You may have seen bags of "garden sulfur" offered for sale on our site or in other garden centers and home improvement stores. But you may have no idea what to actually do with it. What will be familiar to you is its odor; there's no mistaking that rotten egg smell! So how do you actually use sulfur in your garden? You might be surprised at all of its handy uses for both your indoor and outdoor garden.What is sulfur?Sulfur is a pure element, usually in the form of a yellow powder or crystals. In ancient times, sulfur was produced from volcanic emissions. Nowadays, sulfur is oftentimes a byproduct of crude oil and gas processing. Sulfur powder is yellow in color and very fine. If you have bronchial problems, we recommend wearing a face mask when applying it. Or, you can also use a liquid concentrate.Sulfur helps give spicy edibles such as mustard, onions and garlic their flavor!What does sulfur do? Sulfur prevents fungal disease. If you're looking for a natural preventative for fungal diseases such as powdery mildew or black spot, sulfur can be a good choice. While it does not necessarily treat or eliminate existing fungal diseases, it does control them by preventing fungal spores from germinating. That means you'll need to start using sulfur at the beginning of the growing season, or when plants are young indoors, so it can be most effective at preventing an infection before it takes hold.Sulfur Prills eliminate powdery mildew and reduce insect infestations that plague indoor gardens! Using this element in a burner/vaporizer for a few hours will lower the pH level of leaf surfaces, making it difficult for pesky indoor gardening problems to get out of control.If you need to control fungal diseases in your indoor garden, you can use sulfur prills with a vaporizer to keep fungal spores from germinating in your grow room or tent.Sulfur has been used as a pesticide for centuries. It was mined from the areas around volcanoes and used in gardens to control insects such as spider mites, thrips and chiggers..Bonide Sulfur Dust is suitable for use as a dust or spray for fungal diseases or pest control. The fine particle size gives better coverage, adhesion and disease control. It is approved for organic gardening.Lilly Miller Sulfur Dust can be used as a dust or spray to control powdery mildew, rust, scabs and mites. Use on roses, citrus, fruits, berries, vegetables, flowers, shrubs and trees.Sulfur is an essential element as all cells contain sulfur. Sulfur helps plants produce protein and aids cells in forming chlorophyll. Vitamins and enzymes are also developed in plants with the addition of sulfur. And while it is needed in very low amounts, deficiencies of sulfur can cause loss of plant vigor and reduce plant uptake of vital nutrients.When you apply sulfur to the soil it can slightly acidify the pH over time. Adjusting pH can aid plants and help correct nutrient deficiencies by making Nitrogen and Phosphorus more available, as well as suppressing soil fungal diseases.Are you growing clones from cuttings? Sulfur can help keep fresh cuttings from rotting before they root. If you are planting bulbs or even seed potatoes, apply sulfur at planting time to keep the bulbs and potatoes from succumbing to fungal diseases and rotting. It's always best to apply sulfur when temperatures are cooler than 90 F, to keep it from burning your plants.Take note that while sulfur is excellent to use around fruits and vegetables, with brands such as Bonide offering organic options, sulfur is toxic to cucumber and raspberry plants.
