I didn't catch it soon enough. Ive read about Neem oil, dish soap, milk, but I honestly think it is too late for me. So, do I just cut the fruit that I can. They look tan but the vine isn't brown yet. Or do I try to buy every leaf off of the vine and see if it can be saved. Idk what to do. Somber mood.
by elentyiaanne
16 Comments
It’s near the end of the season anyway, so sounds like you were lucky in growing that long without it. Gotta celebrate the little wins!
That is powdery mildew, not mold. It won’t hurt the squash it’s producing. Water it only at the soil level to reduce having it on the leaves. Baking soda sprinkled on the leaves will kill the powdery mildew and not your squash.
My leaves look worse and they’re still growing fine, but I’m at the end of season in zone 4 so I’m not that worried about it. I’ve tried all the solutions throughout the years with little success. I just let go and grow as it will.
They make sprays that are very effective at stopping this powdery mildew.
Nothing to worry about. Yes, you have mildew, but it’s the end of the season, so it won’t have time to hurt your plants or harvest. My cucumber vines were covered in the stuff all season. Never had a more bountiful harvest.
It’s not too late at all. Copper fungicide will knock it out quick. Milk works but ONLY when you spray it in direct sunlight.
At this point at the season it doesn’t matter. It’s just powdery mildew. I let the vines die back on their own and harvest all the fruit right before the first frost. Winter squash will keep ripening as the vines die back. We get it every year because our climate is so damp in late summer.
No need to be somber, you did great! I’ve had powdery mildew since like August and had to pull my pumpkin vines before they could spread to the rest of my garden 😭 you’re doing great!
Hydrogen peroxide in water will take care of that. Look up the ratio online. It works great
You should see my MIL powdery mildew. The leaves look albino.
Copper, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide all work bc they change the pH of the leaf surface to alkaline, and the mildew can’t grow on that. So I’d choose the cheapest option, baking soda water. Spray the tops AND underside of the leaves. You can remove the worst infected leaves also. Instant relief by the next day.
I stopped trying to fight it and my harvests are just fine.
It’s September. You’re in Michigan. There’s nothing you could’ve done to stop this from happening.
Welcome to late September and looks like the fruit are ripening nicely!
It’s happened more frequently now that it’s getting cooler and the dew sets earlier and earlier now. The above advice of only watering at the soil level is best practices no matter the time of year to avoid this
Research Jadam sulfur. It’s a liquified sulfur spray you can make at home if you’re comfortable with using lye to render it water soluble. You get what is essentially a silver bullet. Combined with a lot of other Natural Farming inputs, it takes care of all pests and fungus and bacteria I’ve come across since I started using them.
Please note that some plants are sensitive to sulfur, such as stone fruits, so do the research. And never spray the sulfur in sunlight. It will surely burn. I always do it an hour or so after sunset so it has overnight to do its thing. You can adjust the concentration to handle minor or major issues