How to fight mildew

With the arrival of the rainy season, many farmers and gardening enthusiasts begin to check the leaves of their plants, hoping not to find the dreaded yellow spots. Mildew is a fungus that can reproduce throughout the crop, becoming very harmful if prevention and remedial measures are not practiced in time.

If you want to learn how to combat mildew and prevent it , join us in this article.

What is mildew

Mildew is a fungus that affects plants . It is a fungal or fungal disease that crops suffer when the proper conditions are met, which in this case are very high degrees of humidity and temperatures between 10ºC and 20ºC. It can survive entire seasons above or below these temperatures, waiting for the time of its preferred climate to begin multiplying.

It can be easily recognized by the spots it causes on the leaves, which are yellow on the surface and white on the underside. These white and yellow spots on the leaves are spreading, causing necrosis in small parts and later that the entire leaf is deformed and completely dry, while the fungus spreads throughout the plant.

It can reproduce in all types of spaces with plants and affects a wide variety of species, although the crops and plants affected by mildew most frequently are the following:

• Cucumber
• Onion
• Tomato
• Potato
• Vine
• Eggplant
• Cannabis
• Oak

How to fight mildew – natural remedies

The most effective against mildew is prevention, but there are some measures that can be taken in the difficult fight against this fungus, especially if it is detected early. The first and most obvious thing is to remove the leaves or crops affected by the mildew fungus . If the spots are still yellow or whitish and not widespread, it will be sufficient to remove the affected leaves and dispose of them safely. If the leaves show brown spots, it means that the plant has been completely affected, so you will surely have to remove it entirely to prevent the fungus from spreading to other plants around it.

You can also use homemade fungicides. Some of them are very effective and, in addition to being completely ecological, they are very cheap. These are the best homemade fungicides to combat mildew :

Homemade fungicide with milk

One of the most effective fungicides is undoubtedly the fungicide made with milk. To prepare and use it, follow these steps:

1. Mix 8 parts of water with 2 parts of skim milk.
2. Add 20 grams of baking soda per liter of mixture.
3. Once you have everything in the final container, move it very well and spray the leaves and plants for 2 days in a row, always in the late afternoon. If there is a storm, it is important to apply it the next day as well.
4. After this initial application, repeat the process every 15 days, paying special attention to the affected plants and always removing the diseased areas.

Nettle slurry for mildew

Another very effective natural remedy is nettle slurry and this is how to prepare and apply it:

1. It is made with 100 grams of nettle stems and leaves per liter of water. It is better to collect stems and shoots that are not too woody, that are not in bloom, in addition to taking them rootless. It is preferable to use rainwater. If you only have tap water, leave the water in a container in the sun for about two days so that the chlorine in your drinking tap water evaporates.
2. Once the mixture of water and nettle has been prepared, it is important to cover the container in a non-hermetic way, and uncover it daily to remove it. Don’t worry if it smells bad, it’s very normal.
3. About 15 days later, most of the leaves should have been eaten by bacteria and there should be no more than the stems.
4. In 20 days, the slurry will be ready to be strained and filtered. It is very important not to let the mixture come into contact with metal parts at any time during the entire process.
5. Mix 1 part of slurry with another 10 parts of water before you start spraying this homemade fungicide on the affected plants. You can follow the same timing pattern as in the previous remedy.

How to prevent mildew

To prevent the appearance of this fungus on your crops or plants, you can follow these tips to avoid mildew on plants :

• Control excess moisture in your crop, in addition to ensuring good soil drainage.
• Regular pruning will also help keep the crop free of spoiled organic matter and, therefore, prevent the appearance of the fungus.
• You can also use the two natural fungicides shown above preventively.
• In addition, you can use other effective remedies against mildew, such as horsetail or garlic infusion. Copper sulfate is also a very good mildew preventative, which is why many farmers use it, for example on tomato plants, by pricking the stem of the plant with a copper wire and wrapping it around it.
• Do not abuse nitrogenous fertilizers, as they favor the appearance of these fungi.