Dormant Vines and Sulphur Bombs

[OverWyreGrower]

We've got 2 grapevines in the greenhouse which are planted into the soil just outside the wall of the greenhouse.

We've got a couple of sulphur bombs to let off in there, but I know I need to make sure the vines are dormant.

How will I know/how do I tell? Should I wait until later in the year (mid-December/early January) to make sure the vines are dormant?

Cheers

OWG

[nick the grief]

I'd wait as sulphur bombs will kill any living thing in there!!

[Shortie]

What are the sulphur bombs for?

[Alison]

Scaring the neighbours last time I used one...........

Seriously though, you light one in the greenhouse and it kills anything in there (obviously you empty out anything you want first) - sanitises the whole place and gets rid of any critters etc.

[OverWyreGrower]

We decided to use one as there as late summer/autumn the last of the toms got blight and had some kind of beetle-y thing.

Plus I think that the greenhouse was extensively used before we got it and has never had the soil cleaned/swapped/sanitised.

We're going to let off a sulphur bomb, then dig some manure in there as the soil is pretty poor quality.

I think I will wait until my vine has lost all its leaves before "bombing" it!

[nick the grief]

You'll need to ventilate it well before you go in otherwise you'll suffer as well!!

[Alison]

Not used one for a few years but seem to remember the instructions tell you to shut the greenhouse up totally while you're using it then the next day open the door and all the vents and leave it a few hours. Think I doubled the time they said just to be on the safe side - this GYO lark is meant to be healthy, don't want to risk keeling over!

[SimonCole]

Sounds like a bad idea because it could kill some of those beneficial soil invertebrates and microbes.

[Alison]

Not a problem in my greenhouse seeing as I've not got any beds - there's a large tree root from a now defunct tree only about a foot or so under the base and I'd have never been able to dig it out.