This week after several attempts to locate the product for treating my peach and plum trees during the dormant season for PLC and Shot leaf, I was unable to locate a local store that carry’s it. But I could find hydrated pickling lime and powdered sulphur and there are several processes online to study to prepare and assemble all the tools and materials needed. So the one I felt was most easy to follow I found on Utube by googling the subject “Making Lime Sulphur”. Since handling caustic materials are involved you need protective gear for eyes, breathing, and rubber gloves. Basically, these are the same you will need to spray it on trees. Also a critical requirement is a well ventilated outdoor cooking method. I used my Svea 7 gas fired camping stove nestled inside my outdoor Weber grill to shield the flame from wind and to provide a comfortable working station since you have to stir the mixture while boiling it for slightly over an hour until the mixture reacts and changes color from a bright yellow to a rich looking amber brown color. I suggest a used cooking vessel that you do not use for anything else is also essential. The below pics show first the initial yellow mixture at about the 15 minute point after starting to boil. The second one is the finished product after just over one hour of boiling. This is best done on a day when there is only a gentle breeze blowing away from your close neighbors as you will need to be upwind of the odor while stirring. This was my first and only effort to make it and I found the process relatively easy to do, just wear the appropriate protective gear.
did it etch itself into that pot? looks like you used a pressure cooker?
Good question, it’s an older pressure cooker remnant that I have kept for odd jobs like this, I have decanted all the liquid for future use, but left the sediments inside with an intent to use it to paint several tree trunks. So I don’t have an answer to your question. That’s why I suggest only a vessel you can trash if it cannot be cleaned. I plan to keep it for outdoor uses.
I always wanted to try this.
Hi Steve,
To answer your question,today I used the sediments in the pot as intended to paint some tree trunks. When done I cleaned the pot and did notice some a thin film clinging to the sides of the pot, so I expect it did etch. So it is now a dedicated lime sulphur vessel
Dennis