How to Use Milk to Treat Powdery Mildew

Milk naturally helps control powdery mildew without polluting the enviroment.

Powdery mildew may look harmless, but it can prove fatal to the many plants it affects. The white or gray fungus has a consistency similar to that of talcum powder and is generally first seen growing on the bottom of leaves. Not only will powdery mildew severely damage the plant, it will spread to other vegetation, infecting it with the fungus. To ensure the plant has a fighting chance against powdery mildew, use milk for an all-natural and organic fungicide.

Things You'll Need

• Garden sprayer
• Spoon
• 1 cup skim milk

Instructions

1. Fill a garden sprayer with 9 cups of cool water. Stir in 1 cup of skim milk. Alternatively, use a spray bottle if a garden sprayer is not available.

2. Cover the entire plant -- including underneath the leaves -- with the skim milk mixture.

3. Monitor the plant closely and apply the treatment every other day until the powdery mildew is no longer present.

4. Remove sticks, leaves and other decaying or dead vegetation regularly to keep the area under the plant free of debris. These objects provide food for fungi.

References

• My Organic Flowers; Got Mildew? Get Milk!; Arzeena Hamir
• Colorado State University Extension; Powdery Mildews; B. Edmunds, et al.; May 2009
• Gardeners Supply; Powdery Mildew; August 2005