Re: Downy Mildew on Cucumbers

Windmere 5/17/2016, 11:48 pm

yolos wrote:Ralitaco - growing in the South. We get diseased veggies before many gardeners have even planted. The Cucumber looks exactly like what I have. I also thought Downy Mildew. I am going to take mine to the county extension office (just as soon as my newly pored concrete driveway dries enough for me to drive on it).

Sigh... Yolos I wonder if I should even try if you're already having issues. Are there any hybrid cukes that really are more disease resistant than others?

Please let us know what the extension office ends up saying.

**sanderson** 5/18/2016, 2:18 am

landarch wrote:I can never seem to match a sick leaf with a disease pic online...

That's me!

Windmere 5/18/2016, 6:07 pm

I've decided I am going to go forward with cukes this year. I found myself a tri-fold cage that can double as a trellis.

My dilemma is trying to make a good choice as to which variety to plant.

I'm torn between Baby Persian and Summer Delight. Summer Delight is a Japanese variety that is supposed to be very resistant to Downy Mildew.

My main question is: If I grow both, will I end up with cucumbers that cross pollinate to produce fruit entirely different from what it should be?

**Scorpio Rising** 5/18/2016, 6:11 pm

There are resistant varieties, Suyo Long is one, need to find the link....

http://www.southernexposure.com/blog/2014/02/fight-downy-mildew-in-your-vegetable-garden-pick-the-right-varieties/

And

http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/ecogardening/disresveg.html

And Johnny's Seeds have theirs labeled as well.

Windmere 5/18/2016, 6:20 pm

Thanks Scorpio. I looked at all three sources you mentioned. That Southern Exposure article was interesting. I did not know that a seed line could lose resistance over time. I haven't come across Summer Delight in any of the sources you suggested.

I like Southern Exposure because they cater to areas like mine.

Thanks again for the info! Smile

UPDATE EDIT: I just found this about Summer Delight:

http://www.evergreenseeds.com/korcuchybsum1.html

I think I have a winner because it also produces mainly female flowers. I can't wait to give this one a whirl.

**Scorpio Rising** 5/18/2016, 6:31 pm

Score!

looks like a winner to me, too!

BeetlesPerSqFt 5/18/2016, 11:11 pm

Windmere wrote:My main question is: If I grow both, will I end up with cucumbers that cross pollinate to produce fruit entirely different from what it should be?

Cross pollination may happen, but it will not affect the fruit portion -- only the seeds. The fruit is the ovary of the female parent plant and genetically only of the female parent. The seeds are the genetic combination of the female parent and whichever male pollens 'won.' If you aren't trying to save seeds from your cucumber fruits to grow next year, cross pollination shouldn't cause any problems.

yolos 5/19/2016, 9:13 pm

yolos wrote:Ralitaco - growing in the South. We get diseased veggies before many gardeners have even planted. The Cucumber looks exactly like what I have. I also thought Downy Mildew. I am going to take mine to the county extension office (just as soon as my newly pored concrete driveway dries enough for me to drive on it).

I took my diseased tomato leaves and diseased cucumber leaves to the county extension agent today. She is gone for a few days but a Master Gardener will be in on Friday so maybe I will get an answer back then. Every time I take something in for them to analyze, they always tell me to use Ortho Complete. I have never used it but we will see this time what they recommend.

**sanderson** 5/20/2016, 2:10 am

When I Bing Ortho complete, I only find a weed herbicide. ?? Wondering to what they are referring.

yolos 5/20/2016, 9:20 am

sanderson wrote:When I Bing Ortho complete, I only find a weed herbicide. ?? Wondering to what they are referring.

Well I guess I was wrong. The only thing close to what they were recommending is Ortho Max. I looked in my notes and every year I show using copper fungicide (which worked some years and not other years). I never used the Ortho. They will call to let me know what the disease is and what they recommend.

