Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a huge number of ornamental, vegetable, fruit and berry plants.
The most common pathogens - fungi of the species Podosphaera fuliginea and Erysiphe cichoracearum - are indiscriminate, they affect a wide range of plants: melons and gourds most often suffer from horticultural crops: cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, melons, watermelons; berry bushes: gooseberries, currants, are affected fruit trees, as well as berries.
There are also specific pathogens that are characteristic of specific plants, for example, the causative agent powdery mildew grapes - species Oidium tuckeri. Therefore, powdery mildew on grapes is called: Oidium.
Garden flowers are very susceptible to the sphere library, sometimes with a cut from a store or garden, powdery mildew also gets on indoor flowers.
Symptoms
Powdery mildew is easy to identify, as it has quite characteristic symptoms. It begins with the appearance of small white spots on the upper side of the leaf. Gradually, the spots increase and cover the entire leaf as a whole, moving to the entire aerial part of the plant. As the disease progresses, the spots become larger, denser and whiter: the bushes look like they have been doused with lime mortar. And upon closer inspection, the leaves seem to be covered with the thinnest layer of cotton wool or cobwebs - this is a white mycelium of the fungus, consisting of numerous conidia collected in chains.
In fruit plants, the growth of the bush is disrupted, the wood on the growing shoots does not ripen, as a result, the plants suffer greatly from frost, especially for grapes. In addition, the sphere library very quickly moves from leaves to ovaries and fruits, you can be left completely without a crop, since berries and fruits affected by white bloom are unsuitable for food.
With vegetables, the situation is more complicated - since tropical plants consume a huge amount of nutrients for the growth and formation of fruits, very often they simply cannot cope with the infection and die. Powdery mildew seriously threatens cucumbers and tomatoes.
Where does powdery mildew come from
Spheroteca pathogens reproduce both sexually and asexually.
- Asexual reproduction occurs with the help of conidia - these are motionless spores, so named from the Greek konia - dust and eidos - view. It is the chains of conidia that we see on the leaves of infected plants in the form of a white coating, they easily break away from each other and are carried by the wind for a decent distance. So, throughout the summer season, new shoots and plants are regularly re-infected.
- Sexual reproduction is carried out through spore-bearing structures - cleistothecia. This fruiting body of the fungus is composed of very densely intertwined hyphae and can contain millions of spore sacs, each typically containing four to eight ascospores. Cleistothecia hibernate on fallen leaves, and in spring the ascospores mature, are released and give rise to a new focus of infection.
At the moment when cleistothecia are formed, the plaque on the leaves turns from white to gray, then brown - the fruiting bodies themselves (cleistothecia) themselves are brown or black in color, and the dimensions do not exceed 0.2 mm.
Conditions for the development of powdery mildew
The incubation period with favorable factors for powdery mildew is 5 to 10 days, depending on the temperature. For example, at a temperature of about +15°C, the period from the onset of infection to the formation of conidia is about five days.
The favorable temperature for the formation of conidia is from +5°C to +28°C, but mass development occurs at +20°C. Contributes to the disease relative humidity of 60-80% in the absence of precipitation. Directly during rains, the spread of the disease is inhibited - the colonies of conidia remain on the leaves, but when the precipitation stops, the soil evaporates moisture for a long time, and the pathogen develops rapidly.
Therefore, it is after heavy rains that the development of the sphere library occurs rapidly, in 2-3 days a gooseberry bush can become covered with a white bloom.
The denser the planting of seedlings, flowers, vegetables, tree crowns, the higher the air humidity, the less wind movement and the stronger local infection occurs within the garden plot.
What contributes to the rapid development of powdery mildew
Infection occurs most rapidly when alternating warm, dry days and rains, then humidity does not fall below 60%. Although infection can occur even at a relative humidity of about 50%.
The introduction of an excess amount of nitrogen fertilizers or weather conditions that favor the conversion of nitrogen into an assimilable form increase the development of fungal diseases (oidium, rust, septoria, etc.). Excess means more than 0.6 kg active substance for 1 hundred.
The conditions required for spore maturation differ between different types pathogens of powdery mildew, for example, with powdery mildew of grapes (Oidium), mycelium grows better at 25–30 ° C, i.e. the hotter the weather, the faster the vineyards are affected.
Young leaves are most susceptible to damage by the sphere library - within 16-20 days after deployment.
Powdery mildew prevention
If powdery mildew has already been seen on your garden plot, in early spring as soon as on fruit bushes leaves begin to unfold, spray the bushes with Topaz or Vectra (their action is aimed specifically at powdery mold). After 2 weeks, repeat the spraying of the leaves and the resulting ovaries. The third spraying will be after harvest.
Observe general rules prevention:
- Destroy infected plant debris by burning all leaves and shoots that show signs of the disease.
