Bordeaux soup - formula, price and preparation

 

bordeaux soup is the name for a liquid mixture of blue galica and lime. 

It is used as a fungicide to control grapevine downy mildew . 

It is used in vineyards, orchards and gardens. 

It is most often used by gardeners and farmers whose products are organic .

The Bordeaux broth mixture is applied to the plants in the form of a spray , as a preventive measure .

Bordeaux soup is used  in viticulture, fruit growing, vegetable growing and hop growing , which means that it can be applied to vines, apple trees, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and fruit (lemon, orange), ginger, etc.

The percentage of Bordeaux broth varies depending on the plant to which it is applied.

Named after the French city of Bordeaux, it was discovered by botanist Pierre Marie Alexis Millardet. 

It was first applied in 1882, so it is considered the oldest fungicide .

Bordeaux soup - use and benefits of application

The use of a mixture of Bordeaux broth has significant advantages over other fungicides . 

Some of these benefits are as follows:

• can serve as a fungicide, bactericide and algaecide,
• it is less toxic to humans than other fungicides,
• it is easy to prepare and can be prepared by the farmers themselves.

Bordeaux soup - composition and formula

The mixture of Bordeaux soup can vary in proportions and composition.

As for the composition, you can mix slaked, live or hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) into the blue galica . 

Whichever version of lime you decide on, try to use fresh , not last year’s lime.

There are different formulas for Bordeaux soup, and the ratio of ingredients depends on the type of plant to which it is applied. 

The formula can be 1: 1: 100, with the first number representing blue galica, the second lime, and the third water. 

This formula would mean that it is necessary to mix a kilogram of blue galica, a kilogram of lime and 100 liters of water.

As for the percentage of Bordeaux broth, it depends on the type of plant to which it is intended to be applied and on the stage of flowering in which it is found. 

Thus, 0.75% is used for the vine before flowering, and 1.5% after flowering.

Bordeaux soup and sulfur can be mixed . 

This is most often done to protect the vine from the causative agent of powdery mildew .

Preparation of Bordeaux soup

It is important that when preparing Bordeaux soup, you do not add ingredients "educatively" because it can lose its fungicidal effect. 

The following instructions apply to the preparation of 100 liters of 1 percent Bordeaux soup .

Ingredients:

• 1 kg blue galica ,
• 1.2-1.3 kg of slaked lime (or 0.40 kg of quicklime or 0.55 kg of hydrated lime),
• 100 L of water.

Procedure:

You need two 100 L wooden barrels and one jute or linen bag.

• Put 50 L of water in the first barrel, and hang a canvas bag with 1 kg of blue galica on top of it. Let it stand for a day like that.
• The next day when the blue galica dissolves in the water (impurities remain in the bag) put 50 L of water in another barrel.
• Add weighed lime to it using a thick sieve. When you add all the lime and it melts, you get lime milk.
• Add the dissolved blue galica to the lime milk, stirring constantly.

Preparation tips:

The following tips refer to the steps you should take when making Bordeaux soup:

• pH testing - you can check if the Bordeaux broth preparation is pH neutral (as it should be) with litmus paper.
• Wooden barrel - use a wooden or plastic container or barrel to prepare the mixture. Avoid using metal containers as they are corrosive.
• Protection - use a mask during preparation to avoid inhaling lime, gloves, long sleeves and pants and boots.
• Harvest - if you use the mixture during the harvest season, harvest all fruits before application.

Toxicity and disadvantages of Bordeaux soup

Although this mixture is approved for organic use , 

there are certain risk factors to look out for before use.

• Toxicity to animals - it has been discovered that a mixture of Bordeaux soup can be harmful to fish and domestic animals (especially sheep), but also to earthworms.
• Short duration - it is not recommended to keep the mixture longer than 2 days after preparation. Standing loses on quality, so it is better to make the quantity you need.
• It cannot be applied during cold periods - because it can cause phytotoxicity to plants (toxic effect of a certain compound on plant growth).
• Not compatible with most pesticides - except wettable sulfur.

Bordeaux soup - price and where to buy?

You can buy a ready-made dry mix or make your own mix from blue galica and lime. 

The following mixtures are available on the Euro market:

• Bordeaux soup Caffaro 20 WP - 1 kg of dry mixture of Bordeaux soup at a price of about 50 kn. You can order it from the distributor (Poljopromet)
• Bordeaux soup 20 WP - MANICA - you can order it from the distributor Sjeme.doo
• Bordeaux soup Cuprocaffaro 50 WP - distributed by Magan Yu.