Everyone who grows cucumbers on their plots has probably more than once encountered such an unpleasant disease of the culture as powdery mildew. Depending on the nature of the pathogen, real and false diseases can be distinguished.
Today we will talk about how to recognize the disease in time, and also consider effective measures to combat powdery mildew.
Determine the type of powdery mildew
Both true and false types of powdery mildew are caused by fungi that differ from each other. Powdery mildew is capable of infecting plants both in open ground and in a greenhouse, while false mildew is most characteristic mainly for greenhouse specimens.
To quickly determine the type of disease, it is worth paying attention to a number of indicators.
What you need to know about powdery mildew:
- The disease manifests itself in small white spots in the upper part of the leaf plate, but on the lower part of the leaf you can find a white layer of a loose structure.
- The intensive development of the disease is facilitated by sudden temperature changes and high humidity.
- The disease is transmitted through soil, water and plant debris. In addition, spores are actively carried by the wind.
Downy mildew is characterized by:
- The appearance of brown oily spots in the upper part of the leaf blades. At the same time, the lower parts of the leaves are covered with a gray bloom.
- Prolonged rainy weather and low temperatures provoke the disease.
- The main source of infection is water, plant debris and contaminated seed.
It is important to know that the pathogen of powdery mildew is able to survive in soil layers for seven years. Plants can become infected with the disease at any stage of the growing season, but the maximum risk occurs in the middle of the summer season. In the greenhouse, signs of the disease can be seen most often near window and doorways, as well as in thickened plantings and places with excess moisture.
If you find signs of a disease on your plants, do not wait, take urgent action. Otherwise, the diseased plant will dry out and completely die in just a week.
Prevention of powdery mildew
I think I will not reveal a secret if I say that the best remedy for any ailment is effective prevention. It is worth starting with the simplest action - to give preference to hybrid varieties that demonstrate resistance to fungal diseases.
In addition, you must adhere to a number of necessary measures:
- Disinfect seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Water the plants with extremely warm water.
- Observe the rules of crop rotation and do not plant cucumbers in the former Pumpkin beds.
- In the case of greenhouse cultivation, change the top soil layer annually.
- Before planting a culture in open ground, disinfect the beds with boiling water.
- Do not overuse feeds with a high nitrogen content.
- Make sure that the temperature in the greenhouse does not drop below 20 degrees.
- Maintain the spacing between plants to avoid thickening of the plantings.
How to deal with the disease
If the disease still affects your cucumbers, depending on the degree of spread, you can choose one of the available control methods:
- In the early stages, you can use drugs of the bactericidal group. In any garden center you can buy ready-made products like "Albit", "Gamair" or "Baktofit". All these preparations are environmentally friendly, which allows them to be used even during the fruiting period of cucumbers. In addition, bactericidal agents combine therapeutic and prophylactic properties, having a beneficial effect on plant immunity.
- If you missed the start and the disease has already spread significantly, only strong chemicals will help. It is enough to perform one spraying with a similar composition, and harmful spores will die. As effective means, I would recommend preparations of the fungicidal group such as Bayleton or Topaz. When working with any chemical agent, it is important to strictly observe the dosage and precautions.
- For those who categorically do not accept chemistry, folk recipes are available, but their effectiveness is questionable. If there are marigolds in your garden bed, you can easily prepare a working solution from them. To do this, grind the flowers, fill them with half a bucket with a volume of 10 liters, and pour the remaining volume with warm water. After two days, 50 grams of soap shavings should be added to the solution.
Powdery mildew is a rather complex and unpleasant disease, but the more attentive you are to your plants, the earlier you will be able to notice the problem and choose the best solution.
Read also: Effective ways to deal with slugs in the garden
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