How to Prevent Powdery Mildew
The disease powdery mildew is caused by a fungus that often grows in vegetable gardens and vineyards. Powdery mildew stunts growth, destroys leaves, decreases crop production and can sometimes even lead to the death of the plant. Knowing how to prevent powdery mildew can save you time and money in the garden, and ensure you have a large and successful crop. With careful planting, regular observation, and good watering practices, you can prevent not only powdery mildew, but also a lot of other garden diseases. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Choose plants that are resistant. Sometimes powdery-mildew resistant varieties of seedlings are available. If you have a small garden space and you know you have had problems with powdery mildew in the past, this may be a good option.
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Practice crop rotation if your plot of land is large enough. Crop rotation focuses on the groups of plants you tend to grow and each year those types are grown somewhere else in the garden. When rotated, your plants will usually take four years before they are planted in the same place where infections occurred in the past. After four years, the fungus that was such a problem before should be gone.
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Follow spacing guidelines for each type of plant you grow. If your packet of squash seeds suggests the plants should be grown 3 feet apart, do it. Good air circulation between your plants is important to prevent powdery mildew from forming. Air flow can be encouraged during planting, pruning, and thinning seedlings appropriately depending on the plant.
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Water the garden in the mornings, and if possible, water from the bottom. Gardens that are watered late in the evening by spraying all over are more susceptible to disease because they stay wet and dark for hours--a fungus paradise. Use a drip or soaker hose or another form of irrigation system to keep the leaves from getting wet and make it a practice to only water in the morning to allow the ground time to dry before nighttime.
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Use sprays on your susceptible plants regularly during the growing season, if desired. Sprays made from Neem coat the leaves of your plants and prevent the fungus from growing. Oil sprays also protect your plants from hungry insects as well, so using them gives you a double bonus.
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Clear your garden when the season is done. While it's a good routine to practice regardless, picking up debris, spent plants, and cleaning up the garden will strip the surface, so there aren't any protective places for fungi to stay over the winter.
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Tips & Warnings
Walk through your garden daily and give it a visual inspection. If you make it a point to look after your garden each day, even when no work or harvesting needs to be done, you'll be the first to know as soon as powdery mildew strikes. The sooner you spot the fungus, the sooner you can take action to protect the rest of the garden from it.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Margaret Telsch-Williams
