Bordeaux Mixture to Prevent Black Rot on Grape Vines

Last year my red seedless Reliance grapes succumbed to the black spot fungus, or the anthracnose diseases of grape vines (though my green Niagara grapes did not). Because this spring has been exceptionally rainy and wet, it provides a perfect environment for the black rot fungus to thrive.

To combat the potential for the black rot fungus, I'm going to spray my grapevines with a natural deterrent called bordeaux mixture, which is a blend of lime and copper sulfate.

To make 1 gallon of bordeaux mixture, you mix:

2 tbs. copper sulfate
3 tbs. hydrated lime
1 gal. water

To make smaller amounts as I'm doing here, making a half gallon batch, just cut the additions in half. If you want to make more, just double them.

You can find copper sulfate in the local big box store. Mine was sold as Southern Agriculture's Liquid Copper Fungicide. The lime though is different. You don't want to use garden lime, but rather what's know as hydrated lime.

This was not as easily sourced as the copper sulfate as both Home Depot and Lowe's by me do not carry it (I did see it one of the store's websites if I remember correctly). I did find it at a local nursery however and you can find it on Amazon.com.

Mix the two ingredients up separately and instructions often say to pass them through a cheese cloth strainer first before putting it into your sprayer to prevent clogs. I haven't found this necessary, though once or twice I have had a small piece of something stuck in the sprayer nozzle.

I'm using my backpack sprayer and you want to make sure to cover all sides of the vine, front and back, and both the top and bottom sides of the leaves. Coat till it's dripping.

Note, however, that the copper/lime mixture will leave a pale blue hue on the vine...and anything the vine is growing on! So take that into consideration if your vine is growing on your house or some other structure.

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