- Weed weeds, many are prone to infection.
- Observe crop rotation, do not re-plant crops susceptible to powdery mildew in the same place.
- Purchase seedlings and seeds of plants that are genetically resistant to diseases.
- Ensure sufficient air circulation, avoid crowding, thin out seedlings and seedlings.
- Disinfect the tools you use for trimming or tying (ribbons and ropes, secateurs, etc.).
- If you use the principle of sprinkling, then water vegetables and berries in the morning so that the plants have the opportunity to dry out during the day. Even better, choose a drip irrigation system to help keep the leaves dry.
- Do not overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers, but apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers regularly.
Powdery mildew serum
Whey works best as a preventative rather than a cure, and should be used if you notice infected plants, trees or weeds somewhere near your site. Susceptible crops need to be protected: gooseberries, currants, roses, etc.
There is no difference between what to spray - milk or whey (backflow) - only in price, both products contain milk proteins, and we need them.
How exactly the whey works against the fungus, no one knows for sure, it is assumed that milk proteins have an antiseptic effect when exposed to sunlight. Therefore, the treatment with milk and whey is carried out not in the evening, but at 10-11 in the morning in sunny weather. Moisten both sides of the leaves with a solution of milk until it flows to the ground.
How to dilute whey with water against powdery mildew: for 1 part of milk (whey), we take 2-3 parts of water. The solution is sprayed on the leaves of plants every 10-14 days. If there is a desire - it is possible more often - once a week.
- Sometimes you can find a recipe for powdery mildew, where reverse, whey, sour milk or kefir (yogurt) are used in a dilution of 1:10 with cold water. Believe me - it does not work, too weak concentration! We breed 1:2 or 1:3, and repeat every week.
Powdery mildew ash
Good prevention of the sphere library, i.e. spraying before the symptoms of the disease appear - ash treatment. To do this, take 1 kg of clean wood ash, sifted from debris, and pour 10 liters of water. Leave the solution to infuse for 3-5 days, stir occasionally. Add a couple of tablespoons of grated soap. Strain the solution through a thin cotton cloth into the sprayer so as not to clog the sprayer.
Powdery mildew - control measures
If powdery mildew has already cleared up on fruit and berry bushes, flowers or vegetables, not only general agricultural techniques are needed, such as loosening and thinning, but also the use of various fungicides or chemicals. And even at this stage, it may already be too late, for example, on berries with clearly expressed signs of the disease, it is too late to use chemicals, because poisons remain in fruits for up to 20-30 days. On grapes, you need to start processing from powdery mildew at the very beginning of the growing season, when the shoots have formed only 3-5 leaves.
Consider the most common methods of treatment.
Powdery mildew iodine
We take medical iodine, measure out with a syringe 10 ml and dissolve in 10 liters of water. We thoroughly moisten the leaves of infected plants with this solution.
On roses, you can use a more concentrated solution: 20 ml of alcohol tincture of iodine per 7 liters of water.
If you do not have a syringe to measure out, count as drops, for example, to treat powdery mildew cucumbers, 30 drops of iodine per 10 liters of water. But since cucumbers do not tend to retain moisture on the leaves, you need to add an adhesive: a couple of tablespoons of grated laundry soap or green potash.
Fitosporin-M from powdery mildew
How to breed:
- Fitosporin-M powder - 1 g per 1 liter of water or 10 g per 10 liters of water
- Fitosporin-M liquid - 0.6 ml per 1 liter of water or 6 g per 10 liters of water 20 drops per 200 ml of water.
- Fitosporin-M paste, how to breed, read
Mouthwash
In America, in gardening centers, it is recommended to use a universal ethanol-based mouthwash (antibacterial) from the sphere library. We can see similar ones on sale, for example, "Forest Balsam". Jeff Gillman, director of the Botanical Gardens at the University of North Carolina and author of books on plants (Organic Gardening), claims that this recipe for powdery mildew works effectively: one part mouthwash and three parts water. True, he warns that such a solution should be used with caution - it can damage young, just unfolded leaves. Therefore, it is better to use commercial fungicides.
Our compatriot, the famous gardener Galina Kizima, advises: it is important to carry out preventive spraying of the garden in the first half of summer. According to her recommendations, we do the following:
- We take a bottle of 1.5 liters, pour 500 ml of water.
- We throw 2-3 grains of the Healthy Garden preparation and 2-3 grains of the Ecoberin preparation into the bottle.
- Close the lid and shake the bottle vigorously until the grains dissolve.
- Add water to a volume of 1 liter.
- Add 6 drops of Zircon, 4 drops of Cytovit, 8 drops to the solution.
This solution should be sprayed with all fruit and berry bushes and plants, seedlings of vegetables, young trees. For powdery mildew, spray as soon as the first leaves open, then after flowering and after harvest.
Galina Alexandrovna calls this cocktail protective against a complex of diseases and pests.
Naturally, for a summer cottage, you need to prepare a large volume of solution, it is better to cook in small batches, or count for 5 liters of water. Do not store the solution! Do not spray in the sun, spray in cloudy weather or in the evening.
Powdery mildew fungicides
Copper soap solution: 20-30 g of copper sulfate and 200-300 g of soap per 10 liters of water. To prepare copper sulphate and soap separately, dissolve in a small amount hot water, then pour a solution of copper sulfate in a thin stream into the soapy solution, with constant stirring. Strain, spray.
Copper soda solution: Dilute 50 g of soda ash and 200 g of soap (household, tar) in 2 liters of hot water. Separately, dilute 10 g of copper sulfate in a glass of water, pour in a thin stream into a solution of soda and soap. Add water to 10 liters of solution volume. Stir, strain, spray.
Of the effective fungicides against powdery mildew, you can choose: bayleton, but, quadris, rayok, scor, tilt, topaz, topsin, thiovit jet, hom, oxychom, etc. Some of the drugs are available in small packaging for personal household plots, some can only be obtained from collective purchases, as they are sold for Agriculture in large containers (quadris, bravo, bayleton, etc.)
- Agrolekar, Chistoflor, Prognoz - contain propiconazole, dilute 10 ml per 10 liters of water, maximum 3 treatments: spraying at the beginning of the growing season, before flowering and after harvesting.
- Rayok, Chistotsvet contain difenoconazole, we dilute 2 g per 10 liters of water, a maximum of 4 treatments: the first - along the green cone, the rest - after 12-14 days. For flowers and ornamental plants and shrubs, dilute 2 ml per 5 liters of water.
- , contains penconazole, we dilute 6-8 g per 10 liters of water, no more than 4 treatments, the waiting period is 20 days.
- Vectra, contains bromuconazole, we dilute 3 mg per 10 l, only 3 treatments: the first - after flowering, the second - after 12-15 days, the third - after harvesting, do not spray during flowering!
- Alirin and Gamair, dilute 2 tablets per 1 liter of water.
The consumption of the working solution is up to 2 liters per currant bush, gooseberry or young fruit tree 5-6 years old, up to 5 liters per large fruit-bearing tree. When spraying grapes, the fungicide consumption is 10-15 liters per hundred square meters.
It is not recommended to use fungicides based on the same active ingredient more than three times, although some manufacturers recommend four times. Stop all fungicide treatments 20 days before harvest!
Video: treatment of gooseberries with iodine from powdery mildew
Hom, or copper oxychloride, is a universal remedy for combating plant ailments. Indications for the use of this drug are:
- scab, moniliosis in quince, pear, apple;
– late blight/macrosporiosis in tomatoes and potatoes;
– sugar beet cercosporosis;
- rot in plum fruits;
- peach leaf curl;
- coccomycosis, clusterosporosis, moniliosis in plums, apricots, sweet cherries, cherries, peaches;
- anthracnose, mildew in grapes;
- peronosporosis of onions, cucumbers, hops;
– rust and spotting of ornamental/floral crops.
This drug perfectly "copes" with the causative agents of many fungal diseases.
Packing of the drug
The drug Hom in our online store "Seeds by Mail" is presented in a package of 20 gr.
Instructions for use of the drug Hom
The amount of the drug for each plant is calculated individually. The general algorithm of application consists in the initial dilution of the drug in water (a small amount!). Further, stirring, as a rule, add all the remaining water. It is recommended to spray the plants exclusively with a freshly prepared solution, preferably in calm, dry weather. When processing the drug, you need to monitor the uniform wetting of the leaves.
Approximate consumption of the drug per 10 liters. is 40 gr., the approximate processing area is 1 weave or from 2 to 4 trees.
Hom is:
- reliability of protection of flower, vegetable and fruit crops from late blight, anthracnose, brown spot, macrosporiosis, powdery downy mildew, scab, curliness, rust;
- absence side effects;
- the frequency of treatment of plants is 2-6 times per season (the interval between treatments should be from 10 to 14 days).
Safety measures when using the drug Hom
The hazard class of Hom is the third. The Hom preparation is not phytotoxic if the developed recommendations are strictly followed. To clarify, its use does not affect the crop rotation.
The drug poses little danger to bees. Do not allow this drug to enter water bodies, tk. it is toxic to fish.
The preparation of the working solution implies a PROHIBITION of the use of food utensils. It is necessary to work with Hom in rubber gloves, protective clothing, glasses. It is mandatory to use a bandage (cotton-gauze) or a “petal” respirator. When working with the drug, it is forbidden to smoke, drink, and even more so eat. Upon completion of work, hands / face must be washed with soap and rinsed with mouth. Used packaging must be burned.
It affects trees, shrubs, vegetable plants, not leaving alone and decorative ones. Moreover, it is possible to predict where the main blow will fall. If the end of May and the beginning of June were rainy, then the fungus primarily attacks young plants, and if the weather was hot at that time, then old specimens of bushes and trees will be more susceptible to the disease. Give them more attention.
Infection begins, most often, from the lower leaves and shoots, spreading further throughout the plant. This disease manifests itself in the form of a white-gray plaque on the upper surface of the leaf. Later, when the spores of the fungus mature, droplets of liquid appear on the affected areas.
From powdery mildew, the plant's leaf surface is reduced, capable of photosynthesis and the perception of moisture and oxygen. As a result, the leaves dry, the yield decreases, and its quality deteriorates significantly. In addition, winter hardiness decreases in diseased plants, and affected inflorescences do not produce ovaries.
Powdery mildew appears around mid-June. Therefore, at this time, pay special attention to your plants.
Powdery mildew fungus lives off its host plant, so it will not completely destroy it in order to next year eat here again.
Causes of Powdery Mildew
The following factors usually lead to the appearance of powdery mildew on plants:
How to deal with powdery mildew
Prevention
Agricultural practices
- A preventive measure against this disease is the acquisition and planting of plant varieties that are resistant to powdery mildew.
- It is extremely important to follow the rules of crop rotation.
- Do not forget to loosen the soil around the plants, so in this case the upper layers of the soil are saturated with oxygen, from which the fungi die.
- In no case do not thicken the landing. The sun should penetrate well from all sides of the plant. Be sure to remove weeds that also thicken crops.
- In autumn, fallen leaves from diseased plants must be removed from the site and burned. It is better to remove the affected tops of currants or gooseberries from the bush and also burn them.
The use of drugs
In addition to agricultural practices, a good prevention is the use of special preparations such as "Fitosporin" (more on them below).
For the prevention of powdery mildew, copper sulfate is often used, which is considered by many to be the most ideal remedy. Processing is carried out only once for any crops before flowering. Take 2 tablespoons of copper sulfate, which are diluted in 10 liters of water. Bushes and trees are sprayed with this solution. 
Measures to combat powdery mildew in the event of a disease
You can effectively deal with this scourge with biological or chemical preparations. But before treating a plant with powdery mildew, it is necessary to cut off and burn all the affected leaves from it.
Folk remedies
We bring to your attention a few simple folk recipes that are successfully used by gardeners in the fight against fungal diseases.
Recipe #1
It is necessary to take 1 part of cow dung, 3 parts of water and insist all this for 3 days. The finished product is filtered and further diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1. The resulting solution is sprayed with diseased plants. Such a solution destroys the mycelium of the fungus.
Recipe #2
Serum from cottage cheese is considered a very effective remedy. Simply pour the serum into a handheld sprayer and spray all your crops. Serum can be used to treat plants repeatedly, without paying attention to the period of flowering, fruiting, etc.
Recipe #3
Another recipe for powdery mildew based on milk. You need to take 1 liter of sour cow's milk and mix with one liter of warm water. Spray crops with this solution for a week.
Recipe #4
For the next recipe, you will need 50 grams of ordinary table salt and the same amount of laundry soap. These ingredients must be diluted in 10 liters of warm water. Plants should be treated with the resulting solution every five to seven days.
Recipe number 5
You need to take ordinary iodine, and add 10 ml to a 10 liter bucket of water. Mix thoroughly and process the plant.
Iodine is used as one of the means in the fight against powdery mildew. Recipe #6
For 4 liters of water, take 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon liquid soap. With this solution, treat your powdery mildew-infected crops three times with an interval of 2-3 days.
By the way, you can treat the plant both with an ordinary spray gun and with the help of, for example, an ordinary broom. Just dip the broom into the working solution, and spray it directly on the leaves.
Purchased drugs
Systemic fungicides
The above folk recipes are good, but, alas, they do not always work 100%, especially if the plant is already heavily affected by the fungus, and preventive measures were not taken in advance.
For a guaranteed cure for powdery mildew, it is better to use fungicides (from the word "fungi" - mushroom). As an example, we can name the funds "Topaz", "Kvadris".
"Topaz" can be called the most effective fungicide from powdery mildew, fruit rot and rust. It is also used for preventive purposes, for which plants are sprayed at the beginning of their growing season. You can use the drug for stone fruits and pome fruits, vegetable crops, for almost all ornamental plants (including indoor flowers), as well as for vines. 
As for Quadris, it is used to protect against major diseases (true and downy mildew, late blight, mildew, oidium) of tomatoes, cucumbers, as well as grapes, onions, cabbage, potatoes, peas. "Kvadris" has a preventive, curative and eradicating effect. It has good compatibility with other preparations used on crops. 
We will not describe in detail how to carry out processing by these means. Let's say that everything is done in strict accordance with the instructions that are attached to each drug.
In addition to the named Topaz and Quadris, in this category of antifungal drugs, one can mention Bona Forte, Bravo, Vectra, Diskor, Maxim, Oksihom, Raek, Skor, etc. .
Biological fungicides
It should be said right away that when fighting a fungus, systemic fungicides can also damage healthy plants, and in general they are not very environmentally friendly. Therefore, the industry produces softer products, the so-called biological fungicides. These include primarily Fitosporin. It works on the basis of the bacterium Bacillus Subtilus, also known as hay bacillus. Once on plants, this bacterium devours the fungal environment, thereby destroying the disease.
"Fitosporin" is sold in canned form (sealed in a plastic bag), and in order for the bacteria to come to life, they must be placed in an aquatic environment, or more simply, dilute the contents in water. In order for the process to go in the best way, put the container with water, where Fitosporin was added, for five to six hours in a cool place. Then this suspension should be added 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water and spray your plants with the resulting solution.
Phytosporin must first be diluted in a small amount of water As mentioned above, it is possible to process crops with "Fitosporin" in early spring as preventive measure from powdery mildew.
In addition to Fitosporin, biological fungicides include Gliocladin, Gamair, Baktofit, Alirin-B, Agat-25K, Trichodermin, and others.
When to process
By general rule fruit and berry plants are recommended to be processed before flowering and after it, until the berries and fruits begin to pour. But folk measures (serum) can also be used during the period of flowering and fruiting.
All treatments are best done in the evening, closer to sunset. If the treatment is carried out in the heat of the sun, then everything will be in vain, the drugs will not work.
Conclusion
As you can see, powdery mildew is not as scary as it might seem. The techniques against it are well known, you just have to remember to use them. Choose what you like best, which is more suitable for your site and your crops. We advise you to pay attention to Fitosporin and other biological fungicides. Of course, if the situation is not quite running.
Timely measures taken will help you prevent the spread of the disease and get the desired harvest.
In contact with
Powdery mildew or ashtray may appear on indoor plants, garden, wild. Without treatment, berry bush or perennial flower can die in just one summer season. You can get rid of the disease with the help of pesticides or folk remedies.
What is powdery mildew?
Spots of mycelium first appear on the leaves, and then the lesion covers the petioles, stalks and fruits. First of all, the infection spreads along the lower leaves, which are close to the ground, since the spores of the fungus overwinter in the soil. Gradually, the plaque covers the entire plant. White bloom appears on the flowers, the leaves dry out, the infected fruits crack and rot.
A dense coating of mycelium prevents cells from developing and feeds on their contents. As a result, the leaves dry up, the plant is weakened. The disease is especially destructive for young shoots. Their cells have very delicate walls, which the mycelium destroys without difficulty.
What plants are affected?
Phytopathology can develop on most representatives of the flora. Most noticeable is the ashtray on vegetable crops. Pumpkin, nightshade, onions, garlic, beets suffer from it. The disease rages on tomatoes and. Recently, potatoes have been affected.
In rainy years, strawberries and raspberries suffer greatly from the ashtray. The disease develops rapidly on blackcurrant - already in early summer, the leaves can curl and become covered with white bloom.
On the currant, the ashtray is a frequent companion of aphids. Shoots weakened by sucking insects become especially susceptible to fungal diseases.
Plants with tender soft leaves are especially quickly affected.
From indoor it is:
- gloxinia;
- saintpaulia;
- balsam;
In the garden, the disease threatens in the first place:
- apricot
- apple tree;
- pear;
- cherry.
In forests and parks, white bloom regularly appears on oak and maple leaves. The danger of the ashtray for forest species is that the fungus does not die even in the most severe winters and continues to weaken the tree the next year until, in the end, it leads to the death of the giant.
What does an ashtray look like?
Powdery mildew is difficult to confuse with anything. Grayish-white coating - very feature. If after a while dark brown or black balls appeared on it, there is no doubt that the plants were struck by the ashtray.
ashtray
It is important not to confuse powdery mildew with downy mildew. These diseases are caused by microorganisms from different classes, manifest themselves in different ways and require different treatment.
With an ashtray, the coating is snow-white, located on the upper surface of the leaf plates. Peronosporosis is manifested by a grayish-yellow bloom, most often covering the underside of the leaves facing the ground.
Penosporosis on cucumber leaves
What is called?
Microorganisms that cause disease:
How is it distributed?
The causative agents of the disease - cleistothecia - hibernate on fallen leaves. At the beginning of summer, the wind carries the spores. Once on the host plant, they germinate and the mycelium penetrates the leaf tissues.
Having grown well, the mycelium appears on the surface in the form of a white powdery or cobweb-like coating. Here, cleistothecia are formed on it - black or dark spherical tubercles.
Infected leaves overwinter under snow. At the beginning of summer, the cleistothecia burst, all sides of the spore scatter from them, and the cycle repeats.
Spores can germinate into leaf blades under certain temperature and humidity conditions. Plants are especially vulnerable when hot, dry weather gives way to rainy weather or drops between day and night temperatures begin.
The disease contributes fast growth young shoots caused by excessive nitrogen fertilization. Damaged, severely injured plants, for example, those that have undergone a strong anti-aging pruning, lose their immunity and are easily colonized by infectious agents.
How to fight?
Despite the rapid spread and detrimental effect on plants, it is not difficult to get rid of the disease. The fight against the disease lies in the observance of prevention and the rules for caring for crops.
When the infection spreads, plants are sprayed with pesticides of chemical or biological origin.
Fungicides
Chemical preparations can be systemic and contact action:
- Contact pesticides- Act on harmful organisms in direct contact with the source of infection.
- Systemic pesticides- penetrate into the cells of plants and are able, together with the juice, to be transported through the plant, spreading from the roots to the tips of the shoots.
From ashpel, systemic preparations based on triazoles are effective:
- Speed;
- Topaz;
- Pureflower etc.
The fungus can adapt to chemicals, so the next season the product needs to be changed. Triazoles are used for preventive treatments and as curative fungicides in the early phase of the disease. Some are able to stop sporulation. But if spores have already formed, fungicides with triazole will not help.
Then sulfur preparations are used:
- Thiovit jet;
- Cumulus DF;
- Microthiol special.
Sulfur gives off vapors that penetrate the mycelium and destroy it. The preparations are effective at a temperature of +18 ... +27 degrees. At a temperature of more than + 30 degrees, the substance burns the leaves, which may result in their fall.
Attention! Gooseberries cannot be treated with sulfur - the plant will die.
The preparations are not poisonous to bees, but can cause skin irritation in warm-blooded animals and humans.
Ways to fight the disease. Video:
Biofungicides
Bacillus subtilis or hay bacillus is a soil bacterium that produces antibiotics. She is in line biological preparations for plant protection.
The most famous biological product for powdery mildew among summer residents is Fitosporin M. This systemic bacterial fungicide can be used to treat garden, garden, indoor and greenhouse plants from a complex of diseases. The working substance of Fitosporin is the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. By excreting waste products, it suppresses the reproduction of the mycelium.
Alirin is a biological product based on a special strain of hay bacillus. The tool is used to protect and treat cucumbers (greenhouse and in open field), black currant, gooseberry, grain, strawberry.
Protective agents are produced from different strains of hay bacillus different cultures from the ashtray:
- Vitaplan;
- Gamair;
- Sporobacterin.
In addition to hay bacillus, spores of Trichoderma fungus and Pseudomonas bacteria may be present in biological products.
Folk remedies
Sick bushes are sprayed clean water, then dust the leaves with ash powder, wrapping it in gauze. Ash adheres well to wet shoots. Plants should be left in the dust for 2-3 hours. During this time, the alkaline powder will destroy the mycelium. The leaves of ornamental crops, such as roses, which often suffer from powdery mildew, must be washed after 3 hours so that they do not leave unsightly spots. Vegetable crops can be left covered with ashes until the first rain or watering.
You can get rid of the disease on flowers with soda ash:
- Mix 4 g of washing soda with a liter of water.
- Pour in 4 g of liquid soap for better adhesion.
- Stir.
Plants are sprayed every week in the first half of summer. The tool is safe for the crop, it can be used even if the berries and fruits have already begun to ripen.
An acidic environment acts on the mycelium no less detrimental than an alkaline one. To combat fungi, you can use sour milk or kefir. Fermented milk product diluted with water 1 to 9 and treated garden plants.
Infection prevention
The easiest way to defeat the disease is to capture its beginning, so it is important to regularly inspect the plantings. The first sign of the disease is slightly deformed leaves or shoots. At this stage, the plants can already be treated with a fungicide.
Since the spores of the fungus overwinter on the litter, the first preventive measure is to clean the garden and berry bush in the fall from fallen leaves. Plant waste is best burned without composting.
Powdery mildew prevention includes:
- crop rotation;
- the use of disease-resistant varieties and hybrids;
- balanced top dressing with the optimal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
For preventive treatments, spraying with biologics with hay sticks is used. It is noteworthy that prophylaxis with biological products is possible during periods when plants are flowering, as it is not dangerous for pollinating insects.
Plants, like people, suffer from a wide variety of diseases, and, like us humans, their ailments can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and poor care. But there is a very extensive group of diseases in the plant world that bring microscopic fungi. One of them is called powdery mildew. It is real and false. Some external signs these diseases are similar, but the causative agent and the characteristics of the course are different. Every gardener, gardener, florist should know how to deal with powdery mildew, because absolutely all categories of plants are susceptible to this disease - trees, berries, vegetables, flowers, even simple grass. We offer the most proven methods that will definitely help prevent the appearance of powdery mildew, and if it has already hit the plants, they will help to destroy it.
Powdery mildew fungi
Signs of the disease
Conditions for the onset of the disease
It is important to know not only how to deal with powdery mildew, but also where it comes from. It is believed that plants are affected only in spring. This is an erroneous opinion, since many types of powdery mildew fungi are able to form spores twice a year. Accordingly, the disease can appear twice, if only the necessary conditions are created for the fungi. And in the spring there is a maximum surge of powdery mildew, because fungal spores overwinter either in uncleaned plant debris or in the plant buds themselves (for example, in roses, grapes). As soon as the kidneys wake up, they immediately begin to become more active. Regarding what kind of weather contributes to the appearance of powdery mildew, gardeners have somewhat different opinions. Some say it should be cool and humid, while others say it should be sunny and warm. In fact, fungal spores are most active in unstable weather (hot today, rainy and cold tomorrow, dry and warm the day after tomorrow). The second thing that mushrooms like is shade and calm. That is, plants that do not have enough sun, or their plantings are heavily thickened, as doctors say, are at risk.
There is also a strong opinion that powdery mildew begins to colonize the plant from the lower leaves touching the ground. And this statement is absolutely not true for all plants, and is only suitable for vegetable crops. For example, in grapes, the disease begins immediately on all leaves, in gooseberries it can begin from the upper shoots, which have the most tender leaves, and gradually conquer the entire bush.
Powdery mildew prevention
autumn
- collect and burn all dry leaves, fallen fruits, other plant residues;
- cut out all diseased, old, dry branches from berries and trees;
- dig the ground around the plants or spray it with appropriate preparations;
- apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
spring
-before the start of sap flow (only the snow will melt), pour boiling water over the branches of bushes and trees very quickly (if you do not pour on the same place, the plants will not suffer);
- once again carefully dig or just loosen the ground around the plants;
- some gardeners advise spraying powdery mildew preparations on the ground in future beds;
- be sure to prune in order to give the plant access to light and wind;
- when choosing plants for the garden, stop at varieties resistant to powdery mildew;
- do not abuse nitrogen fertilizers.
Summer
- do not abuse watering;
- time to break through the weeds.
Folk methods against powdery mildew
Folk remedies for powdery mildew are very diverse, low-toxic or completely harmless to humans and insects, easily accessible, but the result of their use comes if you start using them at the very beginning of the disease, or if they are treated several times.
soda ash
50 grams of the product is diluted in 10 liters of water (first dissolved in 2-3 liters, then water is added to the full volume), 10 grams of soap are added, sprayed according to the general scheme.
There are very useful folk remedies from powdery mildew, for example, such:
Dairy products
Kefir, whey, sour milk are suitable. It is necessary to dilute 1 liter of the product in a bucket of water and treat the diseased plant with such a solution according to the 3 X 3 scheme (three times every three days).
fertilizers
Folk remedies for powdery mildew suggest using mullein, ammonium nitrate, biological products.
Mullein(or rotted manure) is poured with water in a ratio of 1: 3. Then all this is required to insist for 3 days, strain and add another 3 liters of water. Plants are sprayed with a solution every 10 days. Approximately also prepare a working solution from rotted hay.
Ammonium nitrate. 50 grams of the product is poured with a bucket of water, mixed thoroughly and the berries are processed after flowering.
Folk remedies for powdery mildew based on some plants in a large assortment use other plants. Here are just a few recipes:
Garlic
1-2 heads (about 50 grams) are crushed, 2 liters of water are added and infused for 24 hours. It turns out a working solution, which is used without diluting.
Tansy
30 grams of dry raw materials are taken, poured with a bucket of water, insisted for 24 hours, then put on fire and boiled for about 2 hours, allowed to cool, filtered, plants and the ground under them are treated with a ready-made solution in spring.
Horsetail
They take freshly picked raw materials (1 kg), pour a bucket of water and boil for about 2 hours, cool, dilute 1:5 and treat the plants every week.
Mustard (powder).
Take 2 tablespoons without a slide, pour a bucket of water, stir well. The working solution is suitable for spraying plants and for watering.
onion peel
It will take 200 grams of raw materials, which is poured with a bucket of water (boiling water) and allowed to brew for 2 days. Processing is carried out several times with a break of up to a week.
Chemistry in the fight against powdery mildew 
The industry now produces a variety of products that help to effectively get rid of all kinds of plant ailments. Powdery mildew preparations are in demand, since working solutions based on them are prepared very simply, and the result is good. Sometimes just one treatment is enough to forget about powdery mildew for the whole season. We recommend using the following tools:
blue vitriol
Dilute in ten liters of very warm water (copper sulfate does not dissolve in cold water) 80 grams of the product and carefully spray berries and trees in early spring.
You can spray the soil under the trees with the same solution.
During the growing season prepare another solution:
10 grams of vitriol plus 50 (some advise 100) grams of soap are diluted in a bucket of warm water and diseased plants are treated 2-3 times with a weekly interval.
colloidal sulfur
40 (some advise no more than 20) grams of the product are diluted in a bucket of water and diseased plants are treated. It is also recommended to add no more than 5 grams of copper sulfate to the sulfur solution, which is diluted separately and introduced slowly, without stopping stirring.
There are preparations for powdery mildew, which are sold in ampoules, less often in sachets. Prepare them according to the attached instructions. Most often, the process consists in pouring the contents of the ampoule into the specified volume of water and stirring.
« Topaz» (works well on gooseberries)
It's a fungicide, working chemical which is penconazole. It is not dangerous for bees and birds, moderately dangerous for humans and animals. Topaz treatment is carried out twice with a break of two weeks.
"Tilt" (mainly used for cereals)
In this fungicide, the working substance is propiconazole. A feature of the agent is its rapid penetration into the tissues of diseased plants.
Bayleton (suitable for any culture)
The fungicide is not toxic to bees, but moderately toxic to humans. In addition to the destruction of mushrooms, Bayleton treats diseased plants, making them stress-resistant.
"Fundazol" (wide spectrum of action)
This fungicide saves from powdery mildew and many other plant diseases, which is certainly good. Disadvantages - dangerous for bees, and for humans, its hazard class is 2, which is considered quite a few.
"Skor" (used for dozens of diseases of all types of crops)
The drug penetrates into the plant and spreads through all its systems, so rain does not interfere with it (at least 3 hours must pass after treatment). Another advantage is its low toxicity. The disadvantages of the drug are:
- in recent years, powdery mildew mushrooms have become addictive to "Skor";
- high consumption;
-long waiting periods, that is, after processing for about 3-4 weeks, you can not harvest.
downy mildew
Features of manifestation
To know how to deal with downy mildew, you need to have an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat it looks like. A feature of the fungi that cause it (except for flagella on spores) is that each of their species prefers certain plants. That is, downy mildew of cucumbers will never spread to grapes or tomatoes. Another characteristic feature of peronospores is that their mycelium dies with the onset of cold weather, leaving only spores. Only in some species it can overwinter in bulbs or in rhizomes. At the very beginning of the development of the downy mildew disease, a white or grayish coating can be seen on the underside of the leaves. Later it darkens, and yellow-brown spots appear on the upper side of the leaf blades, which quickly become dry. This is because the fungus has drunk all the nutrients from the cells of the plant. Sometimes, especially on stems and buds, one can see black-brown spots without a preliminary whitish coating. This is also a manifestation of downy mildew, which in this case, many take for black spot. Affected plants are always stunted, yields fall, and flowers do not open buds.
Tips for gardeners to combat peronosporosis
Folk remedies for powdery mildew are the same as for ordinary ones. In addition, solutions of iodine and potassium permanganate work well.
Iodine
Buy ordinary iodine at a pharmacy, dilute it in water of any volume so that it becomes slightly yellow in color and immediately start spraying. This method can help with the disease on any plants, but it should be done every 3-5 days.
Potassium permanganate
Dilute the product in water of any volume so that it becomes moderately pink in color. The resulting working solution immediately carefully spray the entire diseased plant. Repeat the treatment every 2-3 days until the complete disappearance of the fungus. This will be noticeable by the condition of the leaves and shoots of the plant.
Preventive measures
In order not to have to use preparations for downy mildew, you can perform a series of simple actions to kill fungal spores. These include:
- selection of varieties of planting material resistant to downy mildew;
- since spores can be transmitted with seeds, treat seed either in special fungicides or in solutions of iodine and potassium permanganate;
-in autumn without fail remove all residues from the beds and from under the trees (tops, fallen fruits, leaves);
-perform autumn digging beds;
- treat branches of shrubs and trees with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulphate in autumn and spring before the start of sap flow;
-even in dry weather, do not overdo it with watering;
- in weather with prolonged rains, carry out preventive spraying of plants with biological products or solutions of iodine and potassium permanganate. Even if there are no fungal spores on the site, this treatment will not harm the plant.
In the photo: signs of powdery mildew damage on plants.
