AusBonsai

OK finally so I saw Yates Lime Sulfur in the garden store today however it is said to treat pests on trees..

I think it's for fruiting trees etc.. is this the right one to treat our trees to turn them white and protect / preserve the wood?

If there are better ways to treat and preserve the wood can someone please detail.

yes thats the stuff

Thanks!

I read that it needs to be applied very carefully and not to get onto live wood / pots and soil as this would kill our specimen.

So if this was made for living trees / fruiting trees etc, how come it doesnt kill those trees when applied?

Hi Specimen,
When Lime Sulfur is used for treating pests it is diluted. Have a look a this WEB site.

http://www.yates.com.au/products/diseas ... fungicide/

When I paint my carving work I use a small paint brush near the edges of the carving. If it gets on the live part of the tree it will stain the tree.

To make the Lime Sulfur spread more easily I add a couple of drop of washing up detergent to the solution. I use an old film canister and three quarter fill it with the Lime Sulfur and add a couple of drops of washing up detergent. This helps break the surface tension of the liquid so it will spread more easily.

Regards Ray

Hey that tip is excellent Ray. I was just applying lime sulfur to the shari on a bottlebrush and it was repelling so I will try to add detergent next time. cheers Ash

Ray that is awesome thank you for sharing !

The Specimen wrote:OK finally so I saw Yates Lime Sulfur in the garden store today however it is said to treat pests on trees..

I think it's for fruiting trees etc.. is this the right one to treat our trees to turn them white and protect / preserve the wood?

If there are better ways to treat and preserve the wood can someone please detail.

Yes it's lime sulfur. They prevent future decay of the wood and it also bleach the wood to a bony white color. You can also add some color pigments to produce a hue of color you want like I did with my bougainvillea (http://bongbonsai.blogspot.com/2012/02/ ... a-pre.html). Be sure to take extra care and precaution when using the substance because it is highly corrosive. Also use a brush that is soft enough to prevent the substance from spreading everywhere. It can also cause blindness so eye protection is a must.

Bong

Hi Specimen,
I have just read the comment from Bong. This reminded me of a problem I had. As he mentioned, this substance is very corrosive. I was using brushes with natural fibre bristles and the Sulfur destroyed them. I now use brushes with Taklon fibre bristles. These seem to survive okay.

Regards Ray

Hi I recently applied Yates Lime sulphur to this Fig I have due to rotting at the base of the trunk were you can see I have hollowed it out to get back to hard wood. I didnt use an colouring and I am happy with the colour of the area after useing the LS straight out of the bottle.

Regards Mick

Thanks guys for the info.. think this will arm me with confidence to work some of my trees.. and with safety in mind too!

Cheers!

.. also Bong I do like your site and the Bougainvillea

I've just got one too and it is a very nice subject though little unsure to its direction at the moment.

A friend of mine's dad had apparently dug one out of the ground with a ginormous truck with full twists and turns and its now really healthy.. wow!

The Specimen wrote:.. also Bong I do like your site and the Bougainvillea

I've just got one too and it is a very nice subject though little unsure to its direction at the moment.

A friend of mine's dad had apparently dug one out of the ground with a ginormous truck with full twists and turns and its now really healthy.. wow!

Thanks.

Wow, that will be an awesome specimen. Looking forward for the new development