Some good news on powdery mildew! MILK SOLUTION stops the spread of PM and enables new growth (also deals with aphids that attack plants weakened by PM). Pick off the worst affected leaves, douse the rest in milk solution - 1 part milk, 9 parts water (or 1:4 if its really bad) - use in bright sunlight for best results. Skimmed milk is best (less smell and the fat isn't necessary). Milk acts as an antibiotic and also feeds the plant. Its cheap and easy and doesn't harm beneficial insects. After two treatments, my sweet peas are looking much healthier and have put out new shoots.
Potassium permaganate soution will actually cure PM but is harder to get hold of.
Hi Hollie-Hock - just for the record, p/permangante is actually an organic gardening method - I found it in my old fashioned organic gardening book by Lawrence D Hill - he's v strict about his organic methods, ones that don't harm beneficial insects etc and knows his stuff. Altho I agree that it sounds drastic! Its also used for some skin conditions as a mild antiseptic.
But as the milk solution is a quick and easy way to put the PM on hold at least, I haven't tried the p/permang.
But autumn sowing also helps with PM resistance, apparently.
Well I'm just about to order seeds from Eagle as recommended, going to autumn sow some as well! I see from their website that they do 3 sowings...Sept, Jan and April. Any thoughts on this David?
BTW just pulled up this year's lot, even though flowering still (just) the stems were too short to be much use in the house, the greenfly were crawling all over them and the bases starting to look mildewed. But they will come back in the garden in another form, hopefully to help feed next year's.
Figrat - believe it or not I've only ever visited the Eagle website a couple times before today. Anyway, prompted by your words 'I see from their website that they do 3 sowings...Sept, Jan and April. Any thoughts on this David?' , I've just taken a peek.
All I see is 'sow from October through to December' and personally I wouldn't recommend sowing in September.
Hi, Pat 12. You say 'But autumn sowing also helps with PM resistance, apparently.'
Well not as such....it does help inasmuch as autumn sown sweet peas flower much earlier than those sown at other times. Powdery Mildew usually makes its appearance it late summer, thus affecting later sowings more severely.
HI David, here's the Eagle Seeds stuff re sowing times. But I think it's maybe more appropriate for commercial growers? Tempted to try a few, just to see if I can get some blooming in my gh for April...
HI David, here's the Eagle Seeds stuff re sowing times. But I think it's maybe more appropriate for commercial growers? Tempted to try a few, just to see if I can get some blooming in my gh for April...
Ah, I didn't read that item, he does say late September and these are cordon grown and under cover until flowering.
Worth a try if you have the facilities, Figrat, although I would say be careful if you only have a small greenhouse...temperature fluctuations are amazing, even in the winter. Eagle's greenhouses & poly-tunnels are huge and don't suffer from these fluctuations.
I would add further that the plants referred to are grown for seed purposes. This seed is then send to New Zealand where (under contractual arrangements) are grown on for seed production.....then it is imported back to the UK and this is in fact the seed you buy from them.
Posts
Some good news on powdery mildew! MILK SOLUTION stops the spread of PM and enables new growth (also deals with aphids that attack plants weakened by PM). Pick off the worst affected leaves, douse the rest in milk solution - 1 part milk, 9 parts water (or 1:4 if its really bad) - use in bright sunlight for best results. Skimmed milk is best (less smell and the fat isn't necessary). Milk acts as an antibiotic and also feeds the plant. Its cheap and easy and doesn't harm beneficial insects. After two treatments, my sweet peas are looking much healthier and have put out new shoots.
Potassium permaganate soution will actually cure PM but is harder to get hold of.
is better to sow sweet peas in autumn ?the ones I sowed this year in the spring were very straggly and eventually disappeared.
Generally I think plants from autumn sown sweet peas are more hardy & robust for having survived the winter and go to produce better results.
Hi Hollie-Hock - just for the record, p/permangante is actually an organic gardening method - I found it in my old fashioned organic gardening book by Lawrence D Hill - he's v strict about his organic methods, ones that don't harm beneficial insects etc and knows his stuff. Altho I agree that it sounds drastic! Its also used for some skin conditions as a mild antiseptic.
But as the milk solution is a quick and easy way to put the PM on hold at least, I haven't tried the p/permang.
But autumn sowing also helps with PM resistance, apparently.
BTW just pulled up this year's lot, even though flowering still (just) the stems were too short to be much use in the house, the greenfly were crawling all over them and the bases starting to look mildewed. But they will come back in the garden in another form, hopefully to help feed next year's.
Figrat - believe it or not I've only ever visited the Eagle website a couple times before today. Anyway, prompted by your words 'I see from their website that they do 3 sowings...Sept, Jan and April. Any thoughts on this David?' , I've just taken a peek.
All I see is 'sow from October through to December' and personally I wouldn't recommend sowing in September.
Hi, Pat 12. You say 'But autumn sowing also helps with PM resistance, apparently.'
Well not as such....it does help inasmuch as autumn sown sweet peas flower much earlier than those sown at other times. Powdery Mildew usually makes its appearance it late summer, thus affecting later sowings more severely.
http://www.eaglesweetpeas.co.uk/about_us.php
HI David, here's the Eagle Seeds stuff re sowing times. But I think it's maybe more appropriate for commercial growers? Tempted to try a few, just to see if I can get some blooming in my gh for April...
Ah, I didn't read that item, he does say late September and these are cordon grown and under cover until flowering.
Worth a try if you have the facilities, Figrat, although I would say be careful if you only have a small greenhouse...temperature fluctuations are amazing, even in the winter. Eagle's greenhouses & poly-tunnels are huge and don't suffer from these fluctuations.
I would add further that the plants referred to are grown for seed purposes. This seed is then send to New Zealand where (under contractual arrangements) are grown on for seed production.....then it is imported back to the UK and this is in fact the seed you buy from them.