Lawn & garden
Vitax Bordeaux Mixture dupe
Why pay around £5.99 for Vitax? The bulk active is Copper sulphate pentahydrate + hydrated lime (Bordeaux) — 72% less per working litre than a typical shelf pack.
From the retail pack to the active and the mix
1 · Retail
Vitax Bordeaux Mixture
175 grams · £5.99 typical snapshot
Pre-blended powder sachet
2 · Active
Copper sulphate + hydrated lime
35% on the label
7758-98-7CuSO4·5H2O + Ca(OH)2
Bulk Copper sulphate pentahydrate + hydrated lime (Bordeaux)
3 · Mix
100 g CuSO4 + 100 g lime per 10 L water (classic 1% Bordeaux)
£0.28 per working litre · 72% less than the shelf pack
- Active
- Copper sulphate + hydrated lime
- CAS
- 7758-98-7
- Dupe
- Copper sulphate pentahydrate + hydrated lime (Bordeaux)
- Saving
- 72% / L
Saving is per litre of working-strength mix versus a typical pack price, not versus the DIY kit total. Shop prices move — always check the listing.
Label teardown
What the pack promises versus what the label chemistry actually is.
The marketing claim
“Controls potato blight and tomato leaf mould”
The chemical reality
Bordeaux mixture is copper sulphate reacted with lime — the same blue wash Victorian gardeners used. The sachet is a portioned blend; buying copper sulphate pentahydrate and hydrated lime separately fills many seasons of the same spray.
Active vs filler
35% Copper sulphate + hydrated lime · 65% carrier / filler — Pre-blended powder sachet
- Typical retail
- £5.99
- 175 grams
- Estimated active cost
- £0.86
- Scaled from bulk £14.00 / 1 kg CuSO4 + 1 kg lime
- Indicative markup
- 7.0×
- Snapshot maths, not a live shop price
The Marketing Claim & The Catch
A 175 grams pack of Vitax Bordeaux Mixture typically retails around £5.99 in lawn & garden. That is a UK shelf-price snapshot for the maths on this page — not a live shop quote or a manufacturer RRP. Listings, sizes and deals move. The marketing line is that you are buying a finished lifestyle product, not a weighed chemical.
On the pack: Controls potato blight and tomato leaf mould; Traditional copper fungicide; and Mix fresh before spraying.
The catch: Bordeaux mixture is copper sulphate reacted with lime — the same blue wash Victorian gardeners used. The sachet is a portioned blend; buying copper sulphate pentahydrate and hydrated lime separately fills many seasons of the same spray.
- “Controls potato blight and tomato leaf mould”
- “Traditional copper fungicide”
- “Mix fresh before spraying”
Proprietary Blend & Dosage Breakdown
The labelled active is Copper sulphate + hydrated lime at 35%. Everything else in the pack is pre-blended powder sachet.
At 35% active, most of what you pay for is carrier and packaging. The brand is selling convenience, fragrance and a label — not a uniquely potent molecule.
Branded working strength is whatever comes out of the bottle. The bulk alternative is 100% Copper sulphate pentahydrate + hydrated lime (Bordeaux), mixed to 100 g CuSO4 + 100 g lime per 10 L water (classic 1% Bordeaux).
- Labelled active
- Copper sulphate + hydrated lime
- 35%
- Carrier
- Pre-blended powder sachet
- Retail pack
- 175 grams · £5.99
The Active Chemical Alternative (Dupe Stack)
The dupe stack is Copper sulphate pentahydrate + hydrated lime (Bordeaux) at 100% bulk. Indexed as CAS 7758-98-7, formula CuSO4·5H2O + Ca(OH)2. Buy it as 1 kg CuSO4 + 1 kg lime for around £14.00 from Amazon UK.
Working strength: 100 g CuSO4 + 100 g lime per 10 L water (classic 1% Bordeaux). Indicative cost £0.28 per diluted litre — 72% below a typical branded pack on a per-litre basis, before you reuse leftover bulk.
