I should knock on wood before I say this, but anecdotally it seems that Sulfur + Nu Film 17 for scab control before bloom is acting as a deterrent to deer browsing.
Has anyone else noticed this? I did kind of run my finger across a leaf and lick it and it tasted pretty awful, so maybe the deer think so too?
The deer have been hitting my crabapple in the front yard hard this year, which is unusual. So I wonder if this is a result of the other apples being coated in sulfur/Nu Film.
Yes, I’ve noticed it and have made several posts here about it. The Nu-Film as far as I know doesn’t do anything for it, but the sulfur does for sure. It’s definitely not bullet proof, but it without question has a deterrent effect and it is often used in commercial deer deterrents in one form or another.
Sulfur also scores fairly decently for apple scab too, and the odor will stick on the wood for a long, long time…even to the human nose.
As far as I know, it is the best organic fungicide available for a bunch of good reasons.
I had my first “strike” by deer on my Liberty today. Which I haven’t been spraying, since it is scab resistant. It looks they are all getting the sulfur now.
I’ll have to look into the highest temperature I can spray the S at.
I’m going to guess that Surround will have a bonus effect in addition to the sulfur once I start applying that.
90 degrees farenheit. Humidity plays a part in that too they say.
Both Surround and sulphur make leaves less appetizing. I know the deer favorite “first bite” areas on the borders, the lower limbs there. They get an extra hit of any such spray. I think it pays to make the edges unappetizing, then they will just walk by to the neighbor’s yard instead of heading further in.
I don’t think either is a complete deterrent based on my memory. If you want that use pig’s blood.
What form of sulfur are you using? I have for now lime-sulfur, I only use it as a dormant spray. I use it with oil, not nu-film. No deer to worry about here.
Drew, sulphur is sulphur pretty much. I use a brand called Kumulus DF, its a powder very easy to mix. There are also very good flowable sulphur products, e.g. THAT. Bonide also has a flowable sulphur in small amounts. Note you can’t use elemental sulphur, that is for lowering pH only.
… In the process of looking up THAT I found 7 springs is now selling lime-sulphur, one of the very few places to get it on-line now. Its 2.5 gals which is an overabundance, but its the real deal and will give a many-year supply if you can keep it from going bad. I have about half a gallon of old stuff left myself and then I will be getting one of these big guys.
http://www.7springsfarm.com/rex-lime-sulfur-2-5-gallons-new/
That was my real question, as I have that for my blueberries. My lime-sulfur is 3 years old and it is remaining in solution. So hopefully it will remain good. I still have a lot! . Thanks, really good info!
I use a Bonide micronized sulfur product. I only have 13 trees and they are 2-3 years old, so I don’t need much at the moment.
I have around the same, so maybe I’ll go that way? Nice to have options!
My trees are right in a corridor from water to all the tasty morsels in my front yard (roses and my crabapple) and those of my neighbors’ yards. Maybe I need to invest in an orchard ladder and some Antonovka… though m7 and g935 seem to be working on getting the trees high enough. I also wish my neighbor wouldn’t put out a bird feeder in the winter right in the corridor. It attracts the four legged pests and they get used to the area.