Fighting powdery mildew

So last night I noticed some powdery mildew and it seems that my squash is taking a hit. I sprayed with a baking soda/oil/soap concoction and then 3-4 hrs later we got one of those unplanned storms with over an inch of rain.

Sooo do I wait a couple days and spray again? Spray tonight??

Thanks
Gwen

3-4 hours might have been enough time for some good effect. I would give it a few days before spraying again.

Do not use too much baking soda, that is, too many times per year.
The baking soda adds sodium and carbonates to the soil, making it more alkaline.

Some people spray with milk. Me at the first sign of mildew I pull off the affected leafs. I notice by the time I get a full scale mildew the plants are pretty well shot so I pull them and burn the plant and torch the soil. Then I plant winter wheat or crimson clover for a cover crop.

Sprinkle under the plant with dry garlic and be sure the plants are getting enough air circulation.

How does one get air circulation under a plant?
Heather Y.

Use a very coarse mulch, for example the chips that can be delivered by tree removal companies.

Grow many cucurbits on a trellis, so most of the plant is up in the air. For heavier fruits (melons, larger squash) use a mesh sling (nylon stocking is good) to tie up the fruit to the trellis and take most of the weight off the vine.

This message was edited Aug 29, 2015 3:34 PM

Eweed, I'd like to understand. How do you torch the soil? do you mean you aim a butane lighter over the soil where you pulled the diseased plant from?
HeatherY,
(trying to picture it)

I use a propane weed burner torch.
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and you move it back and forth like a vacuum cleaner?

Yep back and forth you will also kill any weed seeds laying on top of the soil. You are not trying to burn the soil just the crud laying on the surface.

I bought one from Lowes. It was very inexpensive and handy. I haven't had a chance to use it in cool weather, I just bought it this spring. Im hoping it will help control the grass that inadvertently got in my garden with some garden soil. I never had a problem before I bought that.

Be reallllllly carrrrreful with your torch. Easy to set things on fire! I love mine but always have a bucket of water or a hose handy. Even in Seattle, I once managed to set a planter on fire.

Thank you for the warning. I always have a hose handy and the air must be still, no breeze. I was actually surprised how slow stuff burned and how fast it burned it's self out. We are currently under a burn ban so no burning here.

Hey Eweed and 1lisac,

I know you guys are being really REALLY careful and bless you for it- every night on the news there seems to be another, BIGGER wildfire or complex of wildfires. Fire is a good servant and
a terrible master..

So do you see a flame-aside from the flame coming out of the torch? It seems that the heat is
the point of the exercise. It seems that if anything on the ground bursts into flame it is time to
reach for that bucket, douse it and quit.

The idea of the weed burner torch is that the heat kills the plant, it does not need to actually burn.

If your soil is bare, then there is no fuel to flame up, so all the benefit is in the heat, killing weed seeds and disease organisms that warm up too much where you apply the torch. Soil is a pretty good insulator, so the heat is not going to go very deep.

As recommended above, take every precaution against starting a fire.

I also use the tourch for clearing out the spent plants from my garden and weeding. BUT I've never really had anything catch fire, it burns itself out. I live very rural on 8 acres. I don't know if this is legal in the city. Here everybody has a burn pile. But like I posted above we are under a burn ban so nothing is getting burned, big or small.

Some organic farmers know the number of days to sprouting and say its 22 days on day 18 they will burn lightly down their rows and kill the weeds that have come up since planting time.

Good reply Diana K