At 12:01 PM 5/8/02 -0400, you wrote: >Are you looking for an environmentally superior, >"all-in-one" fungicide for your garden? .... > Decomposes! Soap-Shield >eventually decomposes to form soluble copper and fatty >acid, both necessary to the growth of plants and soil >microorganisms.
I'm surprised no one answered. I don't feel like an expert but I will put in my opinion. The fact is that this is a biocide -- and will have some effect on the ecosystem and soil web -- amount of effect is unknown. Generally, we avoid soap sprays because they affect beneficial insects as well as problem ones. Copper, as CuSO4, is a fungicide. One could argue that Cu is a essential trace element (true) but the concentrations to kill fungus are way beyond the trace level needed. CuSO4 has been allowed as an "organic" spray on the argument that it is a naturally occurring mineral. I don't agree --it's still a biocide, as are many other naturally occurring substances. So it sounds like they are trying to give you an all-in-one biocide that will kill insects as well as fungi. Usual chemical mindset applied to sell "organic" products. Why would you want to use it? What problem are you experiencing? Decide if it's fungus or insect and follow the appropriate strategy rather than apply a scattergun where you might not even have a problem. Is it ok to use Cu? Well, not exactly. It is a fungicide, acts as an antagonist to Zn (another necessary trace mineral), will have some effect on soil microlife. And having said that, I do use it myself. In our damp climate, it is unwise to grow peaches -- they just die from peach leaf curl, even disease resistant cultivars. But the fruit is so wonderful, I can't resist trying. I have a couple of backyard dwarf trees to which I apply Cu spray sparingly, keep covered so the rain wont wash it down to the soil and still have to hand prune a lot of disease off. If anyone has any better ideas, I would like to hear them. Greg had a method involving fertilizing with horse manure compost that I have not been able to try. Someone else suggested crab apple blossom essence but didn't explain how it is applied. ========================== Dave Robison
