Eliminating Existing Mildew

I've got a case of mildew that was on the leaves & stems of my gourds. I pruned out all the infected leaves, but the stems still have the mildew. What I need now is something that can help get rid of the mildew that is there now. Any ideas?

I used baking soda, vegetable oil and water in equal proportions (then diluted) to protect the good leaves. This remedy was from "eyes". But, I don't think this recipe works on the mildew that's already there.

Please HELP! The other plants are thriving, but if the mildew reaches them, they'll soon be gone, too :(

P.S. I also posted this same question in the vegetable and garden woes forums.

Howdy Morph.
Just out of curiosity was wondering if it is Downy Mildew or Powdery Mildew.
Many people will spray it with Bordeaux mixture. Some insist on a copper spray. The list of store-bought sprays goes on and on, and usually end up messing w/the beneficial bugs/bacteria in your surroundings.
You're right tho, many sprays won't stop the mildew/mold. Most are recommended to be used before symptoms appear.

Were it up to me I'd clip off and remove as much of the leaves and plant parts as you can that show the mildew, bag them and get rid of them. Those mildew spores will easily spread and multiply. If they are confined to one plant, and no others show signs of it, you may want to pull up the whole plant. Sorry.

I know it's been proven that diluted milk really works great on certain molds, and possibly mildews. If you like you could try that. (One part milk to 5 parts water, sprayed on the foliage.)

Also keep in mind, mildew/molds tend to appear during periods of heat and humidity, and lack of air circulation tends to exacerbate them. If your plants are planted to closely together this will stop air circulation/air flow. Don't know how many you have but maybe by removing the infected plant then not only would you get rid of the mildew and its spores but also open up the area for more air.

I'd also continue w/the spray Eyes recommended on your good plants. Those ingredients certainly sound feasible to me. By the way, the milk spray needs to be applied daily for 5 days, so why not do that also on your infected plant (should you decide to keep it) and let us know the results? That would give you knowledge you could carry w/you the rest of your life. Then many many people could benefit from it. (Pretty cool, eh?)

Shoe, I forgot to "watch this thread". Sorry, about that. I'm just now reading your ideas. I've two main areas that are growing. The one area was infected the worst. The other, which has louffa mixed with the gourds, is fairing better. I thought that was rather interesting. Basically, the louffa was not as prone to getting the spores as were the various types of gourds I planted (dipper, swan & birdhouse).

I could trying spraying both mixtures, but don't you think one might wash off the other? Most of the feedback I've gotten has indicated that reapplication is necessary after a rain. Although, I've been spraying every day given my situation. I'm really curious what you think about spraying two separate solutions. Would you alternate daily or would you go for a double spray in one day?

Howdy Morph.
Did you ever figger out if it is Downy Mildew? Or Powdery Mildew? From a leaflet I have in front of me (from Gardens Alive) it says "Powdery mildews then to occur on the upper leaf surfaces, as though a white powder was sprinkled onto the plant....also commonly found on stems." And, "Downy mildews tend to occur on the lower leaf surfaces. Downy mildews are much finer than powdery mildews, and appear as fine white cotton, dimilar to duck down. Downy mildews can rapidly kill plants during wet, cool weather, but are inhibited by hot dry weather." Do those sentences help out any?

I'm quite sure a re-application is necessary after a rain. If you're interested in a commercial product Gardens Alive has something called Soap-shield that would do you justice. It's a copper fungicides and those are applied at 7 to 10 day intervals EXCEPT when there is a high incidence of rain, then they suggest up to two times per week.

I'd experiment with what you have if you choose to go that route. The milk spray is basically setting up a bacterial environment to attack the mildew. The "eyes" spray seems to me like it would cleanse the plant of the mildew, with the oil in the recipe being there to help it stay on longer.

Just out of curiosity tho, have your days/nites been wet? Or mostly dry this year? Especially when the mildew first came on. (Have I asked this already? If so, sorry...it's me mind ya know..).

Shoe, thanks for the information. With your description and the book I have, I do believe it is a "Powdery" mildew. But, I do want to add that the underside of the leaf gets the same type of spotting as the top. So, it's hard to know if it's just the powdery or perhaps a combination? Our weather until recently was very warm & humid (when the mildew started, too). So, according to what you found, I'm inclined to think I have just the powdery mildew.

I did try another Gardens Alive product for grubs this year. I was very pleased so I'll go dig out their catalog and take a look at the copper fungicides. I'd really like to find a product that I could dilute in water and then use to water the gourds so that they would have protection from the inside out. Does that make sense?

Thanks again for your help. I've learned so much about mildew this year (both on gourds and in homes) that I'll probably start dreaming about it soon ~ LOL!

I was looking for something about gourds in Google and this came up...Jo