A Little Rain And It's Funkville

GoDawgs · #1

All is not right in the Dawg Patch. There is fungus among us! Three days of intermittent showers and high humidity last week is where I'm placing the blame. This mess just showed up out of the blue.

There is Powdery Mildew on the straightneck squash and zucchini plant. I’m sure of that.

I spent time on line looking for the cuke problem and at first I thought it was alternaria but more searching makes me think it’s downy mildew. Dang, so much of it looks the same when it starts. Those initial pale rectangular areas on the leaf are key. Two pics; the first showing the very beginning of it and the second a little older.

I'm still not sure what's got the Tahitian melon squash:

While researching I found a site that is really helpful. Lots of photos with good clear narrative on symptoms, causes, etc.
https://plantvillage.psu.edu/plants

All of the funky plants and things near them got sprayed with Daconil two evenings ago. And I still don't know about the efficacy of using the hydrogen peroxide as a preventative. However one has to be regular in the application and I need to get a lot better with that, not just when I think about it. But I have noticed that the tomatoes coming on aren’t spotting up on the plants or after I bring them inside to finish ripening.

[mention]brownrexx[/mention] , after checking out your baking soda thing online I decided to try that on uninfected foliage. The mix recommendations online vary a bit but I split the difference and am using 1.5 tsp per quart of water. What is your mix? I have sprayed all uninfected foliage on all cucurbits. It seems to be working for you.

Then there was a link that looks critically about the whole baking soda-Cornell Formula thing:
https://www.gardenmyths.com/baking-soda ... l-formula/

Meanwhile I tore out the cuke vines today and will replant in a different bed on Friday.

Cole_Robbie · #2

Baking soda is sodium carbonate. Potassium bicarbonate works better.

brownrexx · #3

[mention]GoDawgs[/mention] I always have to Google the formula when I need it. I don't have PM every year but 1.5 tsp per quart sounds good to me. I do not add dish soap or oil.

Potassium bicarb may work better but I have never used it so I don't know. Baking soda is in my kitchen cabinet so I used that. I never need much of it.

Some people make a solution with milk but I wonder if it will smell like sour milk? Baking soda works for me as long as I keep up with it after a rain.

GoDawgs · #4

Cole_Robbie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 07, 2021 12:59 pm Baking soda is sodium carbonate. Potassium bicarbonate works better.

That was mentioned in the article I cited. Do you use it?

Someone in a different article mentioned it's available at stores with homebrew supplies. I'll have to see if the one in town is still there or went down during the pandemic.

Cole_Robbie · #5

GoDawgs wrote: ↑Wed Jul 07, 2021 1:42 pm
Cole_Robbie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 07, 2021 12:59 pm Baking soda is sodium carbonate. Potassium bicarbonate works better.
That was mentioned in the article I cited. Do you use it?

Someone in a different article mentioned it's available at stores with homebrew supplies. I'll have to see if the one in town is still there or went down during the pandemic.

I have meant to try it but have not yet. I am playing around with horsetail tea, which I think might work due to silica content. I have also heard that fermented kombucha tea works against pm, has bacteria that eat pm, lactobacillus acidopholus I think.