Milk and what?

[cheshirekat]

I saw a recipe for powdered mildew using milk. I think just water is added, but don't remember the portions. Does anyone know?

Thanks.

[slx2007]

I believe it is one part milk one part water.

Milk won;t kill powdered mildew but in theory the milk will do the plant good. So the plant is strong enough to fight againt powdered mildew itself.

Baking Soda is ok too. One teaspoon of baking soda for a quart of water, a few drops of detergent and a few drops of canola oil.

Good luck

[cheshirekat]

Ok. I visited a bunch of web sites to find the answer to this. I bought whole milk. That's the first no-no as the extra fat will cause other problems and unwanted critters.

The correct mix should be one part milk and nine parts water. More is not better for the same reasons skim or 2% milk should be used instead of whole milk. Darn, I don't drink anything but rice milk or whole milk.

I got tired of reading before finding out whether powdered milk can be used.

I found more credible results when searching for "powdery mildew" than I did "powdered mildew" if that matters. It looked like both terms were commonly used and I don't know if one is more correct.

[opabinia51]

Yep milk works great, from my understanding what happens in the milk allows the beneficial bacteria, fungi and protozoans on the plant to grow which take care of the powedery mildew.

I haven't researched this, it's just what I think. And it makes sense given the organisms that will generally live on a plant.

Anyway, yes a 50:50 mixture will work.


Have fun Gardening!

[cheshirekat]

I corrected my earlier post. It is <I>not</I> half and half.

The correct ratio is one part milk to <b>nine</b> parts water. Because of the fats in milk, even skim and 2%, a higher ratio, such as half and half could cause more problems. Also the same 9:1 ratio is good as a preventative measure for healthy grape vines, fruits like raspberries, blackberries and melons.

[petalfuzz]

I posted the recipe in this post:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8179

It's in Jerry Baker's book, "terrific tomatoes..."

Tomato Disease Fighter Tonic
1 part skim milk
9 parts water

text says, "apply this tonic at the first sign of trouble." I suppose that the extra calcium will help prevent blossom end rot.

Note the "skim milk." I'm sure powered milk could be used as long as it was skim. Just rehydrate it before you dilute.