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Natural Cure for Powdery Mildew: Garlic Spray to Keep it at Bay.

August 27, 2013 By: Anna16 Comments

What is summer without humidity?  So, by the end of July, the old “white stuff” starts creeping up on the cucumbers and squash leaves.  Then one by one, they start turning yellow.  I am surprised you don’t hear my loud *sign* when I see my squash and cucumbers dying.  I look up to the sky and say “why me?”

Anna, didn’t you just battle the squash vine borer?  Indeed, I did.  But no one said gardening was easy, nor did they say it doesn’t come without challenges.

But how many challenges can a green girl handle?

I have to admit.  I am a little burnt out this summer.  Rain, heat, rain, squash borers, raccoons, rabbits and repeat and rinse.  Did anyone say an early frost is coming?

Curing Powdery Mildew

So, how do you cure powdery mildew?  Or at least keep it at bay from your new growth? I got out of my  fetal position and decide to help my lame cucumber leaves.  The zucchini was starting to look even worse.

The powdery mildew enemy, Serenade has been my friend in the past.  However, the lady behind the counter told me to make my own garlic sprays since sulphur has been used to manage powdery mildew for centuries.

2 garlic cloves versus shelling out money for a product.  Hmm.   Which one would you pick?  So, I got busy.

Luckily I grow garlic (so easy by the way) and took two bulbs from the pantry.

The Recipe

2 Garlic Bulbs–NOT cloves

2 Cups of Water

1 Tablespoon of Liquid Dishwashing Soap.  (Please use an earth friendly product. Your plants don’t need the nasty chemicals in ordinary dishwashing soaps.)

1 Gallon jug

Instructions:

1.  Grind the garlic bulbs with 2 cups of water.

2.  Run the mix through an unbleached cheesecloth or coffee filter.  (Forget the bleached products.  Who needs extra possible dose of dioxins on their plants?)

3.  Add 1/4 cup of the liquid mixture to a gallon jug.

4.  Add the liquid dishwashing soap

5.   Store the garlic mixture in a container in the refrigerator.

You can even freeze the mixture for the next season.  I have at least 9 beds to spray so I went through most of the mixture pretty quickly.

I spray every week at dusk or dark.  (It can be really eerie to spray your plants when it is pitch dark outside…I jumped every time I heard a strange sound.)

Results:

The new leaves aren’t infected.  The old ones aren’t to get better.  I will be taking those leaves off the plants and removing them from  the garden.  Do not compost these leaves.

Join the Conversation:

  • What do you use to prevent powdery mildew on our plants
  • What do you use when powdery mildew invades your garden?

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About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 1

    Kristina (The Greening Of Westford) says

    August 27, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    Very interesting. This might have come in handy years ago when I tried to garden. I have a black thumb! I love the idea of a garden, but get into trouble with the actual tending to the garden. I’ll have to pass this on to a couple of gardener friends.

    Reply
  2. 2

    Anna@Green Talk says

    August 27, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    @Kristina, thanks for sharing with your gardening friends. I would be curious about their results.

    Reply
  3. 3

    O'Boy! Organic says

    August 27, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    This is a fantastic tip, I need this since my zucchini plants are looking a bit sad 🙁

    Reply
  4. 4

    Anna@Green Talk says

    August 27, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    Let me know if it works for you. The smell is so amazing. You will probably want to cook afterwards…Anna

    Reply
  5. 5

    Rachel says

    August 28, 2013 at 11:18 am

    This is great! My neighbor’s plants keep infecting ours. I will ask them if I can spray theirs, too. Thank you!

    Reply
    • 6

      Anna@Green Talk says

      August 28, 2013 at 5:27 pm

      Rachel, this is a great spray for prevention so it is best to prevent than fight. You can also alternate with 8:1 water and milk. Anna

      Reply
  6. 7

    Carissa Bonham says

    August 28, 2013 at 5:26 pm

    Thanks for sharing this! I need some kind of solution for my pumpkins

    Reply
    • 8

      Anna@Green Talk says

      August 28, 2013 at 5:33 pm

      Carissa, see my answer to Rachel above. The key is prevention.Anna

      Reply
  7. 9

    Jack says

    September 6, 2013 at 5:27 pm

    add a little hot peppers to that it works and getting rid of a lot of critters as well

    Reply
    • 10

      Anna@Green Talk says

      September 6, 2013 at 9:53 pm

      Jack, love it! Anna

      Reply
  8. 11

    michael john mcbratney says

    November 4, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Two table spoons of Baking Soda in a gallon sprayer also works on Powder Mildew. It’s all about changing the PH on the leaf…

    Reply
  9. 12

    Audrey says

    July 5, 2018 at 11:10 pm

    This worked wonders on my once dying, now thriving mint plant! Thank you!

    Reply
    • 13

      Anna says

      July 23, 2018 at 3:52 pm

      Audrey, good to know. Glad it worked.

      Reply
  10. 14

    Donna says

    June 30, 2020 at 4:53 am

    On my squash plant it’s the fruit itself, not the leaves that are covered with thick white powder with dark gray under the white powder. They shrivel while still tiny. Nothing on the leaves. Is this powdery mildew. The white and grey is on the side of the wood of the raised bed the squash is growing in as well.

    Reply
    • 15

      Anna says

      July 18, 2020 at 9:56 am

      Donna, sounds like a fungus. I would take a picture and call your county extension if you are in the US to see how you should treat it. Anna

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Understanding Mildews | Queensland Begonia Society says:
    October 2, 2013 at 7:32 pm

    […] Natural Cure for Powdery Mildew: Garlic Spray to Keep it at Bay. (green-talk.com) […]

    Reply

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