An Old Evil Returns

An Old Evil Returns

No, we are not moving to the science fiction genre; but it would be fun. The old evil is powdery mildew. It has come back with a vengeance. At this time of year there are two major challenges with cucurbits. 1) is dealing with the surplus production. 2) is keeping them alive. 2) will take care of 1) if we are not diligent.

Cucurbits suffer from a wide variety of ailments as the season progresses. The worst is a little worm that hollows out the stalk and causes the stalk and leaf to rot. This eventually kills the whole plant. Another big problem is the little worm that gets into the fruit itself and causes it to rot. This one can be dealt with by planting enough for you and the worms. The rotten fruits can go into a hot compost pile. This ends the worms life and contributes to next years produce.

Powdery mildew is disastrous if not caught early. The cure is to spray the leaves with a solution of baking soda and dish soap in lots of water. The first time I did this I thought I had killed my plants. The infected leaves all died. They are going to die anyway. The spray keeps the mildew from spreading. The healthy leaves do not seem to suffer from the spray. I sprayed this morning. I think I caught the mildew in time. I will let you know.



David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.