arf@chinet.chi.il.us (Jack Schmidling) (07/17/89)
aalar The following was posted several weeks ago in sci.environment but I received no feedback. I can not believe that no one has taken up this problem before. ................... The following was posted several weeks ago in rec.gardens but I got no feedback. Herewith again for the more erudite crowd. ALAR AND APPLES I quit eating commercial apples years ago when I first heard about alar. I have been eating rusty, wormy, home-grown ones and recently came upon an article about wettable sulphur as as fungacide. Sulphur seemed pretty harmless at the time and a riskless compromise to my no spray/lousy apple strategy. I have been spraying "GROW-WELL" Wettable sulphur after every significant rainfall (about once a week) since buds first appeared. So far no sign of rust but I don't remember when it first started apearing in the past. I have been pondering sulphates, sulphites and sulphides and the concern as a health risk as food preservatives and growth inhibitors and am now wondering if I blew it. I have two trees absolutely loaded with fruit on my parkway in the midst of Chicago and am drooling for safe apples again. Somebody make my summer. Is sulphur safe????? Jack Schmidling (arf)