White spots (powder) on zucchini plants: how to treat powdery mildew?
In the permaculture vegetable garden as in others, there is a crop that is particularly sensitive to a disease that despairs even experienced gardeners: zucchini and powdery mildew. This cryptogamic disease settles on the large leaves of your zucchini plants and causes them to dry out over time, making your harvests scarce. But do not worry ! Once the disease has been identified, it is quite easy to make it disappear!
How to recognize powdery mildew on zucchini plants?
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease caused by fungi that particularly like humid and warm atmospheres. This is why May and September are the months in the garden when the disease spreads most quickly.
In hot and humid periods in the garden, and whether you cultivate a classic vegetable garden or permaculture, you will have the unpleasant surprise of seeing a sort of white down appear on the large leaves of your . This white down looks like mold. If, initially, this down only affects the inner side of the leaves, the softer side, it is not uncommon to see it migrate towards the outer side of the leaves, towards the stems then, unfortunately, towards the flowers and the vegetables from your plants. We can also see the leaves of zucchini plants undergoing deformations such as blistering or curling.
Preventive treatments
To avoid unpleasant surprises, give your zucchini plants preventive treatment. To prevent the development of these fungi:
- Scrupulously respect the distance between two plants because plants that are too close together will promote a humid atmosphere. Conversely, by spacing them sufficiently apart, they will benefit from good ventilation.
- Also avoid excessive watering, do not wet the leaves of your plants and clean your crops regularly.
- Finally, by bringing occasionally, you will strengthen their resistance to this type of disease .
Curative treatments
If the disease is already present, do not panic, there are solutions that will allow you to stop the epidemic. Start by cutting off affected leaves and stems quickly but cleanly. Do not leave wounds on your plants at the risk of other diseases infiltrating. Cut during the hottest times of the day so the wounds dry quickly.
If your plants are really affected, you can spray sulfur diluted in water, obviously respecting the prescribed doses. More ecological, you can also spray diluted milk on your plants by cutting one part of milk with ten parts of water. A garlic decoction can also be very effective, particularly on this type of fungal disease because garlic has fungicidal properties. It is also used as a preventative measure, one or two sprays per week. As a curative treatment, it should be used every day until the symptoms disappear.
A spray of water and baking soda can also work miracles against this disease. To do this, dilute a teaspoon of bicarbonate in a liter of water. Black soap is also a great ally for the vegetable garden. A tablespoon added to each liter of the preparations cited above will accentuate their action by allowing the treatments to better adhere to the leaves.
Once your plants are badly affected, it is not guaranteed that these treatments will work perfectly. So, remember to protect your plants quickly and act at the first symptoms. And don't forget that is a disease that affects cucurbits, so protect your squash too. , melons and your cucumbers.
0 comments
