bell7283
Full Member
Posts: 47
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2011 10:04 pm
Location: Rhode Island, USA

Powdery Mildew?

I have about dime sized ( maybe a little smaller ) white spots on my zucchini, squash and one cucumber plant. Do you think this could be powdery mildew? If so any idea on what helps?

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rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Could well be. It's called powdery mildew because it has a slightly powdery appearance. Cucurbits (squash, cuke, pumpkin) are very prone to it.

Here's a picture of it, a little more advanced case:

[url=https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.mastergardeners.org/images/import/publications/powderyMildew_files/squash_lg.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.mastergardeners.org/publications/powderyMildew.html&h=562&w=750&sz=45&tbnid=kFUF9W_lWySgYM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=117&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpowdery%2Bmildew%2Bsquash%2Bimage%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=powdery+mildew+squash+image&docid=S3dwOlkG7ZuO0M&sa=X&ei=38g_TpumG-nFsQK30ZTsCw&ved=0CBkQ9QEwAA&dur=4120]powdery mildew on squash plant[/url]

treat it with milk solution (type that into Search the Forum Keyword box to find lots written here about it) or baking soda solution sprayed thoroughly on all the leaves (including unaffected looking ones) top and bottom surfaces.

Baking soda solution: 2 tsp baking soda + few drops vegetable oil + few drops soap (real soap like Dr. Brunners, not detergent like dish detergent) in a quart of water. The oil just helps it stick to the leaves better. Shake it up and spray.

Or you can use 3% hydrogen peroxide straight from the bottle - but test it on one leaf first before you spray your whole garden, it can burn some plants.



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