How to use copper sulfate

How to use copper sulfate

Copper sulfate, also called cupric sulfate, blue vitriol, chalcanthite or blue caparrosa, is a chemical compound that comes from copper which, when dry, is a powder that goes from a green to a gray tone, but when it is hydrated and forms crystals, it remains a very bright blue color. It is a compound soluble in methanol, on the other hand in glycerin and in alcohol it is poorly soluble, so if we want to make a preparation with this product we must use water or methanol.

This material is used for several things but among the uses of this product we find that the most frequent is that of a fungicide, especially in plants and in swimming pools. Fungi are parasites that spread easily and can kill plants and crops, so it is good to know how they can be eliminated in a way that does not harm the vegetables. If your plants or crops have fungi or you want to disinfect your pool or any water tank, keep reading this oneHOWTO article and don’t miss any details about how to use copper sulfate for these purposes.

Copper sulfate for water

This product It is sold for domestic use in hardware stores, in garden or flower shops and in stores specialized in pool care due to its great algaecide and fungicide power. If you want to use the copper sulfate for swimming pools or to disinfect a water tank or reservoir, the best thing you can do is follow the indications of the product you have bought, since they are sold expressly for these uses.

Therefore, by following the instructions for use in terms of the amount of product to use and the frequency, you will be able to keep your pool clean and disinfected, but if you use too low doses you will not notice the effects and if you use too high doses you will damage the pH of the water. and you’ll ruin the joints.

On the other hand, although there are many ways to control pests naturally, if you want to get rid of fungi that attack your plants from the garden or your crops, knowing well how to use this product is a very good option, but you should use it in a somewhat different way than when you use it for swimming pools.

How To Use Copper Sulfate - Copper Sulfate For Water

Copper sulfate for house plants

Among the uses of sulfate of this metal in agriculture we find that this product is a very effective fungicide, especially in cases of the fungus Botrytis cinerea that produces gray mold, a cottony mass of a grayish to brown color that rots the fruits, flowers and tender tissues of plants and affects plants such as strawberries, rose bushes, broccoli, etc. It also acts against cases of the fungus Rhizoctonia spp. that causes a condition in plants known as chupadera that destroys the stem of the plant when it is still developing and especially affects chard, beans and spinach among others.

To know more uses of this blue metal and how to carry them out correctly, one of the first things to keep in mind is that this chemical compound is not for nothing toxic to plants, but it is toxic to people and the animals. For this reason, you must be careful when using it and you must leave it out of the reach of children and pets. If you expose your skin to this product, it will eliminate the natural protection layer of your dermis, therefore, to prevent this from happening you must follow these safety instructions:

  1. Cover your skin well with long-sleeved clothing
  2. Wear gardening gloves, goggles, etc.
  3. Make sure that when you use it there is no one else around you or that you are also protected.
  4. If you use it on crops, it is advisable that you wait a couple of weeks before harvesting and consuming your crops and that, in addition, you wash them very well.

Once the security issue is clear, to make a fungicide for plants with this bluish chemical you only need to get the specified amount of this metal, a spray bottle and water. Then follow these steps to use this product on your plants:

  1. Open the sprayer and fill it with 1 liter of water.
  2. Add the 20 grams of copper sulfate.
  3. Mix well until you see a homogeneous blue liquid.
  4. Close the sprayer well.
  5. This product is now ready to be used on plants and crops, as it does not need to rest before use.
  6. To apply this mixture you will only have to spray the liquid directly with the spray or sprayer on your plants.
  7. Do not limit yourself only to the parts where you can clearly see that there are fungi, it is better to spray the whole plant and put more quantity in the parts of the plant where you do see fungi, in this way you will ensure that you do not leave any fungus.
How to use copper sulfate - Copper sulfate for house plants

Copper sulfate for agriculture

If in your case you have many plants, a garden with grass or fields, another very useful way to use the sulfate of this metal in these cases is to put the mixture in a tank connected to a hose or a sprinkler.

We recommend that you start doing this at the first symptom you see of the presence of fungi in your crops or plants, especially in times of irrigation in which the environment is much more humid and, therefore, much more optimal for fungi. It is recommended to use it twice a week, especially in the times of growth of the plants, in which we water them more often.

Also, it will be good if you make sure that the soil of your plants and crops is well drained and no water accumulates that causes too much humidity, since if the soil is poorly drained, this may be the reason why fungi have appeared or even why your plants die.

Suitable times to use this product

There are several times in which its use is indicated to prevent and eliminate fungi. For example, to prevent them, it is advisable to apply the fungicide liquid to the plants or crops in the month of March, just before the leaves start to come out.

Another season in which it is advisable to use this fungicide as prevention is in the irrigation season, which usually coincides with the growth and flowering season of the plant, since it is when it needs more water and then we are creating a humid environment and, with this mineral, we will prevent fungi from damaging our plants.

It is also good to use this blue product when the leaves begin to fall as, in this way, we make sure that the new leaves come out well later, although we can wait to spray the fungicide before the leaves start to come out again.

If you have found it useful to know how to use copper sulfateYou may also be interested in other ways to kill pests of different types in your plants. For example, we recommend reading this other oneHOWTO article on how to make pesticide with tobacco.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to use copper sulfateWe recommend that you enter our Garden and Lawn category.

Advice

  • Make the exact dose that you want to spend of this product to eliminate fungi from your plants, since it is not advisable to keep it for several days since it loses the antifungal properties it has.
  • When you are going to use this mineral, protect your skin well to avoid adverse reactions to contact.
  • When you’re done using it, be sure to quickly wash your clothing to remove all possible residue from the copper sulfate.
  • Use this fungicide in times of higher humidity and at the first sign of fungus you notice on your plants.
  • During the growing season of the plants you can make the mixture with only 15 grams of this mineral.