Processing strawberries with Bordeaux mixture: early spring, autumn, summer

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 infection 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 can show symptoms of various fungal diseases – late blight, gray rot, powdery mildew, rust and brown spot.

Treatment of plants with Bordeaux liquid is a mandatory measure aimed at their prevention and treatment. Spraying with a fungicidal preparation can be carried out both in a planned manner (spring and autumn prevention), and in an emergency (treatment of diseases).

Ignoring the symptoms of the disease can lead to the death of the crop.

Advantages and disadvantages of Bordeaux liquid

Bordeaux liquid is an effective fungicide with a number of advantages. However, this drug also has disadvantages.

The mixture is able to destroy pathogens in a short time

Pros:

• safety for plants;
• high level of mixture efficiency;
• wide range and long period of exposure;
• antiseptic properties;
• the ability to compensate for calcium deficiency in the soil and reduce its acidity;
• does not accumulate in fruits;
• is not washed off by rain;
• affordable price of the mixture and ease of preparation;

Cons:

• has a deterrent effect on bees;
• solution toxicity;
• ability to accumulate in the soil;
• inability to use during flowering and fruiting;
• the possibility of burning the leaves with the wrong dosage;
• long waiting period.

When to process strawberries with Bordeaux liquid

For the entire growing period, strawberries have to be treated with Bordeaux liquid more than once.

Experienced gardeners recommend doing this:

1. Early spring (late March or early April) until bud break. At this time, preventive treatment of bushes with a solution of Bordeaux mixture is carried out.
2. The 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 formation of the ovary.
3. If it becomes necessary to re-treat the plants, you can once again treat the strawberries with Bordeaux liquid, but no later than three weeks before harvesting.
4. The last spraying, like the first, is preventive in nature, and it is performed after picking strawberries.

The last time strawberries are processed in preparation for winter

How to dilute Bordeaux spray for strawberries

Bordeaux liquid 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.

In the process of preparing a 1% solution:

• 100 g of copper sulfate is dissolved in a small amount of warm water, after which more water is added until a total volume of 5 liters is obtained;
• 100 g of slaked lime is diluted in 1 liter of hot water until a homogeneous mass is obtained (the consistency of lime should be like that of thick sour cream);
• add another 4 liters of cold water to the lime mortar, mix well and filter through gauze or a fine sieve, lime milk is obtained;
• stirring constantly, copper sulfate is carefully added to the dissolved lime.

To prepare a 3% mixture solution for 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 components. It is also better to stir the finished solution not with an iron stick, but with a wooden one.

Before use, it is imperative to check the acidity level of the solution. An ordinary metal nail, lowered into a bucket with a mixture, will help to do this, which, if the acidity is too high, will turn copper in color, and if it is low, it will turn blue. In the first case, lime is added, and in the second, copper sulphate.

A normal solution is considered when the nail lowered into it does not change color.

If there is no desire to make Bordeaux liquid on your own, 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 be blue.

How to process strawberries with Bordeaux liquid

In order for the processing of strawberries to provide the desired result and not harm the plants, it must be carried out in accordance with the established rules:

1. For the first preventive spraying, a 3% Bordeaux mixture solution is used. Such treatment is carried out before the buds open, so a high concentration of the drug will not harm the plants.
2. The second and all subsequent treatments are performed with a 1% fungicide solution.
3. It is recommended to treat plants with a spray bottle or garden sprayer.
4. It is desirable to spray the bushes in cool calm weather. Ideally, do this in the evening after the activity of sunlight has decreased. Treating strawberries with a fungicide at high air temperatures can cause burns on the leaves.
5. It is necessary to process strawberries in such a way that the surface of the leaves is completely covered with the preparation.
6. In the process of spraying, it is desirable to prevent the Bordeaux mixture from getting on the soil surface. Accumulating in the soil, copper can subsequently provoke the fall of strawberry leaves and flowers.

Before filling the sprayer, the solution must be filtered several times.

Safety measures

Bordeaux mixture is a toxic substance that can cause burns or irritation if it comes into contact with open parts of the body, as well as the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose.

To prevent such troubles, compliance with safety measures in the process of working with the drug will help:

1. Mix the components and spray the strawberries in closed clothing. It is advisable to wear rubber shoes on your feet, and protect your hands with gloves. A respirator and goggles will help prevent copper vapor from entering the mucous membranes of the nose and eyes.
2. It is better to process strawberries in calm weather. This will help prevent the fungicide from getting into nearby fruit trees and shrubs.
3. 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 the processing of strawberries with Bordeaux liquid safe for both humans and plants.

A medical mask can be used as a respirator

How to replace Bordeaux liquid

The most familiar and popular analogue of Bordeaux liquid is copper sulfate.

However, this drug can be replaced with other fungicides:

• Acrobat MC;
• Vector;
• Baileton;
• Ridomil;
• Kuproksat.

In addition, at present, some gardeners practice the use of organo-copper instead of copper preparations.

The list of those includes:

• Cuprozan (homecin);
• Mikal;
• Polycarbocin.

Bordeaux liquid has many analogues

What is better copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid

To determine which is better: copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid, you need to analyze the similarities and differences between these two products.

Both drugs are fungicides that are used to prevent and treat a number of fungal diseases – rust, gray fruit rot, late blight, powdery mildew, mold, etc. The active substance of both drugs is copper, only in Bordeaux mixture it is neutralized with alkali.

Accordingly, copper sulfate can be called a more effective, but at the same time more aggressive agent, which, with the slightest negligence, for example, when processed in wet weather, can cause plant burns. On the contrary, experts recommend treating plants with a Bordeaux mixture at high humidity.

In the list of advantages of this fungicide, one can also write down the fact that it stays on plants longer than blue vitriol.

The timing of the use of these drugs also differs: copper sulphate 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.

It can be added to the list of differences that hermetically packed copper sulphate can be stored for a long time, and the prepared solution of Bordeaux liquid must be used for one day.

The degree of toxicity of copper sulfate is higher than that of the Bordeaux mixture

Conclusion

Bordeaux mixture for strawberries, subject to the rules of use, will help in a short time to cope with a fungal infection and save plants from death. The ease of preparation of the solution makes it possible to carry out processing not only by professionals, but also by novice gardeners.