Follow the mixing method and the supplier SDS. Wear the listed PPE. Do not mix incompatible oxidisers, acids or ammonia.
- Copper fungicide: gloves, goggles, FFP2 when weighing powders. Toxic to aquatic life — keep off ponds.
- Dissolve 100 g copper sulphate pentahydrate in 5 L of water in one plastic bucket.
- Slake 100 g hydrated lime in 5 L of water in a second bucket. Pour copper into lime while stirring (never lime into copper).
- Spray immediately on dry foliage; Bordeaux dies in the bucket overnight. Typical rate: 10 L per 100 m² of crop — read your crop label.
- 1 kg of each powder makes about 50 batches of 10 L — far beyond a 175 g sachet.
Dilution recipe
10 L bucket
Working strength 100 g CuSO4 + 100 g lime per 10 L water (classic 1% Bordeaux). Educational estimate from the listed ratio — check the SDS before you mix.
Chemical
200 grams
Copper sulphate pentahydrate + hydrated lime (Bordeaux)
Water
10 litres
Carrier / diluent
0% concentrate · 100% water by working volume (solids are dissolved into the water share).
Required PPE
Loading calculator…
Side-by-Side Price & Potency Comparison
Head-to-head comparison
| Measure | Retail brandedVitax | Raw active dupeDupeStack |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Bordeaux MixtureAmazon UK search — listing, not a confirmed seller | Copper sulphate pentahydrate + hydrated lime (Bordeaux) |
| Pack / unit | 175 grams · £5.99 | 1 kg CuSO4 + 1 kg lime · £14.00 |
| Active | Copper sulphate + hydrated lime at 35%Carrier: Pre-blended powder sachet | 100% bulkCuSO4·5H2O + Ca(OH)2 |
| CAS number | Not disclosed on pack | 7758-98-7 |
| Working strength | Ready-to-use pack | Dilute 100 g CuSO4 + 100 g lime per 10 L water (classic 1% Bordeaux) |
| Cost per litre | £5.99 / pack | £0.28 / L mixed from bulk |
| Headline saving | Baseline | 72% cheaper |
| COSHH / PPE | Follow the branded SDS | Gloves. Chemical-resistant gloves (nitrile or neoprene)Eye protection. Indirect-vent splash goggles — not ordinary spectaclesRespirator. Rated respirator for dusts or vapours as specified on the SDS |
Active ingredient and cheaper alternative — FAQ
Is Bordeaux the same as Lo-Chlor pool copper algicide?
Same copper donor (CuSO4·5H2O, CAS 7758-98-7) but Bordeaux adds lime to fix the copper on leaves. Never pour garden Bordeaux into a swimming pool — see the Lo-Chlor copper teardown for pool dosing.
Will copper harm my soil?
Repeated copper sprays build soil copper over years. Use only when the label allows, stay within seasonal limits, and rotate with non-copper controls on edible crops.
How do you mix the Bordeaux Mixture dupe stack?
Copper fungicide: gloves, goggles, FFP2 when weighing powders. Toxic to aquatic life — keep off ponds. Dissolve 100 g copper sulphate pentahydrate in 5 L of water in one plastic bucket. Slake 100 g hydrated lime in 5 L of water in a second bucket. Pour copper into lime while stirring (never lime into copper). Spray immediately on dry foliage; Bordeaux dies in the bucket overnight. Typical rate: 10 L per 100 m² of crop — read your crop label. 1 kg of each powder makes about 50 batches of 10 L — far beyond a 175 g sachet.
DupeStack provides chemical concentration data and educational mixing guides only. Wellness pages compare food supplements, not medicines or prescribed treatments. Always review the supplier Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and comply with UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and COSHH regulations when handling concentrated substances. Mixing and storage are at your own risk. Some links are affiliate advertisements (Amazon Associates, eBay Partner Network, and Awin when those programmes are live). Commissions do not change listed concentrations or calculator output.
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Indicative DIY stack