Sulphur Ok?

[evtubbergh]

Sulphur is not organic but is it 'organic', as in method and ok to use in an organically grown garden?

I bought liquid sulphur and I wanted to use it to spray on seedlings for damp-off but I think I was wrong? Should I rather go find hydrogen peroxide?

[imafan26]

The NOP has an list of allowed substances for organic gardening. Sulfur is one of the oldest pesticide and soil amendment (for altering pH) and has been in use for agriculture for at least a thousand years. Sulfur in its elemental form is allowed. You do need to be careful to make sure nothing has been added to the sulfur. Bonide sells sulfur dust which you can mix with water to make a spray. You need to add a sticker to help it stick to the leaf. A lot of the over the counter stuff contains pyrethrins added to the sulfur. It is a combination that works but pyrethrins although it can be organic or not depending on what it is mixed with, is very toxic to beneficial insects.

I don't know if sulfur would work well on on the soil. If you use a sterile potting media and don't overwater you should not need it. Actinovate or Organocide might work better to treat root problems before they start. But, your best bet would still be cultural controls like clean pots, fresh soil, good air circulation and controlled watering.

Sulfur should not be applied in the heat of the day and you need to read and follow the precautions on the label.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/FST-56.pdf

[evtubbergh]

Thanks. I'll have to look those up because I doubt we have the same brand names. One of the problems is that I don't have a lot of time to go shopping and because we moved into a building site (and it's still ongoing) I don't have all the space I need. And with a baby who wakes up needing me just as I am half way preparing my pots I often just throw things together and hope for the best.

Oh and the pots tend to dry out during the day but I'm not there to water so I tend to over water a bit in the morning. It's a bit of a balancing act.

As a result I lost more than half my brinjal seedlings. And many tomatoes also died. And every single tamarillo Everything that made it is growing strongly now because they're out of the danger period and mostly in the ground anyway but the next round I'd like to prevent things from dying.

I think our Sulphur is pure though so I will try it next time.