As you have discovered, "organic" does not in any way equate with "safe", "non-toxic", or "non-chemical". Lime sulfur left in a sprayer will often precipitate out over time, leaving a mess that is impossible to spray out. It is generally thought by those who manage such things that leftover sprays are best gotten rid of by using them on a legal target site so that they can break down over time, and not be concentrated in the waste water stream or garbage or landfills. Perhaps you can find a neighbor who might want to use it. If you need to hold on to it for awhile, keep it from being exposed to the air as much as possible to keep it as fresh as you can until it can be used.

Yes, it was rather dim of me. It was the ingredients that lulled me.

I wonder if I'll ever want to use that sprayer for anything again anyway. I don't think that stuff will ever spray out of there.

Is it a fire hazard sitting in a hudson sprayer? I released the pressure.

As far as I know, it shouldn't pose a fire hazard, but I'm certainly no expert in this area.

I dont know if your lime sulphur is different to what we get in oz, but apart from the smell, what are you worried about? I use at least 5 litres of it every year, spraying roses and fruit trees, without any problems. The sprayer gets rinsed out, i dont leave any mixed up spray sit in a sprayer. If you still have it in the sprayer i would suggest tipping it somewhere around the trees you sprayed and give the sprayer a good wash.

I spray this every winter and only wear gloves. I've gotten some on my skin, washed it off a few minutes later and it did nothing. It's a good idea to wear protection, just in case.

The label on Lime Sulphur over here has nothing like those warnings on it. I wonder why. Is it a different product, different strength of active ingredient, or an over cautious sign.

Don't worry about it. It's our idiotic litigous society that's responsible; You should read the label on glucose purchased as a laboratory reagent! You'd never eat sugar again. Lime sulfur is stinky. It is dangerous if you get it in your eye, especially the undiluted stuff, so always wear eye protection of some kind when handling it (i use sunglasses and am careful) but goggles are the approved eye wear. If you ever do get any in your eye, rinse your eye out immediately with water. Dump the leftover diluted stuff on the ground, its good for soil. Rinse your sprayer out with the hose, and squirt some water through the spray nozzle. Even if you ingest a drop or two, you won't die. The main reason you'd want to use rubber gloves when handling the stuff is because it's so stinky, but even if you get alittle on your skin, just rinse it off, then wash with soap and water. No harm done.

No, you don't want to eat this stuff and you certainly don't want to get it in your eyes. While it is best not to get it on your skin or breathe the fumes, you have not done yourself harm.

ALL substances, natural or artificial, have side effects. Just don't assume that because something is organic, it doesn't need to be treated with respect and caution. It is generally a good idea to wear some kind of safety glasses or googles when spraying, and long sleeves and gloves are a good idea. I recently purchased a mask for spraying but I did so for years without one.

As for the leftover lime-sulfur, you can save it for next year's dormant spray if you like, but will have to dicard it if there is a precipitate in the bottom. That means it isn't any good anymore. If you do decide not to use it anymore, you're really going to have to scramble to find anything less toxic that does anything for your peaches. I don't know if plain sulfur is up to the task. It is slightly less toxic but I don't know if it is as effective.

Paula

LIme sulfur is rather hazardous in the undiluted form but not once diluted. It is however bad for your sprayer to leave it in the sprayer - gunks up the little parts with crystals. You should always cover your skin and especially your face when spraying anything. Anything. Then change your clothes and take a shower with any kind of spray other than soap or oil. Lime sulfur is used to wash dogs to kill mites so how hazardous can it be?? all these dogs would be dropping dead. My dog groomer DH uses no gloves when he does so, not my recommendation but he's done it for years with no apparent ill effects. There could be subtle damage but obviously nothing severe, nothing I'd lose sleep over if I only used it occasionally in the garden, with gloves and face mask! Which is what I do.

