My cukes, zukes, and squash starting showing signs of trouble. The leaves had white spots and the plants seemed to be struggling. I researched the problem and decided that powdery mildew was the culprit! (Oh, by the way, “PM” is the cool, hip term that veteran veggie gardeners use.) I even noticed that the PM appeared to be spreading to the marigolds. Dang it, I’m an experienced ornamental gardener and I want everything to be perfect.
Ok, so what does an organic gardener do now? I discovered that a milk and water solution would at least control the PM from spreading. I read about all kinds of crazy antidotes, but decided that non- fat milk made the most sense (regular milk straight on the plants? Yuck! That can’t be good for anything). I also decided that a solution of 1 part non-fat milk to 9 parts water would a safe place to start.
I sprayed all of the plants with the solution and of course we experienced hair-raising thunderstorms for several days in a row. I read that the solution should be applied every 5-7 days, but the rain kept washing it away. Great, now what? So, I just reapplied the solution each time it rained.
The squash and zucchini really seemed to suffer. I cut off all of the sad looking leaves to see what would happen, the poor plants looked pathetic. Shoot me. But good news…after 1 1/2 weeks I am seeing growth and blossoms. Even better news, the cucumber seems very happy and the plant has grown like crazy.
I’m still concerned that the garden is not getting enough sun due to the huge sycamore tree in the backyard. I’m sure that doesn’t help the PM situation. Next year I will move the garden to FULL sun and potentially avoid the evil PM.
I’m still having fun, this drama is better than prime-time TV. I’ll keep you posted.
I was having the same problem on my cukes and patty pan squash. I used a solution of baking soda, a drop of dish washing soap and a splash of skim milk and reapplied after every rain, its cleared it up. Don’t forget the undersides too.