Bordeaux mixture
Regulatory status of this variant: ✅ Authorised (some countries)
This recipe corresponds to “viçosa” mixture (Bordeaux mixture with added zinc and magnesium sulfates and boric acid). In the European Union, Bordeaux mixture is an approved active ingredient among copper compounds, but only authorized commercial plant protection products may be used (a maximum of 28 kg of copper per hectare over 7 years): homemade preparations are not permitted there. In Brazil, the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) publishes an agroecological fact sheet on “viçosa” mixture for organic production: the use of copper sulfate is prohibited after harvest; the amount of copper is limited per hectare per year; and approval from the certification body (OAC or OCS) is required if the use is not specified in the management plan; preparations made solely for the farmer’s own use are exempt from registration (Decree 6.913/2009). Boric acid and borax are classified as toxic to reproduction.
A mineral preparation based on copper sulfate and lime, traditionally cited in organic farming literature, for foliar application by direct contact.
When to use: Routinely and occasionally
Application description: Spray on the foliage during times of least sunlight (dawn or dusk), avoiding windy conditions and flowering (risk to pollinators).
Application description: With a glove or a clean plastic spatula, spread the paste over pruning cuts and tree wounds, or at the base of damaged bare-root plants.
Application description: Spray while wearing protective gear (gloves and goggles), at dawn or dusk, avoiding windy conditions.
Dose: Reference concentration: 10 g of copper sulfate + 10 g of slaked lime per liter of water (1%). Adjust according to local recommendations for the crop being treated.
Dose: Apply undiluted (0.5% concentration), covering leaves, branches and stems well, no more than six times a year.
Dose: Neat, in a thin layer. Keeps for a week at most, in the shade, in a non-metal container.
Dose: Reference concentration of 1% (10 g copper sulfate + 10 g lime per liter of dissolution water, then diluted with an additional liter). Enrichment elements (optional): zinc sulfate
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