any case, before eating previously processed vegetables or fruits, they should be washed under running water.

Storage conditions

The prepared solution of the Bordeaux mixture immediately goes into use, you can save it for a day by adding sugar to the solution (five grams per ten liters). Bordeaux mixture is stored in sealed packaging, the storage temperature is not lower than -30 degrees and not higher than +30. Do not store in open packaging, near food or animal feed. In order not to be mistaken with the shelf life, do not tear off the factory label: it shows the date of manufacture and how long Bordeaux liquid can be stored. Subject to all rules, it is suitable for up to two years.

Interesting fact! In ancient Rome, lime was used in construction as a setting material, adding pork fat or coagulated animal blood to it. This is where the catchphrase "build on blood" came from. By the way, these recipes were also used in Ancient Rus', but neither animal fat nor blood was used in the construction of Christian churches: the church condemned this. Added chopped flax, cottage cheese and decoctions of pine bark.

For more than a hundred years of use, this mixture has not received negative reviews, on the contrary, despite its venerable age, the remedy is successfully used today.

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