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sulphur spray and dormant oil

15 years ago

Where can I get lime sulphur spray or dormant oil? Lowes? Online? Garden Centers?

I am really new to roses, just planted my first this past spring. When is the best time to use them? Do I wait after using sulphur spray to use the dormant oil?

I am such a newbie to roses I have no idea of what I'm doing! lol Learning as I go, I guess.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

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Comments (8)

jerijen
15 years ago
You can use these products in combination, in the same sprayer, BUT ONLY IN THE DORMANT SEASON.

DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER using these products during the growing-blooming season,
unless you really WANT to eliminate all of your foliage.

Do not use horticultural oils at all in periods of high temperatures
We have seen damage from it at temperatures in the 80-degree range.

Jeri
karl_bapst_rosenut
15 years ago
Before you do anything, go to the library and pick up a few "How to" books on Growing Roses. Let us know where you live, cityand state, and we can suggest a local rose society or Consulting Rosarian who can provide information and answer your many questions.
If thee is a successful rose grower in your area, vist them for a garden tour and ask lots of questions. Nothing is better than hands on information.
I have people stopping all the time with questions. I enjoy helping them. We usually end up becoming friends.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rosenut's website for zone 5 rose growers.
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I spray oil and lime sulfur all the time. I just don't spray cots with it.
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Every brand will be different. You really need to follow the label directions of the one you are using. In the past, the ones I've used have had different concentrations for different crops at different seasons. There would be one concentration for fully dormant roses, and a different one for roses during the growing season. More is not better. If the concentration given on the label doesn't work, then you need to try something different, not a stronger concentration of the same thing. Lime sulfur is not a cure-all and using more of it wont' make it work on things it doesn't work on. Too high a concentration can cause damage, to your plants, to your soil, to yourself. What is it you're trying to fix by spraying with lime sulfur? Are you mixing it with dormant oil?
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Ruth, about lime/sulfur and dormant oil entering the pruning cuts: This is not a problem. Your spray has access only to the xylem and this pumps only upward in a stem, clearly no problem for the plant when the chemical is located on the cut end of a stem. Furthermore, the xylem pumping system requires transpiration from the leaves to operate. Freezing temps are bad because freezing tends to break up the spray emulsion before the water evaporates. This can lead to deposition of the sprayed chemical as droplets on the plant rather than as a thin film. The droplets are more toxic to the plant (not usually a problem in the dormant season) but also droplet formation can mean less effective pesticide action. If your spray dries on the plant before freezing temps occur, everything should be fine. People in your zone often do spray lime/sulfur and oil just after pruning, but you want to make sure active growth has not begun or you risk burning the new growth. I don't think spraying a dormant oil over time-release fertilizer beads would be a good idea, even if you work the beads into the soil. I would fertilize at a later date. A lot of people wait until the new growth is a couple of inches long.
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Lime sulfur can be sprayed at any time of year (except when trees are in flower to avoid harming pollinators). It is just a fungicide - and a natural one at that - and is used frequently to combat fruit tree ailments that can occur after leafout - like scab. One of the recommendations for treating scab is to spray just as the leaves are falling, as well as during the dormant period and again as the tree is leafing out or until the climate conditions for scab no longer exist. In my area, that was well into June this year :-) It is sulfur that can become phytotoxic to foliage. Adding lime to the mix reduces the phytotoxicity - the more lime, the less phytotoxic the mix. The lime itself has no antipathogenic effect. It is included only to neutralize the sulfur. Copper fungicides can also produce phytotoxic results. But using them at this time of year hardly creates any sort of serious threat of phytotoxicity. Any leaves treated with dormant spray (horticultural oil) and/or copper or lime sulfur fungicides - all of which are considered natural or "organic" controls - are harmless when included to compost in a moderate amount.
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kentstar
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks all. I went to my local nursery here near Kent Ohio, Battaglia's Gardens, and was told they do sell it there later in the season around late Oct, early November. I do realize I can't use them now, but I wanted to stock up soon for the colder weather coming in a couple of months.
buford
15 years ago
Yes, buy it as soon as you see it. Last year I had a hard time finding it and sprayed late as a result.
tulipsmiles
14 years ago
I'm interested in using a dormant oil on my roses to protect from Winter Moth Catepillars, but wonder if they are still dormant. I'm thinking they aren't anymore because they are just starting to leave out and it's April 2nd. Also, this weekend is supposed to be in the high 70 degrees, and I imagine the roses will come to life.
Shall I just use neem oil to protect my roses?
jjpeace (zone 5b Canada)
9 years ago
I have been thinking of using it this year in the spring. Is it effective at all? My parents are concerned about the toxicity as our vegetable garden is next to the roses. My main problem is black spot and Japanese Beetles. JB I will have to knock them unconscious but bs is another matter.
Buford_NE_GA_7A
9 years ago
This oil is only used when the roses are dormant. Since Japanese Beetles come out in June, it will not stop them. A better preventive for JBs is something called Milky Spore, which you put on your lawn (that is where JBs live in the winter, not in flower beds) and it can kill the grubs. For blackspot, while dormant oil will kill the spores that overwinter, it's likely that other spores will come around during the growing season. Your best bet is to get a spray fungicide to apply regularly to roses to prevent blackspot.
If you are careful with spraying, you should be able to avoid the vegetables.
jjpeace (zone 5b Canada)
9 years ago
Thanks Buford. I haven't used any chemicals for years now. I thought to try the dormant oil in early spring to lessen the bs spores currently in the soil.

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