Powdery mildew! :(

littlesapphire 2011-08-10, 07:04

Oh no! My squash, cucumbers and peas have powdery mildew! I wouldn't be so worried about it, except it just keeps raining! So I can't go out there and spray my neem oil on them just yet. The weather will be clear tomorrow, but I'm so worried about waiting.

Does anyone know off hand if neem oil washes away when it rains? On the one hand, I would assume it does, but on the other, it's technically oil so shouldn't it stick?

Oh, I'm so upset over the whole matter. I just want to do something to help my plants, but I can't Powdery mildew! :( 671790

**camprn** 2011-08-10, 07:15

I too am having issues with PM. I would suggest your first line of defense is to just go to the garden and remove all effected leaves and stems and trashing the litter. I put mine in the burn pile.

Info link 1

Info link 2

Info link 3

pattipan 2011-08-10, 08:46

If it's just a few leaves, removing them is an option. However, when powdery mildew comes to my garden, it's usually on just about every squash and cucumber leaf, so I wouldn't have a leaf left if I trimmed off the effected ones! This July with the hot humid weather PM has been the worst.

I found this potassium bicarbonate product that worked to kill the PM: Greencure. I bought mine from amazon.com. Then I bought a cheap 1-gallon pump sprayer (makes it easier to get the underside of leaves). You could use a large spray bottle if you just have a few plants that need treatment.

There are other brands of potassium bicarbonate fungicides, or you can buy bags of the powder to mix your own. It looks just like baking soda, but it's more effective on PM. Greencure has a surficant (makes it stick to the leaves), so that's why I chose it.

Works for me.
pattipan

littlesapphire 2011-08-10, 10:35

PM is the same way for me, Pattipan. When it comes, it grows on all the leaves of the plant. Right now it's just tiny little spots of it on every leaf of the plant. Neem has been very helpful to me in protecting and controling the PM, but I forgot to spray for a couple of weeks, and I got what I deserved.

The weather has cleared up a lot since earlier, but I don't like to spray the leaves at night or when the sun is fully on them, so I'll wait until tomorrow morning.

Camprn, thanks for the links! It was comforting to read that PM doesn't like the rain, so I didn't have so much to worry about.

BackyardBirdGardner 2011-08-10, 10:42

Any chance someone would take a picture of it and post it? I've never seen the stuff. Thanks. (Oh, and I didn't look around the forum. If I don't see a picture here, I'll do some searching later. No need to spoon feed me...lol.)

**camprn** 2011-08-10, 10:47

There are some photos at the links I posted.

littlesapphire 2011-08-10, 11:04

Too lazy to go out and take photos, lol! So I found a picture for you:

Powdery mildew! :( IMG1441resizestamp

That's how it starts in my garden. At the moment, each leaf has one or two of those little dots of white stuff on it Sad

littlesapphire 2011-08-13, 11:25

Great news! Finally got out there to spray with neem on Thursday, and the PM is already gone! That stuff is almost like magic when it comes to PM.

**camprn** 2011-08-13, 11:37

littlesapphire wrote:Great news! Finally got out there to spray with neem on Thursday, and the PM is already gone! That stuff is almost like magic when it comes to PM.

The change in the weather has helped here as well. I am glad you are having success with the neem treatment!!

Goosegirl 2011-08-13, 11:41

littlesapphire wrote:Great news! Finally got out there to spray with neem on Thursday, and the PM is already gone! That stuff is almost like magic when it comes to PM.

Thanks for the reminder - I need to get out there with my Tea Tree Oil mix that I am trying on my Septoria Leaf Spot. TTO is a good anti-fungal (and anti-bacterial), so since I already have a soapy disinfectant mix made up for bathroom disinfection...

GG

Pepper 2012-05-15, 13:09

If I am not badly mistaken this is PM Powdery mildew! :( P5153010

another view Powdery mildew! :( P5153011

This is in my squash and cocumber bed. Do I need to pluck and destroy or just use Neem??

Better yet HELP WHAT SHOULD I DO????? Powdery mildew! :( 63597

littlesapphire 2012-05-15, 13:14

Those are some pretty heavily affected leaves. I would say trim off the worst of the leaves (don't worry, more will grow in their place!) and spray the rest with neem if you have it. Make sure to get the entire leaf, top and bottom, and the leaves that don't appear to be affected as well. Good luck!

Pepper 2012-05-15, 13:18

Thanks Julie Powdery mildew! :( 109486

this makes me Powdery mildew! :( 671790

at PM

littlesapphire 2012-05-15, 13:21

I know what you mean! PM gets me every single year, and the moment I forget to spray neem, it attacks full force. I try to spray my plants once a week. Although I've heard neem is best used as a way to get rid of PM instead of preventing it, it seems to work pretty well for me. Good luck in your garden and let us know how it goes Smile

**camprn** 2012-05-15, 13:27

I had some good results using a baking soda foliar spray last season, particularly on the cucumber plants. I sprayed tops and bottoms of leaves and even though we had very humid weather the spray mostly kept that mildew in check enough for the plants to maintain their health and produce fruit.

**walshevak** 2012-05-15, 17:27

Refresh my memory. What is the proportion of baking soda to water.

Kay

**camprn** 2012-05-15, 17:44

walshevak wrote:Refresh my memory. What is the proportion of baking soda to water.

Kay

I think I used this recipe with a heaping tablespoon of baking soda. I will use it again.
http://organicgardening.about.com/od/diseases/qt/bakingsodaspray.htm

Pepper 2012-05-15, 21:01

Thank you all for your help Powdery mildew! :( 109486

.

The wife picked me up some neem before I saw the baking soda. Which would be better to use? Should I remove the affected leaves and stems before use?

Mike

littlesapphire 2012-05-16, 06:07

Pepper, I've read in several places that the baking soda mix is best for preventing PM, whereas the neem is best for getting rid of PM. So if you already have it, I would say use the neem until it's gone, then try the baking soda mix.

Pepper 2012-05-18, 14:03

well the neem seems to have done the trick. I did butcher the one squash, better it than the whole bed.

littlesapphire 2012-05-18, 18:34

Glad to hear it, Pepper! I know it's never any fun to cut leaves off, but they'll grow back in no time Smile

Remember to keep applying the neem. I usually do it once a week.

FamilyGardening 2012-06-04, 16:14

we are thinking ahead here.....we always get PM on squash, pumpkins and cucumbers.....

wondering if neem is still the best at getting rid of PM and the soda is the best for preventing the PM?

to prevent when do you start to apply the soda? and how often and does it effect the soil at all?....meaning....can you put to much on?

thanks

hugs

rose

**camprn** 2012-06-04, 16:26

I have used it on my plants at the first sign of mildew and it really slows it down a lot, reapplication is required if it remains terribly humid.

FamilyGardening 2012-06-04, 16:52

camprn wrote:I have used it on my plants at the first sign of mildew and it really slows it down a lot, reapplication is required if it remains terribly humid.

neem? or baking soda?

thanks Very Happy

hugs

rose

**camprn** 2012-06-04, 16:55

FamilyGardening wrote:
camprn wrote:I have used it on my plants at the first sign of mildew and it really slows it down a lot, reapplication is required if it remains terribly humid.

neem? or baking soda?

thanks

hugs

rose

the baking soda spray, it works pretty well and the price is right Wink

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