It’s that time of year again when powdery mildew starts to show up in the garden. In this episode I show you the best method to stop powdery mildew in it’s tracks! Using milk to prevent powdery mildew has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to prevent and eliminate powdery mildew from your garden. Watch as I show you how it works and how to mix up your own milk solution to apply to powdery mildew in your garden! Thanks for watching!
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How often do you have to spray your plants?
How often should you use the milk treatment?
Use Skim milk. 60% water and 40% milk. The way it works is 3 fold. First the bacteria in the milk attack the mildew. Second the milk proteins are changed by the Sunlight(only do on sunny days or set plants in sun.) Lastly, both the proteins, sugar and fats create a seal on plants similar to oil but let plant breathe. This entombs the spores.
Best not to use whole or 2% milk because the fats go racid. Lastly, spray plants, come back next day and look for spot you missed and spray them. You must repeat every 6 to 7 days but rinse old milk off first.
how often to spray?
Great vid – thanks. However, none of your methods worked for me. So now I am looking into anoth method that a German friend once recommended: nettle tea! Sorry; I don't remember exactly how to deploy the stuff; it was either by spraying, or watering the soil with it (or both). Perhaps someone else can clarify.
I have used skim 1 part milk with 8 parts water. It worked pretty well as a preventative – I have never noticed it killing powdery mildew that was established. I have had some luck using neem oil to actually kill it and then switch to milk if I can get it killed. The other formula I have used to kill it is 1 tablespoon potassium bicarbonate mixed with 1 tsp soap and 1 tsp cooking oil per gallon of water and shake it well to mix it.
The best solution I've found is potassium bicarbonate spray. Had strains that were getting COVERED and destroyed every time, tried everything to control it but nothing other than potassium bicarbonate spray worked, and boy did it work. REMOVED all of the pm, weekly/biweekly sprays keeps it away
Thanks….going to try this.
My concern is the sugars in the milk attracting unwanted bugs, is that a non-issue?
I have watched many videos on powdery mildew and this one says it best. YOU CAN'T CURE POWEDERY MILDEW. Its like getting old, you can slow it down with different techniques, but in the end you just live with it.
Will pass this tip to my friend as she had mildew on roses
Can I use this milk mixture as a preventative. Here in Michigan it's been a wet season and everything is beautiful, but I'm afraid of what will happen come August and would love to keep it from even starting.
Man you got the mildew on your t-shirt …
What thoughts on feeding leaves to animals… example I have 2 tortoises and over 100 farm birds
Does horticultural oil work on powdery mildew ?
Thank you.2cups of milk with 10 cups of water means 1:5?
Can I reapply it a couple days in a row to help with powdery mildew?
Can we use Almond or Soy milk too? I prefer these because I don't buy regular milk.
I tried milk spray for 2 consecutive weeks. No obvious results. Trimmed out infected leaves. Attempted baking soda and dish soap method and I have some burnt leaves. Not sure if they are burnt as the mildew is dying in the part of the leaf and the leaf was a dead host or if the soap and baking soda killed a bunch of leaves.
2:27 you're welcome
I tried a sulfur spray from a local hardware store and it didn't do a THING. Next attempt is the milk, which I hope works because nearly EVERY leaf on my Howden pumpkins is mostly covered but I have some fantastic looking fruits I don't want to lose.
Can u spray it on at night?
Tried this on my weed plants and it worked, but made my weed smell like ass and I used 3%, not sour. This method works, but beware of smelly fruits.
It's actually really simple I mean just think about it if you take milk and you put it outside at room temperature it turns into yogurt. Yogurt is full of living probiotics, mainly lactobacilli. One of those is called lactobacilli Caseii and plantarum. Those are both known as extremely strong inhibitors of pathogenic fungus, such as powdery mildew. They also are powerful decomposers of organic matter. They keep things clean.
i disagree with his recommendation to not put it in the compost……a hot compost solution will yield a healthy soil…..PM is in the leaves next to the garden….it's a question of terrain, not presence in the environment, cause it's always in the environment.
Look up LAB
If you don't already know, Lactobacillus bacteria (found in milk) are the soil biology police.
The LAB (lactic acid bacteria) is what kills off the fungus.
They also help with decomposition.
So throwing infected leaves in the compost pile shouldn't really matter much as long as you add some LAB to your compost. Or at least increase their population.
IMO and or beneficial fungi are also your friend when dealing with things like PM.
Make yourself a fungal dominant aerobic compost tea and spray on plants to help coat their leaves and protect against harmful fungus or disease.
Increase the fungal microbes in your garden and they will help fight off these diseases more for you.
As soon as the plants tap into the fungal network in the soil they can pull nutrients and minerals from much further away giving them a better chance at survival long term.
Fungicides destroy the plant surface while killing its target and weaken the plant more, then the bad guys build a tolerance and win. It ends in more chemicals and more wasted money.
A beneficial aerated fungal tea sprayed on the leaves will create an army of good guys to fight off the bad guys. More diversity of microbes on the leaf surface will protect the plants much longer with not as much need for reapplication.
Biodiversity is key.
Good luck.
Cheers!
I believe the reason the mild works is because it feeds the lactobacillus bacteria. There are many types of lactobacillus bacteria and when they feed on the milk they create a lactic acid.
I've attempted milk spray so many times. It never works for me
"I don't want to waste money on my garden using milk'….WTheck!!?? Milk is still cheaper AND safer than chemicals and to be honest, if someone can't spend a couple dollars to potentially save hundreds of dollars in veggies, they need a different hobby…hahahahaha….
Milk and the sun is good for powdery mildew but does it work in a grow room or grow tent?