Lime sulfur

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In horticulture, lime sulfur (lime sulphur in British English, see American and British English spelling differences) is mainly a mixture of calcium polysulfides and thiosulfate^[1] (plus other reaction by-products as sulfite and sulfate) formed by reacting calcium hydroxide with elemental sulfur, used in pest control. It can be prepared by boiling in water a suspension of poorly soluble calcium hydroxide (lime) and solid sulfur together with a small amount of surfactant to facilitate the dispersion of these solids in water. After elimination of residual solids (flocculation, decantation, and filtration), it is normally used as an aqueous solution, which is reddish-yellow in colour and has a distinctive offensive odor of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S, rotten eggs).