Sulphur Candles

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Lardman

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Sulphur Candles
« on: February 24, 2014, 16:20 »
It's cleaning time and for the first year I'm wondering if I should do a bit more than slap some Jeys around. Does anyone have any thoughts on the candles ?

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mumofstig

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2014, 16:38 »
I've had rampant botrytis the last 2 3 years - so this year I've bought a candle.

Obviously just using Jeyes wasn't enough in mine. >:(

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JayG

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2014, 17:06 »
I don't think there's any question about whether they "work", and combined with a scrub down it must get you off to the best possible start mould and fungus-wise, but whether it continues to work long enough to save your plants from fungal diseases right through to the autumn is another matter, because they can't be used once you have live plants in there.

I've had some botrytis in my GH for the last 2 years, but it started on the toms furthest from the window and door, so I'm inclined to blame myself to some extent for not paying enough attention to ventilation.
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

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Lardman

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2014, 17:58 »
Like MoS I've been crippled by botrytis and also some sort of pepper maggot leaving holes in all my peppers  :mad: I just get the feeling my cleaning isn't doing enough to clean it.  ::) if you see what I mean.

The top greenhouse is empty as I've just planted the garlic, so now is a good time.

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Ma Lowe

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2014, 21:03 »
I didn't know what Botrytis was and am wondering if that is what my tomatoes have had.
I clean my greenhouse out every spring with Jayes fluid and last night we put a sulphur candle in it.  Maybe this year I will have healthier growing tomatoes :D

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Lardman

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2014, 10:08 »
Maybe this year I will have healthier growing tomatoes :D

Until something else gets them  ::) I've been to been and queued twice since I posted this and forgotten to pick one up on both occasions  :mad:

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Ma Lowe

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2014, 14:15 »
Maybe this year I will have healthier growing tomatoes :D

Until something else gets them  ::) I've been to been and queued twice since I posted this and forgotten to pick one up on both occasions  :mad:

I hope not Lardman  ??? Maybe you should write it on your hand and not wash until you have got one  ::)

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Lardman

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2014, 15:44 »
Maybe you should write it on your hand and not wash until you have got one  ::)

I can't do that Ma ... where would I write my credit card pin number  :lol:

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Ma Lowe

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2014, 18:47 »
Maybe you should write it on your hand and not wash until you have got one  ::)

I can't do that Ma ... where would I write my credit card pin number  :lol:

One on the left and one on the right?  :lol:

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barley

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2014, 21:02 »
only ever used one once - it murdered all the good things in there like spiders etc , and I still got tomatoe blight  :mad:

never used one since

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JayG

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2014, 10:45 »
I don't think you can expect a sulphur candle to do anything more than get you off to a "clean" start in spring - botrytis and blight spores are both carried by the air so although the greenhouse itself gives some protection you still need some luck.

Difficult balancing act - blight and botrytis both need humid conditions to germinate, so you need to maximise ventilation, but by opening doors and windows you are increasing the risk of allowing the spores to get inside........

I've been doing some research on trying to minimise the risks, and apart from trying to keep the humidity down and not wetting the leaves when watering, one suggestion is that de-leafing should be done by breaking the leaf off at the main stem rather than snipping to leave a short stump, and pinching out should be done before the shoot has developed a thick stem (botrytis usually enters the plant through unhealed wounds.)

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Ma Lowe

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #11 on: March 05, 2014, 10:54 »
I don't think you can expect a sulphur candle to do anything more than get you off to a "clean" start in spring - botrytis and blight spores are both carried by the air so although the greenhouse itself gives some protection you still need some luck.

Difficult balancing act - blight and botrytis both need humid conditions to germinate, so you need to maximise ventilation, but by opening doors and windows you are increasing the risk of allowing the spores to get inside........

I've been doing some research on trying to minimise the risks, and apart from trying to keep the humidity down and not wetting the leaves when watering, one suggestion is that de-leafing should be done by breaking the leaf off at the main stem rather than snipping to leave a short stump, and pinching out should be done before the shoot has developed a thick stem (botrytis usually enters the plant through unhealed wounds.)

Am I right in thinking that in order to keep red spider mite at bay you need to wet the floor of the greenhouse regularly in the hot weather because they prefer dry conditions and if so then does the moisture from the floor aid the Botrytis and Blight? Seems like a viscous circle of trying to prevent everything but aiding it too.
I have always sprayed the floor in the hot weather a few times a day and winder if I have been doing the right thing?

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JayG

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #12 on: March 05, 2014, 11:19 »
Am I right in thinking that in order to keep red spider mite at bay you need to wet the floor of the greenhouse regularly in the hot weather because they prefer dry conditions and if so then does the moisture from the floor aid the Botrytis and Blight? Seems like a viscous circle of trying to prevent everything but aiding it too.
I have always sprayed the floor in the hot weather a few times a day and winder if I have been doing the right thing?

I think "the right thing" can only be the best compromise you can come up with based on the differing requirements of the plants you are trying to grow, and the pests and diseases which may attack them.

If you haven't had a problem with botrytis or blight and your plants seem happy you may as well keep damping down to try to deter the red spider mites, which seem to be your most pressing problem at the moment, although hopefully the sulphur candle will have wiped out at least the overwintering ones this year.

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Ma Lowe

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Re: Sulphur Candles
« Reply #13 on: March 05, 2014, 11:37 »
Am I right in thinking that in order to keep red spider mite at bay you need to wet the floor of the greenhouse regularly in the hot weather because they prefer dry conditions and if so then does the moisture from the floor aid the Botrytis and Blight? Seems like a viscous circle of trying to prevent everything but aiding it too.
I have always sprayed the floor in the hot weather a few times a day and winder if I have been doing the right thing?

I think "the right thing" can only be the best compromise you can come up with based on the differing requirements of the plants you are trying to grow, and the pests and diseases which may attack them.

If you haven't had a problem with botrytis or blight and your plants seem happy you may as well keep damping down to try to deter the red spider mites, which seem to be your most pressing problem at the moment, although hopefully the sulphur candle will have wiped out at least the overwintering ones this year.

Thanks JayG, I had a problem year before last with the spider mite. Not sure if I have had the Blight or Botrytis as i didn't know about the Botrytis until now. As you say you can only try to do for whatever problem you have at the time.  :D



 

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