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What to do with downy and powdery mildew patch?

Mel McbrideMel Mcbride Posts: 112
in Problem solving

My pumpkin patch was infested with powdery mildew. I fought it back with milk solution, worked a treat! I thought the yellow patches were sort of scars.. didn't realise it's actually downy mildew as well image Also, the powdery mildew isn't fully gone.

I'm planning to grow the pumkin in sugar water now, with only a small part of the vine, and remove the rest. There's time to put in some winter veg in the patch, but I have niggling doubts.

I'm worried about this patch and the grass that it grew across - roughly 5 feet. Should I do anything to it, to kill off the spores that are probably all over the lawn?

Or shall I just grow things there for a few season that aren't susceptible to these funguses? Will it die off that way after a few years? I'm more than willing to dig out and lose all the soil in the bed and the lawn.. got plenty of grass seeds image

 

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  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    Mel, ALL squashes get mildew every year, it wont effect the crop, so conserve your energy for a battle with something else image

    The mildew has been earlier this year, possibly because of the weather image
  • FleurisaFleurisa Posts: 779

    Looking on the internet there is no mention of curcurbit downy mildew in the UK but it is a problem in the USA. Mildew is an airborn fungus. Planting on a hole filled with well rotted cow manure and watering lots during dry spells reduces the risk of powdery mildew

  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    I have to fess up and say mine havent got it yet, but they will, always have in the past, i was much later planting than normal this year, i wonder if that has anything to do with it image
  • FleurisaFleurisa Posts: 779

    A link from the US on downy mildew http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/managing_cucurbit_downy_mildew_in_your_garden

  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    Fleuria, thats a very useful link, there is another pumpkin thread, i will post on there to see your link image
  • FleurisaFleurisa Posts: 779

    It sounds that we don't have the right climate to have that as a problem in the UK, hopefully it won't turn up

  • Mel McbrideMel Mcbride Posts: 112

    Is there anything else that looks exactly like it? It's the classic yellow dots that gradually merge in to each other.

    One of the plants only had this type and not the powdery. I started the milk spray before it spread to it. It's a midget plant for some reason though, not quite sure how that happened lol image

     

     

  • Mel McbrideMel Mcbride Posts: 112

    But anyway, mostly, I'm keen to know if the patch is safe to use with other things, or if it should be left for a bit. It seems it's ok to go ahead. I'm looking forward to seeing if this sugar water thing works with the pumpkins. image

  • FleurisaFleurisa Posts: 779

    Most diseases tend to be crop specific so something that isn't in the curcurbit family should be fine

  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    Wherever you grow squash you will get mildew, i think its usually the powdery one. The ground will be fine image
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