Powdery mildew is one of the many diseases that affect flowers, plants and vegetables. Sometimes it is also called linen or ashtray, for the appearance of a white rash on the leaves.
What is powdery mildew and the conditions for its appearance
The disease is fungal, the cause of its appearance are erysiphous or powdery mildew fungi, which number about 700 species. A huge part of crops is susceptible to diseases, only a small percentage has resistance to it. The most sick are grapes, gooseberries and roses. Also affected by powdery mildew are peach, beetroot, pumpkin, and cereals. Symptoms of all plants + are the same, while pathogens are different. So, Sphaerotheca mors-uvae loves gooseberries and black currants, Blumeria graminis attacks cereals, Uncinula necator grapes, and Erysiphe cichoracearum zucchini and cucumbers.
The first, most noticeable symptom is a white coating on the leaves, petioles, young shoots and stalks. Drops of moisture may appear on the surface.
The disease contributes to the rapid withering of the plant, a violation of photosynthesis.
In addition, because of powdery mildew, cracks form on the leaves through which other pathogens can enter, which leads to reinfection.
Most often, plants are exposed to this infection during prolonged rains, high humidity, and also due to excessive amounts of nitrogen in the soil.
Improper watering can cause illness.
Mr. Summer resident informs: the general rules of the fight against powdery mildew
If the first signs are found, it is necessary to remove the wilted parts of the plant. After treating the diseased bushes and the soil around them with a fungicide, this will prevent the further development of fungi.
In the case of diseases of domestic plants, the treatment is the same as in open ground, with the exception of one feature. After removing the infected parts, the top soil layer must be removed from the container in which the culture is grown, since it contains a colony of fungi. In its place, pour a new one and it is already treated with a fungicide, like the plant itself.
Read an article on the control of powdery mildew on indoor plants.
As a preventive measure, you must carefully follow the rules for caring for the flower.
Differences between powdery mildew and downy mildew
Powdery mildew grows on the surface, as the disease develops, it first covers the outer side, and only then the inner side (mold looks like flour). Leaves curl up, but rarely fall. Powdery mildew always develops from the lower inner side, gray mold is visible from below, and yellow or light brown plaque from above. Leaves rarely dry, they become stained, blacken and then fall off.
Powdery mildew on vegetables
The disease also attacks vegetables, as we said above, especially fungi like beets and pumpkins.
Cucumbers
Powdery mildew on cucumbers is treated by spraying with fungicidal solutions (Topaz, Oksikhom). Folk remedies are also suitable, for example, 1 liter of kefir or sour milk in a bucket of water, processed three times in three. In addition to this solution, you can use sulfur powder in a proportion of 30 g per 10 m², colloidal 30 g per bucket of water is also suitable.
Among other methods of control: infusion of mullein, marigolds, solutions in potassium permanganate water, soda with soap. You can read more about all means, including folk remedies, on our website.
Tomatoes
Greenhouse tomatoes are often affected. In order to prevent the possibility of disease, disinfection with fungicides is necessary.
The disease often manifests itself at the stage of planting seeds for seedlings, while the leaves begin to dry at the edges. The fight is no different from cucumbers.
Zucchini
More radical measures are needed. Remove all infected leaves and carefully dig the soil around. After that, spray the area with a solution of soda ash or with chemicals Kefalon, Karboran.
Eggplant
You can destroy the infection with a solution of soda ash or fungicides. It takes 4-5 sprays, no less.
Bow
It is more often affected by downy mildew (peronosporosis). In normal cases, the lesion begins on the outside of the green mass, and in case of a false one, on the inside.
False is carried by the wind, or through raindrops. However, the conditions for its development are exactly the same as for the ordinary. With diseases, you can fight the destruction of the affected parts and spraying with a solution of soda or copper sulfate, with the addition of soap. How to prepare the first: take 10 liters of hot water (bucket), add 100 g of laundry soap, rubbing it on a grater, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of baking soda, stir. Spray 3 times a day, the interval is about a week.
Peas
The leaves and stems of the culture are affected, a characteristic whitish coating appears on the surface.
The disease develops rapidly in hot climates and high humidity.
Prevention measures consist of an earlier landing.
At the first sign of defeat, the use of Energen is effective. 1 m² of area is sprayed with a liter of solution: 10 drops of the drug per 50 ml of water. Be sure to repeat after a week and a half.
Pumpkin
As with peas, leaves and stems are susceptible to the disease. If white plaque occurs, immediately remove affected parts.
As a preventive measure, regular spraying with fungicides or folk remedies is recommended.
Powdery mildew control on shrubs and trees
Often affects powdery growth of fruit shrubs and trees.
Currant
You can not hesitate with treatment, since in the second half of the summer the entire bush, and possibly those nearby, will be infected.
Fighting is the timely removal of infected parts, followed by spraying with fungicides. You can use folk remedies, but only if you know all the features of the plant, otherwise the development of another disease is possible.
