Question
This is the second year in a row that my cucumber plants are going bad. They start out very good, big leaves and lots of flowers, than the leaves start turning white like a powdery mildew and they all go bad and die. What should I do to prevent this from happening or can I do anything after this disease hits them so they get better and don't die? Please, help!

Thank you so much in advance,
Viki

Answer
Hi Viki:
Powdery Mildew is usually easy to recognize.  Looks like fuzzy white patches that are usually present on the leaves.  It is usually on the top surface, but can occur on both sides ocassionally. It can cause the leaf to prematurly making the leaf turn brown and shrivelling up. Here in my part of the world, it usually comes along so late in the growing season that it doesn't pose too much of a problem to spray for it.  If you want to control it by spraying with a fungicide spray, be sure to start early- when leaves are just forming, then continue to apply, according to the label on the bottle.  Some good materials for homeowners include: Ortho Garden Disease Control, Garden Tech Daconil Concentrate or HiYield Daconil Vegetable and Flower Fungicide.  These products contain chlorothalonil, the active ingredient.  Check in with your local garden center for availability.  Be sure to spray the ENTIRE plant with the material listed.  Also, when your plants die for the season remove and destroy all of the old material/debris, since the fungus that causes PM can survive on the old dead plant materials.

Regards
Steve