Quote:
Originally Posted by murihikukid
Please can we look at the bleach recipe not in oz cause we gave that away in 1967 and I only think in metric.....Now IMP uses a 1 part to 9 with his 2 % bleach so first lets look at a 2% bleach as against a 4.95 % bleach (which is all I can get).....am I right in saying basicly the 4.95 % is 2.5 times stronger than Imps 2 % ....he uses a 1 part to 9 solution with his 2%......I would have to use 0.4 of a part to 9 parts..0r looking at it in metric.....1000ml (one litre) devided by 9 = 111.11111ml which is then divided by 2.5 = 44ml....If this is right I know the reason for the "disease" on my initial tomatoes plus my replacement parts I bought from a local gardening centre....My bleach mix was too strong... Ron
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I can only go by what I use or have used in the past and that is in ounces and gallons. You can do the conversions if you want to. Before the newer and much stronger 8.25% sodium hypochlorite bleach solution now commonly used, we used to get bleach in a 5% strength. Back then I used 6.5 to 7 ounces to a whole gallon of water with a few drops of dish washing liquid added. Now with the stronger bleach I use between 5 and 5.5 oz to a full gallon.
Your calculations jive with mine but 44ml added to a full liter of water may be a bit weak according to what I used to use in that strength of bleach however it is a good starting point. As long as healthy young growing tips don't show any burn from the bleach spraying after a day or two then it isn't too strong. If you see some mild burning with a solution of bleach and water but no permanent damage then you have found your maximum strength that is safe to use; but I would only use this strength for the most difficult disease problems. When you find the right mix that kills most of your diseased leaves but does no damage to your new healthy leaves then you have found a good strength mix for most problems. Try to use a fine mist and hit all surfaces with as little puddling and runoff as possible and never spray when the sun is shining heavily on the plants. Wait two or three days after a spraying to see the results. It takes some time for the shriveling of diseased leaves to show up clearly. If however after spraying diseased plants you see no change in a day or two then you probably are using a mix too weak.
For tank spraying outside in the garden with multiple plants I think with the strength bleach you are describing I would start with 180 ml of bleach added to 4 liters of water. If that isn't strong enough then just add a bit more bleach each time until you find the right strength solution. If however that solution is too strong then your bleach is far different than ours. Look and see the sodium hypochlorite concentration because that is key. However your bleach may have other chemicals in it that could affect plants. I just don't know.
Of course you can mix the amount that is needed for however large the job is. Do not try to save the mix in your sprayer but immediately rinse it and run clean water through it to preserve your sprayer. Bleach is very harsh and corrosive and will ruin most small hand sprayers quickly.
Bill