Powdery Mildew: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Garden Diseases

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Powdery Mildew: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Garden Diseases

Wondering about that white fungus on your plants? The fungal disease powdery mildew affects a wide variety of plants and takes away a plant’s nutrients. This causes the plant to bloom less and become weaker.

What Is Powdery Mildew?

There are many different species of the fungal disease powdery mildew, and each species attacks a variety of different plants. Unlike many other fungal diseases, powdery mildew does not require moisture to infect plants. It also survives well in warmth. This means that it can infect your plants under a wide variety of conditions.

When the fungus begins to take over one of your plants, the mildew that forms is made up of many spores. These spores carry the infection to other plants through the wind. Powdery mildew can slow down the growth of your plant. In some cases, if the infection is severe enough, powdery mildew can kill your plants.

Identification

How to Identify Powdery Mildew Damage

Plants infected with powdery mildew look as if they have been dusted with flour.
Powdery mildew usually starts off as circular, powdery white spots, which can appear on leaves, stems, and sometimes fruit.
Powdery mildew usually covers the upper part of the leaves and affects the older leaves first; the leaves turn yellow and dry out.
The fungus might cause some leaves to twist, break, or become distorted.
The white spots of powdery mildew will spread to cover most of the leaves or affected areas.
The leaves, buds, and growing tips will become distorted as well. These symptoms usually appear late in the growing season.

Control and Prevention

How to Control Powdery Mildew

Rubbing the infected leaves together can help partially remove the disease from your plants.
Remove all the infected plant parts and destroy them. Remember, do not compost any infected plant, as the disease can still be spread by the wind.
Spray infected plants with fungicides. Effective fungicides for powdery mildew treatments or cures include sulfur, lime-sulfur, neem oil, and potassium bicarbonate.

Prevent Powdery Mildew

Choose plants that are resistant or tolerant to powdery mildew.
Powdery mildew thrives in hot and humid weather, so avoid overhead watering to reduce humidity. Also selectively prune overcrowded areas to increase air circulation; this also helps reduce humidity for your plants.
Spray your plants with fungicides according to their directions. If you don’t want to use fungicides, try spraying your plants with a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 quart of water. Remember to spray your plants thoroughly.

Plant Disease: How to Control Pest Disease; How to Control Powdery Mildew; Anthracnose: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Anthracnose; Blossom-End Rot: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Diseases; Gray Mold: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Botrytis; Mosaic Viruses: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Mosaic Viruses; Rust: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Garden Diseases; White Mold: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Garden Fungus Diseases; Squash Bugs: How to Identify and Control Garden Pests; Squirrels: How to Identify, Control, and Get Rid of Squirrels in Your Garden

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