This annual visitor has raised its ugly head in the garden. This is a problem in most intensely planted areas as it loves dense plant growth. If not treated, it will kill the infected plants. Powdery mildew starts as little white spots on the plants. While it enjoys high humidity, it does not particularly like rain. It is also fairly easy to treat with solutions of sulfur or baking soda. The baking soda solution tends to kill the leaves of the treated plant. The sulfur can affect the ph of the soil.
The soil in our garden has a relatively high PH. It is almost neutral in most places, so the sulfur is a more attractive alternative for us. 1 tablespoon of sulfur in a 1 gallon sprayer works well. Add the water after the sulfur and then put a squirt of dish soap. If the dish soap goes in first, it is hard to add the water. The water coming in from the garden hose helps to dissolve the sulfur. If the sulfur is not fully dissolved it will stop up the spray nozzle.
Spray the underside of the leaves as well as the top. The mildew is more visible on the top, but the spores like to hide on the bottom so that they won’t be washed off when it rains.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
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