Windmere 5/20/2016, 10:42 am

yolos wrote:
sanderson wrote:When I Bing Ortho complete, I only find a weed herbicide. ?? Wondering to what they are referring.
Well I guess I was wrong. The only thing close to what they were recommending is Ortho Max. I looked in my notes and every year I show using copper fungicide (which worked some years and not other years). I never used the Ortho. They will call to let me know what the disease is and what they recommend.

Hey yolos, thanks for the updates. I've been watching your comments with great interest.

study

yolos 5/20/2016, 1:34 pm

Okay, Cucumber disease confirmed by the extension office is Downy Mildew. I knew it but had to have it confirmed by the extension office. They said to use Ortho Garden Disease Control. On some sites and on the Ortho site, it is listed as Ortho Max Garden Disease Control. That is not organic. It contains Chlorothalonil about 30%.

So now I have three choices - Ortho, Daconil, or Copper Fungicide. I never wanted to use the Ortho, but I think I may try it until I actually have fruit set and then I will change to copper fungicide. I have been using copper fungicide the last few years and I have read that it can build up in the soil. So I will try using different products this year.

They also said that my tomatoes had downy mildew also and the treatment was the same.

Windmere 5/20/2016, 1:40 pm

yolos wrote:Okay, Cucumber disease confirmed by the extension office is Downy Mildew. I knew it but had to have it confirmed by the extension office. They said to use Ortho Garden Disease Control. On some sites and on the Ortho site, it is listed as Ortho Max Garden Disease Control. That is not organic. It contains Chlorothalonil about 30%.

So now I have three choices - Ortho, Daconil, or Copper Fungicide. I never wanted to use the Ortho, but I think I may try it until I actually have fruit set and then I will change to copper fungicide. I have been using copper fungicide the last few years and I have read that it can build up in the soil. So I will try using different products this year.

They also said that my tomatoes had downy mildew also and the treatment was the same.

This stuff? Weird, this first one is discontinued and says something about it formerly being Daconil.

http://smile.amazon.com/Ortho-Chlorothalonil-Ornamentals-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B001ACPOBW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463765886&sr=8-2&keywords=ortho+garden+disease+control

and..
http://smile.amazon.com/Scotts-Garden-Disease-Control-Concentrate/dp/B00KYP5S9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463765938&sr=8-1&keywords=ortho+garden+disease+control

yolos 5/20/2016, 1:46 pm

Windmere wrote:
yolos wrote:Okay, Cucumber disease confirmed by the extension office is Downy Mildew. I knew it but had to have it confirmed by the extension office. They said to use Ortho Garden Disease Control. On some sites and on the Ortho site, it is listed as Ortho Max Garden Disease Control. That is not organic. It contains Chlorothalonil about 30%.

So now I have three choices - Ortho, Daconil, or Copper Fungicide. I never wanted to use the Ortho, but I think I may try it until I actually have fruit set and then I will change to copper fungicide. I have been using copper fungicide the last few years and I have read that it can build up in the soil. So I will try using different products this year.

They also said that my tomatoes had downy mildew also and the treatment was the same.

This stuff? Weird, this first one is discontinued and says something about it formerly being Daconil.

http://smile.amazon.com/Ortho-Chlorothalonil-Ornamentals-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B001ACPOBW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463765886&sr=8-2&keywords=ortho+garden+disease+control

and..
http://smile.amazon.com/Scotts-Garden-Disease-Control-Concentrate/dp/B00KYP5S9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463765938&sr=8-1&keywords=ortho+garden+disease+control

Yep, that is the one. Don't know why the first one was discontinued. I did read reviews about the top of the bottle changing so maybe that is it.

**sanderson** 5/21/2016, 4:26 am

I'm sorry about the Downy mildew. Sad

yolos 5/21/2016, 12:54 pm

sanderson wrote:I'm sorry about the Downy mildew.

