Page 23 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

Copper in gardens and farms
The main copper-based fertiliser is copper sulphate, which can be applied to the soil
or to the leaves of growing plants as a spray.
Plants are able to benefit from a spray
of copper, but many pests are not. Both copper nitrate and copper sulphate poison fungi (moulds), algae and bacteria. For this reason copper salts are used extensively by farmers and gardeners.
Copper sulphate has traditionally been used to make a fungicide called Bordeaux mixture, once used on the vineyards of the Bordeaux region of France. Seeds are also dipped in copper sulphate solution to prevent disease.
micronutrient: an element that the body requires in small amounts. Another term is trace element.
protein: molecules that help to build tissue and bone and therefore make new body cells. Proteins contain amino acids.
Copper and pollution
Copper tailings, the waste products of copper mines, contain high concentrations of copper. At these levels they are poisonous to plants, and spoil tips remain bare of vegetation. Care has to be taken to make sure contaminated water does not reach nearby rivers.
Copper compounds as preservatives
In the home, and on exposed timber such as fences, copper salts can be used to prevent mould growing in damp areas. Copper sulphate is routinely added to wallpaper paste for this purpose.
 Fence posts and other wood intended for prolonged outdoor use is pressure-treated with copper and other compounds to prevent rotting.
 This building
is being sprayed with a copper- based fungicide during construction to help protect
it against attack by mould.
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