This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Saturday 26 April 2014

Organic Treatment for Powdery Mildew

Following on from a previous post about an oregano herb plant with powdery mildew, just wanted to update everyone on the organic treatment I used - which has been a success! Photo (left) of the plant with mildew. I had cut all the foliage off the plant thinking this may help, however, the new growth had powdery mildew on it, so I needed to find a solution (or throw it out)... I read an article that recommended using 20-30% milk mixed with water as a treatment for powdery mildew. I did this and it seems to have worked - photo of healthy leaves below.
The plant is growing well and there is no sign of powdery mildew since I treated it. The article said to spray the plant. However, I mixed the milk-water solution and then used my fingers to put it on every leaf of the plant. It didn't take long and seems to have worked. Its great to find treatments that don't involve purchasing chemicals!

If you have any good non-chemical treatments for common plant problems, do share!

Copyright: All words and photos are property of Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden.

9 comments:

  1. Looks like a result. Martyn read an article that claims lemon juice kills aphids.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad it worked. These things often turn out to be simply "Old Wives' Tales". I wonder if it would work on Courgettes in August? Garlic is also alleged to have good insecticidal properties, by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Up until reading this the endorsement that impressed me most was from the hosta growers who used garlic to deter slugs! I've grown more garlic this year to give it a go myself.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That looks much better now - I might try your method on my peas later in the year. They usually succumb sometime in late summer.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kelli, I used the milk on my squash plant that had powdery mildew and it is looking much better. I think I will apply it a second time, as the leaves are really large and perhaps I didn't cover them all underneath. I used my fingers, too, but am thinking maybe I will use a spray bottle next time to be sure I don't miss some of the surface. Your oregano looks completely cured of it, now!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good to know! I had no idea that oregano got powdery mildew. I usually see it on my bee balm later in the season. Thanks for the tip!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for the advice. I will use it on my Mondara and Phlox. Do you have any advice for rust? It plagues my Hollyhocks and Clematis. We have used wood ash to combat a worm that gets into the stems and body of summer and zucchini squashes and turns them to mush......

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's awesome! I'll have to try it the next time I have mildew. I used to just throw the plant away. Great advice!! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  9. A great lesson for me! Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete