Powdery mildew is also called linen or ashtray. This disease in plants is caused by microscopic fungi belonging to the category of erysiphous or powdery mildew that live in the soil. This article is about how to properly treat powdery mildew in some plant species.
Symptoms
Many plants are susceptible to this disease, including roses, grains and pumpkins, peaches, grapes, gooseberries, sugar beets, some trees, and home and garden flowers. However, if there are the same symptoms, each of them has a different pathogen. Take, for example, American powdery mildew, which affects roses, gooseberries and peaches. It can be called up immediately by three different sphere libraries.
The first symptom of a plant disease is the appearance of light plaque of mycelium on them with drops of moisture. First, those shoots and leaves that are closest to the ground become infected. If you do not start treatment on time, then the disease will progress and, ultimately, cover the entire plant. If you look closely, you can see tiny sores in the areas affected by the fungus, from which the green space begins to lose its attractiveness, since food does not reach it, and leaves covered with plaque stop the photosynthesis process.
Causes of the disease
Fungi are activated under the following climatic conditions:
- with frequent temperature differences;
- with an increased level of nitrogen in the earth;
- with too frequent rainfall;
- at a temperature of +15 ... + 30 ⁰C and humidity above 60%;
- after anti-aging pruning;
- with irregular watering, that is, when the soil either dries often or is too wet.
Houseplant treatment
House flowers are also susceptible to fungal diseases. If white plaque appears on the leaves, you must immediately treat them with fungicide, as well as the soil and pot walls where they grow. For this purpose, such drugs as Tiovit Jet, Bayleton, Topaz, Hom, Vitaros, Fundazol, Skor and Vectra are suitable. What to do when time is lost? In this case, remove the topsoil from the pot, where the colonies of the fungal mycelium have settled, and change it to a new, disinfected substrate.
Powdery mildew most often appears on such domestic plants as Saintpaulia, cissus, Kalanchoe, rose, begonia and gerbera. The cause of the disease is dry soil, moist, stale air and temperature differences. The fungus is transferred from a diseased plant to a healthy one in cases where the pots are very close by using insects or air currents. To prevent this disease, it is necessary to periodically feed the soil with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, as well as monitor plant hygiene, water balance and often ventilate the room.
Vegetable treatment
Powdery mildew on cucumbers can be dealt with with the help of chemicals or folk remedies. Do not forget that regardless of the method of struggle, it is necessary to remove all affected parts of the plant. You can sprinkle cucumbers with sulfur powder (25 g per 10 m²). Spraying the plant with mullein helps a lot.
Another effective way to combat the fungus is a solution of colloidal sulfur (not more than 30 g of substance per bucket of water). If you decide to get rid of the disease with the help of fungicides, then it is best to use the most effective ones, such as Oxychom or Topaz.
Parasite Control Products
Powdery mildew in plants is treated with chemicals, such fungicides as Bayleton, Topsin-M, Fundazol, Skor, Previkur, Vectra, Tiovit Jet, Khom , "Tsineb", "Vitaros", "Switch", "Kuprozan", "Phthalan", "Fitosporin-M", "Quadris". Colloidal sulfur, copper sulfate, Bordeaux liquid, copper chloroxide, and others proved to be quite good.
All these drugs can only be bought at specialized outlets. Use fungicides only according to the instructions.
Treatment with folk remedies
You can get rid of fungus on plants not only with the help of drugs. There are many effective ways to defeat powdery mildew, using only folk remedies. Here is some of them:
- Garlic infusion. Shredded shoots and cloves of a plant weighing 50 g pour 2 liters of water. They insist for two days, after which they are filtered. The infusion is used undiluted.
- Mustard solution. They are watered or sprayed with plants. For its preparation you need to take 2 tbsp. l mustard powder and dilute it in 10 l of slightly warmed water.
- Kefir solution. In 10 l of water, 1 l of yogurt or fermented kefir is stirred. The resulting solution must be treated three times with a plant, making an interval of several days.
- Ash solution. It is prepared from 10 liters of water, where not more than 1 kg of wood ash is mixed, insisted for seven days. Then drained and added thereto 20 g of grated or liquid soap. The resulting solution is sprayed with plants at intervals of one day.
Powdery Mildew: Description
The scientific name for this disease is peronosporosis. Most often, it affects cucumbers and other related plants: watermelons, pumpkins, zucchini and melons. It is not difficult to identify infected greens, since yellow and brown spots are immediately visible on it.
A plant can become infected at any stage of development and regardless of where it is located: in open ground or in a greenhouse. Although the fungus does not affect the fruit, dried leaves and lashes of the plant lead to a decrease in yield. In addition, the vegetables will be unprepossessing in appearance and completely tasteless.
Ways to fight
Worst of all, the fungus infects plant seeds, but this can and should be fought. The most effective way is to process them before planting in the ground. The Trichomerdin preparation is perfect for this. Use it strictly according to the instructions, otherwise an overdose will lead to deformation of the seeds, and in the future, to slow down the growth of the plant itself. The Trichomerdin paste, which contains 40% of the main substance, has proved itself well. It is used only on slices of affected stems and leaves.
Spraying will help rid plants of fungal diseases. For this procedure, the drug Planriz is used, which includes herbs that prevent further infection. Emergency treatment of plants is also carried out by combined fungicides. These include copper oxychloride, Ridomil Gold and Efal. These drugs are best suited for use in greenhouses, and on open ground, experts recommend spraying with Acrobat MC immediately after 3-5 leaves appear on young plants.