Dormant Spray

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!! This is my first Bonsai winter. I have read that a mixture of lime sulfur and water are used during winter to help control pests and diseases. My question is, when using a mixture of Lime Sulfur and water, is just the foliage sprayed? What about the soil? Whats the best ratio of Lime Sulfur and water to use? I have 3 Junipers , 2 Tridents , a Cape Honeysuckle and a Yaupon Holly. Thanks, Joe

Different sources cite dilutions between 1:25 to 1:50. That's one of Lime-Sulphur to twenty five of water etc. I've not used it myself but watched Japanese nurserymen inverting large potted bonsai and dunking them into huge barrels of it. They held them, with the soil out of the mixture for a few seconds and then righted them and put them back on the bench. They were doing this in February.

Applying lime sulfur as a winter drench in those (or any) proportions fits well into the FWIW* department.

*For What It's Worth = not much

Lime sulfur is a fungicide, so it's going to be effective at temperatures when fungi are active. It's also a preventative spray, so it has to be applied before fungi penetrate foliage. That would make early spring the best time to apply.

Thanks everyone!!

Nina...any guidance on dilution ratio for the lime sulfur?

I don't have a bottle handy. I follow the label. I know some people have lime sulfur that they siphoned out of someone's bottle decades ago and use straight up for jin and shari!

http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics%20Bonsai%20MythsLimeSulphur.htm John , this might help.