![]() ![]() That being said, some folks really dislike the appearance of the powdery leaves and treat the plants solely for this reason. It’s just not worth the return on time investment for doing the regular treatment. The truth is, we rarely treat powdery mildew in the Growfully Gardens. In our experience, it’s a rarity that a case of powdery mildew becomes advanced enough to impact the production of a crop before the end of the growing season when we’ll be removing it anyway. Here in the hot and humid zone 6 Growfully Gardens, powdery mildew is just a fact of life-we will have plants with powdery mildew by the time mid-summer hits. Fresh growth is the most susceptible to infection, and excess fertilizer can boost this growth and put your plants more at risk. Limit nitrogen-rich fertilizers in late summer.Use stakes or tomato cages to corral gangly plants, and prune any excess growth to increase the space between plants. More air circulation=less disease spread. This will help slow the spread of the fungus. When it comes time to plant the garden, make sure that plants have appropriate spacing so that there is good air circulation. If powdery mildew is a concern or a recurring problem in your garden, select resistant varieties of cucurbits and other plants. Do not add infected plant parts to your compost, as the fungus can survive there. At the end of the season, remove and destroy all infected plants, as well as leaves, weeds, or other plant debris in the garden. Powdery mildew spores can overwinter on garden debris and infected plants. The best powdery mildew prevention happens before you even plant your vegetables. Sterilize the shears or snips you use with rubbing alcohol to destroy any spores on your tools. To keep it from spreading to other plants, remove any infected plant parts and destroy them. Spores of the fungus can spread to other plants via the wind. Veggies and fruit that are harvested from plants with powdery mildew are perfectly safe to eat-just follow your normal washing routine before consuming your goodies. Plants that have more advanced cases of powdery mildew will eventually slow their production of fruit (or produce low quality or small fruit) because the plant is weakened. Powdery mildew does occasionally spread to cucumber or melon fruits themselves, but in general, it remains contained to the foliage and stems. What happens as powdery mildew progresses?Įventually, infected leaves may die and fall off the plant, or they can become distorted. In the Growfully gardens, we’ve most commonly seen powdery mildew on cucurbits and zinnias, but know that it can happen on other crops as well. ![]() Nightshades such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.Flowers including roses, zinnias, and bee balm.Cucurbits such as cucumbers, zucchini, squash, melons, and pumpkins.There is a wide range of plants that can be affected by powdery mildew: What plants are susceptible to powdery mildew? Powdery mildew is one disease that is common in pea plants. Clean up any plant debris or weeds nearby that may harbor dormant spores. If you have powdery mildew in your garden, remove all infected plants at the end of the season and destroy them (don’t compost them!). It is also possible for powdery mildew spores to survive the winter. ![]()
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