Lime Sulfer? Say what @#$%!

[The Specimen]

Hi

I went into the paint section at Bunnings today and asked for "lime sulfer"

Is it called something else as they had no idea what I was talkiing about?

Cheers.. oh yea and is there a special way to apply it?

[kcpoole]

You will find it in the Gardening section. Yates Brand in a Little yellow bottle 500ml?

Dilute 50 % and paint on. Do not spill on the soil surface and do not let the painted section get wet for a week
Ken

[Andrew F]

do not let the painted section get wet for a week
Ken

Why is this ken?

[Andrew Legg]

... and don't get it on your pots!
... and don't do it inside!

[Matthew]

stock up now because some nut behind a desk in the USA has banned it in most states

[bodhidharma]

And ya gotta spell it right..Sulphur or Sulfur depends which country you are in.

[kcpoole]

do not let the painted section get wet for a week
Ken

Why is this ken?

Undiluted it will kill the tree.
When the tree is watered, if you wet the recently sulphured bit, it will wash off and then kill the tree
Happened to one of mine after i carved the trunk / Jins and painted them with LS. Let my watering system spray all over them, and a few weeks later the tree turned up its toes

I then found out you should only water the soil and not any foliage / trunk

Ken

[Pup]

G,day all I have read with interest this thread. I have used Lime Sulphur on my trees as a preservative, for 25 plus years always at full strength. Never letting it touch live wood or the pot.

If the wood you are treating is still green IE as in the sap is still flowing, and the wood is still healing the damage caused by you carving. You risk the mixture getting into the sap flow.

I let mine die or dry out for at least 1 year, the drying of the wood gives you a much better finish in the cracks of shrinking wood. I use paintbrushes of differing sizes from the art section or craft section, of the Big green shed.

Where you get lime sulphur in the Garden section.

Cheers Pup

[MelaQuin]

Pup is quite right tho I leave my carving for 6 months before painting with lime sulphur. It is vital not to get it on open wounds.

If you use a wood preservative use it before lime sulphur and after a couple of days apply lime sulphur. I have found the wood preservative tends to leave a shiny surface and the lime sulphur cuts that and the two work together. I don't bother with a wood preservative on woods like elm and olive unless the carving or deadwood is extensive but in due course I will be applying both to a Port Jackson fig with extensive deadwood as that is a very soft wood.

When I started in bonsai in 2000 it was recommended that deciduous trees be given a 10% lime sulphur treatment when they were bare to get rid of any bugs living under the bark. I found the easiest way to do this was to do it when I was root pruning the tree. I would do the soil removal and root prune, turn the tree upside down, give it one hell of a go with a spray of lime sulphur until every branch and the trunk was saturated, being very careful how I sprayed any surface roots, then hang the tree upside down between two pieces of wood with the root spread holding it in place. I placed newspaper on the ground under the tree to absorb all the drips and wet newspaper over the roots to keep them from drying out and on to the next tree. By the time the third tree was pruned and sulphured the first was dry and ready to be turned upright and potted with no threat of getting lime sulphur into the root system.

Allegedly, once the lime sulphur is dry it can't compromise the roots but I would take care in watering for several days to make sure. This is not something you do when rain is coming unless you have undercover protection. Better care and a live tree than slack and a dead bonsai.

[Paul W]

OMG!!! Sounds like I have killed my tree,about two weeks ago I carved out a crab apple that had some rot in it and even went into some live wood as soon as I had finished I painted it with neat Lime Sulphur, now you guys tell everybody to be careful with it, I had no idea it would get into the root system,
The tree looks alright now and is even putting new growth on so maybe it might be alright (fingers crossed)
Is there anything that I can do maybe does it up with some seasol for a week or two.
I don`t really understand why is is so lethal because I grow orchids and have for years put sulphur on any cuts from trimmed leave etc and we dose with lime very regularly to adjust the PH so why is lime sulphur so deadly.
Would appreciate some help please.
Paul

[Paul W]

Just an update on my Crab Apple that I painted with neat lime sulphur on old wood and new wood, it is now over three weeks and the tree is shooting out everywhere, so I do not know whether it is good or it is on its death rattle.
I have got everything crossed as you guys have got me really worried.
Paul

[witchstreet]

Hey Paul, how's that crabapple coming along? Is it still alive?

[Paul W]

Yes witchy,looking good but probably not as good as you.
I did what Pup suggested kept it dry.

[Dario]

I read that about it being banned in the US to Mathew. Hope it doesn't happen here!
Cheers, Dario.

[Paul W]

Hi Wichstreet, Just an update on my crab apple, seeing you were interested,painting the new and old wood had no effect at all on the tree is shooting out everywhere , looks better than it ever did,the other guys really had me worried but maybe it is this time of the year and all the rain we have had in Sydney