Powdery mildewis a plant disease with a fungal basis, which is very common in various types of crops, both in ornamental gardens, orchards and vegetables. Garden plants may be threatened by one of two types of powdery mildew -powdery mildewanddowny mildewSee how to recognizepowdery mildew symptomsand downy mildew. Learn effective ways tocombat mildew in the garden !
Powdery mildew on rose leaves
What is powdery mildew and how to recognize it?It is a disease that is relatively easy to recognize and well understood. We can divide powdery mildew into two main types: powdery mildew and downy mildew.
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildewis characterized by a white, powdery coating on various parts of the plant, including stems and buds. Initially, the coating is small and can be easily removed by rubbing with a finger. Then it spreads quickly, densely covering the affected fragment and other parts of the plant. The raid is very characteristic, it looks as if someone has coarsely sprinkled flour on the leaf or the stem. Affected leaves begin to turn brown and curl on the underside, and then fall off. The stalks die at the site of the raid, and the buds do not develop.This type of mildew is very fond of roses, but of course it attacks a lot of other plants as well. It can therefore be found on grapes, currants, raspberries, fruit trees (e.g. apple trees), trees (e.g. maple, oak), vegetables (e.g. parsley, tomatoes, pumpkin), ornamental plants (garden azalea, barberry, begonia, verbena , rudbeckia, garden petunia), and even meadow plants or weeds (e.g.goldenrod or plantain). He also does not despise plants in our apartments, such as, for example, the African violet. Powdery mildew can destroy ornamental grasses and even cereals.
Symptoms of powdery mildew can also be seen on stems, flower stalks and flower petals
Although the disease is commonly calledpowdery mildewand causes similar symptoms, slightly different species of the fungus cause it in different plant species. For example, in roses, the disease is generally caused by the fungus Sphaerotheca pannosa var. Rosae, Erysiphe graminis or Blumeria graminis on grasses and cereals, Uncinula necator on grapevines and Podosphaera leucotricha on apple trees. They are combated in a similar way, using appropriate preparations for a given type of crop.
If the disease severity is low, we can try to use more natural and less harmful to the environment, e.g.biopreparations. This is especially important when the disease affects fruit bushes and trees or vegetables. Examples of biopreparations that are helpful in fighting powdery mildew are: Antifung 20 SL (contains bamboo extract), Bioczos BR (based on garlic extract) or Biosept 33 SL (with grapefruit extract).
Powdery mildew on pumpkin leaves
For completely natural ways tocombating powdery mildew , we recommend extracts, decoctions or liquid manure from weeds and herbs such as: nettle, horsetail, yarrow. These preparations are prepared by yourself.
However, once the powdery mildew has spread quite significantly, we must resort to chemical preparations called fungicides. Spraying should be repeated several times with some time interval (depending on the preparation, the method of use is slightly different), and even use two preparations alternately. Examples of measures: Topas 100 EC, Score 250 EC, Nimrod 250 EC, Topsin M 500 EC.It is also worth reaching for a relatively new and very well-proven preparation called Kendo 50 EW.
downy mildew of cucurbits
Downy mildew
Downy mildewslightly different in appearance and symptoms from the true mildew. Its symptoms are not immediately obvious as with powdery mildew. In addition, it is not difficult to confuse them with common blotches at first. Therefore, it is much more dangerous - you can easily overlook the onset of the disease, and this spreads extremely expansively.
Downy mildew of grapevine - upper side of the leaf
Downy mildewattacks the leaves most often. Round or irregular spots, slightly transparent, brown or slightly red, appear on the upper side of the leaf blade. On the underside of the leaf, a whitish, mealy coating appears where the spots are.The leaves turn yellow and fall over time, and the disease spreads to other parts of the plant, such as the buds and flowers. As in the case of powdery mildew, it attacks different species of plants, and likewise, depending on the species attacked, it is caused by slightly different fungi. For example,downy mildewin grapevines is caused by the fungus Plasmopara viticola, in roses it is Peronospora sparsa, in onions Peronospora destructor, and downy mildew of cucurbits is caused by the fungus Pseudoperonospora cubensis.Combating downy mildewis similar to that of powdery mildew. An example of combating downy mildew on virions is provided on our forum, in the thread spots on grapevine leaves - downy mildew.
Downy mildew of grapevine - lower side of the leaf
Powdery mildew - activation and prevention
Both powdery mildews develop easily and are transferred to other plants in special weather conditions.This is favored by high temperatures and high humidity. Therefore, when the disease is present, you should absolutely avoid sprinkling the plant during watering (water it directly onto the soil). The spores of the fungus or even the mycelium overwinter very well in the affected parts of the plant - stems, buds and fallen leaves.
Thereforeessential care treatments limiting the spread of powdery mildewinclude:
- removal of diseased parts of plants (cutting branches or shoots),
- raking fallen leaves and then removing them from the garden or burying them deep in the ground.
Remember that it is forbidden to burn leaves and branches on plots and in gardens, which was a common practice until recently. While incineration effectively eliminates the risk of the spread of pathogens, it is unfortunately associated with smoke emissions and air pollution.Currently removed diseased parts of plants must be returned as green wastein accordance with the rules of segregation and waste in force in our municipality.
Part of the infected plant should not be used for compostingIn this way, we will ensure that the plants are infected, under which we will then use the compost, and the source from which the fungus spores will spread freely throughout all surrounding plants. In addition,when propagating plants vegetatively, make sure that the mother plant is he althy
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