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We want to "fumigate" (?the right word) our greenhouse. We have bought a smoke candle, but there are no instructions on the tin.
Can anyone give us any advice please, ie time of year etc.
Thanks in advance, nippie

What is it? Sulphur or a Fumite thing?

It's a sulpher candle, is it ok to do it this time of year? There is nothing in the greenhouse at the moment.

If you have had Red Spider Mite, the sooner the better. But otherwise, I leave mine until just before planting out.

Ok Tim thanks for your help. We haven't had red spider mite that I have noticed so perhaps we will leave it for a while  :)

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd ask my question in here ......... my two sulphur candles have arrived, and my tins DO have instructions, they are quite scary beasts these candles.  I'm not surprised everything drops dead (including me if i'm not careful).

Question though, are these suitable for use in polycarb/clear plastic  (as opposed to glass) greenhouses.

I don't want to wake up and find it's turned the whole thing opaque or melted it !

There is a phone number on the tin, so I can phone them next week if no-one here has the answer, but obviously here is the obvious place to ask first.


;D

Never thought on't!

Then I shall phone tomorrow and share my new found knowledge.

If it can fade and tarnish things, I'm sure it can melt too.   :o

if you care about your health and the environment and all the 'useful' bugs around then let the winter be the best fumigation of all  :)

oh now i'm in a quandary !  lol  i suppose i can wait and see if a big freeze set in.

two steps forward one step back.  it's all so confusing.

::)

I don't use them for just that reason... but the RSM get me wondering....
::)

I got RSM last year. Put on  Armillatox with a paint brush which seems to have worked really welll although of course it is not sold for that purpose and I was actually just using as a soapy cleanser. ;)

Don't splash it on yourself though - leads to a bit of a rash.

The environment? I care a lot. And I really can't see how a smoke in a closed geenhouse is going to harm it?

Not as much as keeping your engine running in a traffic jam. You do, don't you!!

is this addressed to me, I don't know  :-\

anyway I drive as little as possible and do turn my engine off

if you look around your greenhouse right now there will be spiders, possibly frogs and toads, bees, wasps, hover flies even, a butterfly or two, etc etc - so yes fumigate them as well

it is a fragile food chain and the micro climate is likewise delicate - I'm all for cleaning out a greenhouse, washing the windows for optimum light values, handpicking slugs and snails and relocating (sending them on their holidays  :)) and there is so much you can do to keep so called pests out by maintaining the best humidity, heat, dryness, air levels as possible

would you let off a sulphur candle in your own home  :)

Good driving, Calendula - unlike the majority!! Yes - we only drive 2000 miles a year. But that's because of our age!

Not an attack - rather a furtherance of the topic. Ones engine - not yours!

Right - that environment. Yes, there could be a hibernating butterfly. Sorry! No more than those that die in our attics every year. The toads are long tucked into their winter quarters. The flying thingies are also looking elsewhere for food. The spiders? Shame about that. But whatever you do, I have never seen a shortage - much to my distress, when getting my hair tangled in webs  every morning. And they seem to trap more hoverflies than whitefly. Slugs etc - holidays? The neighbour's plot??

I do agree with live & let live in the open. Everything is doing its best. Or so we are told. But what the hell do all those useless Sparrows do?

No - we burn lots of ordinary candles - which mess up the paintwork - but I'll spare the children.

Climate? Yes - I do work on that. But so often fail with RSM. And I do have to use predators. This year, too late. Stupid!

Don't know if any of that makes sense? Mostly, as I've said so often, I squidge everything nasty I can find, rather than poison it.

:)

never fumigated my greenhouse,don't see the need,I don't seem to get to many pests, organic for years and years and parasitic wasps find any stray greenfly on my aubergines  ;D touch wood ,never had whitefly in a greenhouse.

I like my spiders and spiderlings to much to kill them, and my toads under the flower pots!! /shades x

Bully for you - but we're talking about blight, grey mould & the many diseases that can ruin your crop?
You must be a very good Christian!

But IF you had a bad infestation every year - what would you do?

:)

you may think I'm dim,but It didn't occur to me you could get blight in the greenhouse  :-[I'm very careful in the watering and ventilation dept,greenhouse door and windows open all season no grey mould.

soil is changed in the greenhouse boarders every year.maybe I'm lucky?
do you have to fumigate every year Tim? /shades x

Never, Shades!! And far be it for me to interfere with your happy regime - long may it last!

But for the less fortunate it is sensible, I believe, to thoroughly sterilise the 'house each year. Even that doesn't guarantee a clear run, but so much effort is put into the growing season, & the crop is such high value stuff, I like to think that I've done all I can to achieve it.

I also pressure spray with Armillatox.

I'm sorry about the spiders, but there never seem to be any fewer in there! The toads?  I make sure they are moved to salubrious surrounds before D Day.

End of season horrors below.

Tim,

It never occurred to me that I could pressure spray with Jeyes or Armillatox - always use a paintbrush - thick or what ??? - but might be worth adding to Top Tips for those of us who are hard of thinking.....