Do not dump undiluted pesticides down the sink. Professionals discard their unwanted pesticides by diluting and spraying them. you could also wait for your local trash handlers to have a Hazardous Materials collection day, which are organized specifically for things like pesticides and paint and batteries so they don't end up in the landfill or the sewage treatment plant or the local surface waters.

But I think you're over reacting. I am very cautious with pesticides but I routinely use lime sulfur and I don't put the dogs in when I do. But I do wear gloves and rain gear and rubber boots and a face mask! and shower afterwards. I also prefer copper sulfate for peach leaf curl but lime sulfur is the dormant spray of choice for roses, and I use it in more dilute form during the growing season for blackspot. I consider it much less hazardous than Funginex or Daconil!

As for the labelling differences between here and Oz - probably due to differing legal requirements.

There are different kinds of toxicity. Environmental versus applicator, as you have noticed. Also concentrates differ in toxicity from diluted sprays. And different nontarget organisms will be affected differently by the same chemical. And something that might be known to cause immediate and irreversible eye damage in concentrate form might not be hazardous when diluted spray mists the skin. That's why the labels go into so much detail. And when they're talking about flaggers and mixers/loaders, they're talking about people who spend a 40 hr work week in close contact with pesticides, not the home gardener with brief contact on an occasional basis.

Don't worry about it. As a matter of fact, you can dump it (diluted) onto an unused section of your garden and it will oxidize into harmless gypsum in a few weeks. Just remember - NEVER mix lime sulfur with any acid as it can produce toxic gases (The smell is that of hydrogen sulfide).

Gypsum and Lime sulfur are different chemicals. Lime sulfur is just that - lime (think of horse stalls) and sulfur. It doesn't break down into gypsum, which is a chemical compound in itself. It breaks down into the individual components in the soil

Lime - CaO
Gypsum - CaSO4

I only use it on my dormant roses (Nov and Feb) for black spot control in the winter (so I'm covered up already) Rinse the sprayer out throughly or, as others have indicated, the precipitate will gunk up the sprayer and make it impossible to get cleaned out. I also add a bit of dishwashing liquid to help the lime sulfer spread more easily on the rose stems.

I seldom see black spot on my roses anymore.

jill

I groomed for years and worked for a vet.
We used lime sulfur on all kinds of pets with mites, ringworm and other fungus. I have never got sick from it. But it does stink like a bad egg. We would mix it in with shampoo it would turn the fur yellow but it will go away and it is better than having a ringworm or mites .

Jill, lime sulfur does break down into its components in the soil:

CaO + Sulfur

The sulfur is then slowly oxidized to sulfuric acid and:

CaO + sulfuric acid = CaSO4 = gypsum

Please do NOT put sulphur or other chemicals down any drain or toilet! Waste water cannot be filtered for such substances, and the water ultimately ends up in our rivers and lakes!

I suggest you put it to good use, either yourself or your neighbors, and apply it according to the directions. It is a common fungicide or pesticide for insects that hide out in woody bark. It should not be inhaled, ingested, or allowed to get on your skin or eyes, as it can cause serious harm.

As with all chemicals, the bottom line is: use only where needed, and carefully follow the instructions and warnings on the label.

When I saw this arrive in my email, I had to come and see why on earth you would think that I was going to dump chemicals down the sink...still laughing. Because I SAID so. I wasn't *really* going to put it down the sink - it was a joke. Not a very good one, clearly. It was also three years ago. I was much, much younger then. I still had 13 strands of brown hair left back then. A mere tad. I believe I gave the remainder to the neighbor. Or maybe it was the toxic waste people. Anyway, it's gone to some friendlier place. And the peach tree and the rose died anyway.

Does anyone recommend spraying peach trees with lime sulphur after the peaches are already formed? I usually lose them when they are about the size of a fingernail, but I haven't figured out what is getting them.

We sprayed lime sulfur on our blueberries after the fruit appeared. We are wondering if we wash the berries alot can to eat them?