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Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Anyone have any experience with this?

Bordeaux mixture has been successfully used for over 150 years, on fruits, vegetables and ornamentals. Unlike sulfur, Bordeaux mixture is both fungicidal and bactericidal. As such, it can be effectively used against diseases such as leaf spots caused by bacteria or fungi, powdery mildew, downy mildew and various anthracnose pathogens. The ability of Bordeaux mixture to persist through spring rains and to adhere to plants is one reason it has been so effective. Bordeaux mixture contains copper sulfate, which is acidic, neutralized by lime (calcium hydroxide), which is alkaline.

Here is a site I found describing how to make it:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7481.html

Thanks

12/13/2007 9:24:54 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

copper is a no no for pumpkins

12/16/2007 8:41:59 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Good old Bordeaux mixure. Reminds me of lime/sulfur. Cheap but washes right off the plant which might be a good thing since these preperations often kill young pumpers.

Copper is hot stuff especially for young pumpkins (bacterialcide) which is the only time of year that a copper based fungicide would be desirable. This is one area of AG growing where the proven products are best not "improved" upon with "old school" stuff.

http://www.phyton27.com/

12/16/2007 11:36:55 AM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Just curious. Thanks guys.

12/16/2007 11:46:48 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Shannon, can you expand you answer on copper?

12/16/2007 12:01:48 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Copper is a heavy metal.....yes it kills fungi...but it also kills everything else. It does not take very much copper to kill something, then it stays in the soil. At the other place when we had the pond. 3 TBS of Copper Sulfate would make a green pond turn a beautiful clear color in a day. Then any fish, tadpoles or aquatic insects in the larval stage would float to the top. So as far as spraying this on my garden...no thanks

12/16/2007 6:30:11 PM

Clayton, Ohio, USA

It seems that quite a few heavy hitters use Kocide or Phyton 27 fungicides. Aren't these copper based products? Are these somehow safer to use than Bordeaux?

12/17/2007 10:18:42 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Bordeaux is not well refined & would probably require a higher actual rate. When things settle down here I'd like to do a rate comparison.

I find it curious that so many "organic fungicides" are on the market now & most contain copper as the active ingredient. LOL Organic my butt.

As Shannon said, Copper is a LOT more toxic than conventional DMI & contact fungicides. Strobis are even less toxic.

12/17/2007 12:15:06 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Shannon, your fish kill may have been the result of a large algae kill depleting the oxygen as it decomposes. Copper surfate works well around here for algae control in ponds as long as you don't do too much at once.

12/20/2007 4:05:48 PM

Macomb County

read about PM at http://www.bigporchpumpkins.com/

4/3/2008 2:47:41 AM