Thanks Sanderson, but I get it every year without fail. This year it just came earlier than in the past. Usually I can get a few cucs before it gets bad. We shall see. Really depends on how often I can make my self do the spraying to prevent the further spread. I hate spraying anything on my veggies but this year it came so early that if I don't do some spraying, I won't get anything.

yolos 5/25/2016, 10:47 pm

I should have taken a picture of my cucumbers showing the Downy Mildew but I forgot. I clipped a lot of leaves off my Baby Persian cucumbers and almost all the leaves off the Muncher. It was the worst.

Here is a picture of the Muncher Cucumber after I clipped all the diseased leaves off. The whitish splotches are not Powdery Mildew, they are from the fungicide I used. I left at least one leaf on each plant to try to keep it growing.
Downy Mildew on Cucumbers - Page 2 Cucmbe10

Downy Mildew on Cucumbers - Page 2 Cucmbe10

I also have County Fair Cucumbers in the whiskey barrel right next to the Muncher's. I did have to cut a few leaves off the County Fair.
Downy Mildew on Cucumbers - Page 2 Cucumb10

Downy Mildew on Cucumbers - Page 2 Cucumb10

Hear is the Little Leaf Cucumber. There was not a single diseased leaf on this plant. Both the County Fair and the Little Leaf were recommended to me to be more resistant to Downy Mildew.
Downy Mildew on Cucumbers - Page 2 Cucumb11

Downy Mildew on Cucumbers - Page 2 Cucumb11

**Scorpio Rising** 5/25/2016, 11:13 pm

Looking good, yolos! I think you have healthy vegetation goin forward! Lean and mean! Downy Mildew on Cucumbers - Page 2 370856013

**jimmy cee** 5/26/2016, 10:41 pm

It is written, fungal dominated compost tea prevents and in some cases eliminates powdery mildew and others.
It is the most difficult to make insofar as the fungus must be separately made and held off until the tea is just about finished.

has55 5/31/2016, 2:20 am

this also may be helpful till you get your fungal dominated compost tea going.

Actinovate for Lawn & Garden

[url=http://www.bioag.novozymes.com/en/products/unitedstates/biocontrol/Documents/14004_ActinovateSP_LG_18oz_3x5 5bklet_USA_4.pdf]Activate[/url]

I also found this review . There were so many, I just pulled this on out.

daybro
Hello,
I am a master gardener and have an applicators license as well. Thus I do organic tree and shrub spraying. I often use Actinovate and apply it with Neptune's Harvest Fertilizers. Most of the people who answered this post admitted they were just guessing. Hear the truth from an experienced applicator.
The stuff is flat out amazing. It will cure just about any disease out there that has it's origin in the roots. I don't just mean prevent disease. I mean cure advanced nasty diseases like Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium Wilt, Phytophthora etc. Also, it will colonize the leaves and prevent or control other nasties like mildews, spots, even anthracnose. However I have found that it really shines as a root treatment.
It has four modes of action including creating a substance that is a growth hormone. There is one drawback, and that is in very acid soil, below 5.0, it has little effect. It needs some organic matter in the soil as well as moisture for the spores to develop into viable colonies. For established trees and shrubs it needs to be applied to the entire root zone.
The lawns I treat do not brown out in the summer and are resistant to grubs and insects. But please understand that I always spray or deep root inject it with Neptune's Harvest. Neptune's Harvest is cold processed fish fertilizer and there is no better fert. in all the world. It gives the plant everything it could possibly need to grow perfect tissue that is naturally pest resistant. Think about it. What is going to be better, manure based fertilizers or fertilizer made from the whole organism?
I have almost fifty years experience on the land and now I have told you one of my best new secrets. Use it well.
Thank you, David

has55 5/31/2016, 2:54 am

has55 5/31/2016, 4:18 pm

Found research on Actinovate

ACTIVITY OF ACTINOVATE, A NEW BIOFUNGICIDE BASED ON SPORES OF Streptomyces lydicus WYEC 108

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