You will need:

• Water
• Copper Sulphate
• Calcium Hydroxide
• Safety Gear
• Bucket
• Drill with paint mixer attachment (recommended)
• Sprayer

Making your own Bordeaux Mix. Bordeaux Mix is a very effective (preventative) fungicide that can be made at home cheaply and easily. It is categorised as organic (believe it or not) and can be used to stave off a number of chilli related ailments. In fact, farmers have been using Bordeaux Mix for centuries specifically for the treatment of fungal issues in Vines. We affectionately call this stuff Smurf Juice and if you make it you will know why. But, it's more than just visual, this stuff is magical.

The invention of Bordeaux Mix is attributed to botanist Pierre-Marie-Alex Millardet. Findings of the efficacy of Bordeaux Mix against Fungal issues in Vines was published in 1885 in response to an outbreak of Vine disease (Downy Mildew) across Europe. As a point of observation, he noted that the fungi were spread by insects and that grapes closest to roads did not suffer from fungal issues as opposed to grapes further in field. It was also a well known practice at the time to spray vines closest to the roads with a mixture of Copper Sulphate and Lime to deter passers by from picking grapes. The mixture of Copper Sulphate & Lime deterred passers by as the grapes where stained blue and had a sour/bitter taste due to the chemicals. Further trials and observations noted that the now known Bordeaux Mix was an effective remedy to Downy Mildew and other fungal attacks.

The Copper and Calcium Hydroxide help inhibit the fungal spores and also help to keep things dry. And that is that really. It is still used today and can be used for chillies also, which brings us to our point of interest.

Bordeaux Mix is easy to make and in-expensive. There are ready to use products that can be purchased at nurseries off the shelf, but these can be quite pricey and it is good to have lots of this magic potion on tap when needed.

So the prescribed ratio used in agriculture is 1:1:100 (1lb Copper Sulphate CuSO4: 1lb Calcium Hydroxide Ca(OH)2 (Slaked or Burnt Lime) : 100 Gallons of Water). Lucky for you we have applied our brain cells to reduce this down to DIY home use ratios. 6g Copper Sulphate : 6g Calcium Hydroxide : 5 Litres Water.

This fits in most 5 litre sprayers available at nurseries.

These are chemicals, so it goes without saying that safety must be practiced at all times. Keep these chemicals away from children and pets. Blue powders and white powders that look like fun things are like magnets to kids. These are chemicals, so keep them out of reach! Use protective clothing when applying to prevent absorbtion of chemicals into the skin and wear gloves, mask and eye protection. Again, keep kids and pets away when you spray. Clean all utensils after use to avoid contamination. Keep it safe!

Now, the most important thing here is mixing. This mixture will need some lengthy mixing to ensure that most solids have been disssolved into the water (as best as can be) - to ensure your sprayer does not get clogged. We use a drill with a paint mixer attachment, which makes the job easier. But this is up to you how you mix the dry ingredients into the water. Just know that you have to mix this well.

Once mixed, you will want to use a sprayer to apply the suspension to all plants and surrounding plants, ensuring to cover both over and under leaf and also soak into the root zone. Treatment should only be given to plants large enough to handle these chemicals. Early summer, during the rainy season and autumn, when fungal spores are particularly high. Smaller seedling plants or plants that have not been hardened off should be avoided. Spraying is advised for after the sun has set or on an overcast day to prevent plants from burning. Spray when plants are dry as wet plants will only hinder an effective spray.

The Bordeaux Mix application should dry fairly quickly and will last a good amount of time. So frequent spraying is not necessary and should only be repeated once the coating appears to have washed off the plants. Don't water your plants immediately after spraying. Wait until the application has dried on the plants.

Bordeaux Mix will dry fairly rapidly leaving a blue/white residue on the plants. This is a little unsightly, but good peace of mind - as this stuff works really well in preventing any fungi from taking hold. And the stain also serves as a great indicator for when it is time to spray again. Having said this, it needs to be said that the dried mixture adheres to the plant very effectively and while it will wash off eventually, it does not easily rinse off the plants when watering or when it rains. So no worries there!

Just as a side note, it is adviseable that you rinse your sprayer well after use as the residue of Bordeaux Mix will dry and cake the mechanism of the sprayer and create blockages further down the line. So clean your sprayer - and all other utensils for this matter. Remember, we are talking chemicals here!

It is recommended that Bordeaux Mix be used in conjunction with Insecticide. That does not mean you can mix Bordeaux Mixture with Insecticide to make things easier! There are no short cuts in gardening and this is a no no as it will counteract the efficacy of the Bordeaux Mix. So alternate the applications.

Why do this? Well, fungi are spread by those pesky insects you hate. They don't just ravish your plants, they also spread fungus from one infected plant to another. They are the vehicle that spreads fungal infections better than any other. So, to get ontop of fungal issues, it is key to combat the insects that will spread the fungal spores also.