Bordeaux Mixture

A mid-20th Century fungicide that was used for the control of fusarium patch and red thread diseases; being used in conjunction with Malachite Green. It is no longer legal to use this material in the UK (after 2015) because it polluted soil and water courses, being harmful to earthworms (and birds which would accumulate the substance form eating earthworms), as well as aquatic life. It consisted of copper sulphate and calcium oxide (hydrated lime or quicklime), with copper build-up being the harmful accumulating element. The mixture was originally produced in the French region of Bordeaux, hence the name.