This Sunday’s weather was gorgeous. A little cooler than we’ve been having but a great day to get out and get some big jobs done. I spent much of the day mowing and preparing the vegetable garden then went around taking pictures of the gardens. Things are coming along nicely but there was one issue I’m not too pleased about: powdery mildew! I found the white powdery looking substance on my coral honeysuckle. Mildew of course is brought on by warmth and wetness. We’ve had both of those in good supply this spring. Most of the time powdery mildew is a summer issue for us.
Treating Powdery Mildew
To treat my powdery mildew issues I’ll be using neem oil and a baking soda solution. I’ll alternate the two treatments on a weekly basis until the signs have diminished.
Neem Oil to Treat Powdery Mildew
Neem oil is made from the neem tree and is a good organic solution to fungal issues and some pest issues. (Here is an affiliate link to Amazon for some options for Neem Oil).
DIY Baking Soda Solution for Powdery Mildew
For a baking soda solution mixing 2 TBS of horticultural oil with 1 TBS of baking soda and a gallon of water. Sometimes adding a drop or two of liquid dish soap helps to mix the ingredients together.
Improving the air flow around the infected plant will also help with the powdery mildew problem. The best way to avoid powdering mildew is through good pruning practices. The specific pruning practice is different for each plant but the idea is to keep it open enough for good air flow.
Have you seen signs of early summer problems already popping up due to the strange weather this year?
More on my Lonicera sempervirens:
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I've not had powdery mildew problems here due to my full sun location…but, neem oil works better than anything else I've tried to keep Japanese Beetles off of roses. The smell…well…it's a choice between putting up with that during the JB invasion or having the roses eaten up.
We have some powdery mildew here and there…
I'll have to give your suggestion a try. I have, with very limited success, used a baking soda solution with regular dish soap, and Tea Tree oil (also reputed to be a fungicide).
To be honest powdery mildew has wiped out my previous cukes, squash and zucchini plants.
Dear Dave how are you !
I have heard of the baking soda recipe but I didn't know you could use neem oil .. so I will keep that in mind when those darn beetles start driving me crazy (er!)
Thanks
Joy
PS .. I just saw Dawn's suggestion of tea tree oil .. now there is another idea to try !
I hadn't heard of using the neem oil for this before. I will be back if I need this recipe this summer.
I've been battling lots of powdery mildew this spring/summer. I've even had to start spraying two of my roses with fungicide, they were hit so badly. I hope the combination of baking soda and neem works! I've heard most people have only limited success with baking soda.
Using the combination of neem oil and baking soda is one of the best method to get rid of powdery mildew. Its one of those solutions that don't affect the life of the plants.
~Aansy Stone
Thanks for the sound advice. Nice post.