Gooseberry
The situation is exactly the same as with currants. As folk methods, spraying with kefir, wood ash and cow dung, soda ash is used. Among the chemicals, Haupsin is very popular.
Grape
The disease to which grapes are susceptible is called oidium, it refers to powdery mildew. The signs are exactly the same as the original disease, develops at high temperature and humidity.
Fighting features are no different. Timely removal of infected leaves, fungicide treatment. Digging the soil thoroughly is also recommended.
Strawberry
The defeat of the berry is noticeable on the twisting edges of the leaves, which acquire a bronze hue, a white rash and a smell of mold appear.
As a preventive measure, you must follow the rules of cultivation. It is also recommended to spray the plant with a suspension of colloidal sulfur (1% solution). This can be done only after flowering ends, or after harvesting.
If prevention does not help, use drugs, such as Fundazole, Topaz.
Apple tree
The difference from other plants is that when infected, the apple tree does not die, but loses 50% in yield, moreover, the taste of the fruit deteriorates. A side effect is poor resistance to low temperatures.
In order to get rid of the disease, the best solution would be to use soda ash, which must be mixed with soap. Dissolve 50 grams in 2-3 liters of water, then add up to 10 liters (bucket) and add 10 g of soap. Colloidal sulfur (30 g per bucket of water) is also good. Regularity - three times a day every 3-4 days.
Powdery mildew in garden flowers
Wonderful representatives of the garden did not escape this problem.
Phlox
If symptoms of the disease are detected, it is necessary to remove the leaves affected by it. With a severe defeat, dig out the entire bush. Spray nearby plants or flower remains with a solution of colloidal sulfur (20-30 g per bucket of water).
Roses
Signs are premature folding of sheets, the formation of felt plaque on the stems.
The disease will not allow roses to grow further, and in the end will destroy them. If symptoms are found, it is necessary to spray with already known solutions. In more detail: powdery mildew on roses: description and control measures
As a preventative measure, keep the soil around the roses as clean as possible. It should not have any weeds.
Petunia
The disease provokes the formation of rot, which contributes to the sudden death of a flower. The signs are the same - a whitish rash. Methods of struggle - removal of infected parts, spraying survivors, thorough digging of the soil.
Violets
This flower is most susceptible to the disease buds.
The cause of the appearance of fungi is often an excessive amount of nitrogen in the soil. To eliminate this problem, you must first make a full analysis, and then make fertilizers that stabilize the content of various substances in the soil.
Powdery mildew on indoor plants
Indoor plants are at risk no less than those that are grown in open ground. However, in their case, defeating the ailment is much more difficult. 
Violets in powdery mildew
When identifying signs, you must first, as always, remove all infected parts, and then spray the survivors. After removing the top layer of soil from the tank, the thicker the better, the fungi are there.
Put fresh, disinfected and fertilized in place of the cleaned.
However, in some cases, a complete transplant of the plant into another soil will be required if the ailment has developed greatly.
As a prophylaxis, it is worth paying more attention to watering. Pouring is the most common cause of powdery mildew. Too humid musty air and excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers are also unacceptable. However, it is clear that all plants are different, so just follow the recommendations for growing your flower.
Downy mildew
This is a kind of disease. It occurs most often on vegetables.
Cucumbers
It usually manifests itself in August, when the temperature at night drops to rather low levels. Because of this, condensation forms, which, in turn, is an ideal medium for the propagation of unwanted spores. In addition, the lack of potassium and phosphorus in the soil can also cause the disease.
Bow
It is best to use resistant varieties (Valentiy, Orion, Sputnik, Grouse).
When the first signs appear, it is necessary to immediately exclude organic fertilizers and nitrogen-based fertilizing. Reduce watering in order to prevent the possibility of further reproduction. Spray with 1% Bordeaux fluid. You can eat onions in 20 days. After harvesting, treat the soil with fungicides.
The fight is to remove badly damaged and the use of fungicides and folk remedies. Great help:
- dairy products (sour milk, kefir, yogurt) in a proportion of 1:10 with cold water;
- wood ash treatment (50 g per 1 sq. m) once a week;
- fermented grass, pour half a bucket of weeds with hot water, leave for 2-3 days, strain, use for spraying.
Downy mildew on vegetablesSunflower
The causative agent is Plasmopara halstedii. The disease affects growth, sunflower lags behind the ripening schedule, the root system stops development. Most often this leads to death, but it is possible that the plant still blooms, but much worse.
For the fight using fungicides.
Grape
In the case of grapes, everything is very serious. If you do not pay attention to faint signs in time, this may result in the loss of the entire vineyard. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive measures, despite the fact that there are no signs.
Roses
On flowers, the disease develops extremely rapidly, literally in a day it can cause permanent damage. As active agents, such solutions as Thanos, Previkur and Ridomil are recommended.
Houseplants
A sign is the appearance of yellow spots on the leaves, dilapidation.
To avoid this, the seeds must be hydrothermally treated before planting. As a treatment, carry out 5 session spraying with a solution of 1% Bordeaux fluid or fungicidal preparations.
