lime sulphur at the pet store

johnnyfive82

I live in hawaii and for some reason there is no lime sulphur anywhere. when i ask i either get directed to another store or that no one makes it anymore. so i was on the internet and they sell lime sulphur at pet stores.is it the same stuff, or do i have to order it?
Thanks
J5

Advertisement

EarthgirlOK

How is it sold?

__________________
Sonlight NurseryGreen Country Bonsai Society

rockm

"so i was on the internet and they sell lime sulphur at pet stores.is it the same stuff,"

I would very much doubt it is the same stuff. What you may be hearing might be sulphur-based shampoos used for various skin problems in dogs and cats. If there is any lime sulphur (I suspect it's only sulphur) in the product, it's not going to be high enough in concentration to be of any help in bonsai applications. Concentrations needed to kill mold, algae and help preserve wood are much too strong to be applied on living animal tissue.

Alasdair

Try not looking for lime sulfur in local shops, instead go to a large garden centre and look for sulphur fungicide. This is usually sold as a powder and although they are not all the same, some of them are exactly the same as lime sulphur sold for bonsai. When used as a fungicde it is diluted drastically, one teaspoon per gallon sort of thing. To use as a preservative and dead wood whitener add just enough water to it to disolve it completly to make a very strong solution. Then it would be worth testing it on a scrap piece of wood first, just to make sure.

I used to work at a garden centre and asked the planteria manager about this and he pointed this out to me as he dabbles in bonsai himself. I have nothing worth jinning at the present time so haven't tried this myself yet.

Al

__________________
I can feel another "I wish that was my tree" moment coming on...
Currently studying BSc Plant Biology at the Universty of Wales, Aberystwyth

rockm

"This is usually sold as a powder and although they are not all the same, some of them are exactly the same as lime sulphur sold for bonsai."

This varies greatly depending on what country you live in and the laws surrounding pesticides and the like. Lime sulphur mixes aren't common at all in the mainland U.S. Don't know exactly what the situation is in Hawaii, which tends to have strict environmental laws.

I would ask around at some of the bigger nurseries though. Typically, lime sulphur used on bonsai on the mainland U.S. has been Ortho's "orthenex'. It's sold asa fungicide spray. However, that source has since dried up. ortho has stopped making it.

You might get a bottle of it mailorder form Bonsai by the Monastery. My old quart bottle of Orthenex I bought a decade ago was still almost half full when it disintegrated so badly that I had to throw it away. I bought a bottle of the stuff from Bonsaimonk.com for not alot.

Another place to ask, or at least someplace you should visit--www.fukubonsai.com in Kurtistown. Don't let the "microlobster" stuff on the website fool you. There are some spectacular bonsai there and alot of great info.

For what it's worth, I use the stuff straight out of the bottle, no dilution at all.

PatArizona

G'day all...

Not intending to step on anyone's toes...

However...following is my take (that's one) on the use of lime sulphur as a preservative...
.........................................
Preparation and treatment for preservation of deadwood, rotted or not, is much the same as that for jin and shari.

In broad terms, you carve away all rotted wood, if any, then carve the area to enhance, or at least complement, your design. Be sure that that there are no scars showing from knife, chisel, rough sandpaper, etc. Then finish off with super fine sand paper, or steel wool, or even a small torch...to remove remaining hairs.

Next...somewhat controversial...many people, for many years, have used lime sulphur as a preservetive...and to give the dead wood that "white" look. However, I don't use lime sulphur, and I don't like the "white" look.

A fungicide like lime sulphur should help to prevent or to get rid of rot causing fungi. It is great for treatment and prevention of these things. Lime sulphur is NOT a wood preservative...in my opinion (opinion - that's two).

Much better than lime sulphur, again in my opinion (three!), is Minwax Wood Hardener (available at most hardware stores in the US), or something like Thompson's Water Sealer, or Marine Epoxy.

Some time back, Michael Persiano recommended a combination of lime sulphur, Minwax Wood Hardener, and, if necessary, Marine Epoxy to restore decayed areas.
And, John Thompson has offered similar advice. Just to name two have used LS.

So, always remember, and don't ever forget...lime sulphur is a fungacide, NOT a wood preservetive (four).

Adendum...I have done a goodly amount of research (not enough to earn a Phd or even a Masters) on lime sulphur, and found NOTHING (except in the Bonsai World) to indicate that it will preserve wood.

I have sitting before me, a bottle of ORTHO DORMANT DISEASE CONTROL Lime-Sulphur, For Dormant and Growing Season Disease Control. It also says DANGER, and Keep Out of Reach of Children. And more...ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS, Do not apply directly to water... And...PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL HAZARDS, may give off hydrogen sulfide gas... And...NOTICE: buyer assumes all responsibility for safety... And this is only part of what's on the label. Oh, then there's a booklet on how to use it.

That's more than enough to keep me from using it.

If anybody wants this nearly 16 FL OZ of Lime Sulphur, let me know yesterday... today, it's going to our local Toxic Recycling Center.

Remember, my friends, Lime Sulphur is a FUNGICIDE...not a preservative (that's five). Use it at your own risk.

Once more...MY THOUGHTS!

Pat

__________________
BONSAI isn't about surviving in a storm, rather, how to dance in the rain.
THE ONLY WAY: Always remember, and don't ever forget, that whatever you read here is not cast in concrete... the intent of any advice is to help. In no way should you feel that I’m saying that my way is the only way…heaven forbid! I've seen far too much of the "my way or the highway" attitude in bonsai as well as in other areas of life.

rockm

Pat,

While i agree that lime sulphur is not a wood preservative, I think it is an important element in preserving wood In humid climates, rot and other nasty stuff sets in very quickly, especially in softer wooded trees. Wisteria, wild rose are particularly vulnerable to almost immediate rot. This may not be the case in more arid regions with trees that have more resinous wood, like conifers. Dead wood on conifers doesn't really require lime sulphur. They have naturally resinous wood that resists decay.

I have found that lime sulphur will slow rot down by at least half in deciduous trees, probably more in some extremely soft wooded species, like wisteria and wild rose. A trunk treated with it here in Va. will last longer than one not treated with it.

I have also found that wood treated with the nasty stuff is not subject to borer attacks-which can be a problem with fruit trees like apple and cherry. It tendst to repel other critters too. Slugs, for instance will not go near trees treated with it.

Wood hardener is definitely the way to go if you want to preserve wood, but don't completely discount lime sulphur, especially if you're working with deciduous trees in humid climates.

zen

Hey I'll take that bottle of poison off your hands. Leme know if you still have it, and if so i'll PM you with my address. Thanks
Jeremy M.C.

__________________
"Although profoundly "inconsequential," the Zen experience has consequences in the sense that it may be applied in any direction, to any conceivable human activity, and that wherever it is so applied it lends an unmistakable quality to the work."

~ Alan Watts (1915-1973)

mike_p

I have to disagree, Pat. When I was a kid, we used to make whitewash to paint on fences and some other wood stuctures. (Remember Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn? ) It had both cosmetic and preservative value. I forget all the ingredients we used, but lime was the main ingredient.

Mike

PS. Limesulfer is available here. Check the link.
http://www.dallasbonsai.com/store/bonsai_chemicals.html

__________________
Bonsai is not a hobby.
Bonsai is a way of life.
MP@BBB Studio

There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way
Gautama Buddha