How to Apply Sulfur to a Plant as a Fungicide

A wide variety of garden plants or hobby farm crops can fall prey to mildew, fungal infections and other pests, and one of the oldest remedies in the history of agriculture for these problems is the application of sulfur. Although relatively easy to apply to infected plants, a combination of hot weather and sulfur will damage the plants, so careful attention must be paid to the weather. Furthermore, without careful observation, sulfur applications will only control the problem rather than eliminate it.

Magnifying glass
Wettable sulfur compound
Spray bottle or garden sprayer

Instructions

- 1
  Monitor your plants and examine any infection with a magnifying glass to determine how mature the fungal infection is. With powdery mildew and some other fungal problems, you can see the spores forming. You must catch these problems early if you hope to destroy them rather than merely arrest or suppress them.
- 2
  Mix a wettable sulfur agent into a spray bottle or garden sprayer, following the directions of the manufacturer regarding proportions. Treating mites on tomatoes requires far less sulfur than eliminating powdery mildew from a cherry tree.
- 3
  Look up the weather report in your local newspaper or online through a source like the Weather Channel (weather.com), and apply the sulfur only if the daytime high will not exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 4
  Spray the infected plants with the wettable sulfur compound.
- 5
  Continue watching the infected plants and any neighboring plants for a recurrence of the problem over the course of several weeks. Even if you caught the infection early, it might have spread or the wettable sulfur might not have destroyed all the spores or mites. Re-apply the wettable sulfur as necessary.

How to Grow Jubilee Watermelon

How to Make Nettle Oil Infusion

Growing Edibles