Zucchini plants affected by downy or powdery mildew? This is how you fight the pathogen quickly and effectively, whether with home remedies or sprays.
Zucchini and other cucurbits are all too likely to be attacked by powdery mildew and downy mildew. In most cases, however, direct combat is no longer useful. Here you can find out why, along with other interesting tips on the subject of powdery mildew and zucchini.
Fighting powdery mildew on courgettes is often superfluous
Zucchini plants actually belong in every vegetable garden in the summer season, because the plant, which is easy to cultivate, can easily provide a whole family with delicious fruit. The plant only needs a sunny location and a good supply of nutrients. Sometimes, however, the harvest happiness is abruptly interrupted in late summer. The leaves of the zucchini get a whitish-grey coating like a cobweb and after a few weeks the leaves have dried up and the plant gradually dies. In most cases, this is powdery mildew or downy mildew. At this point, however, the pathogen should no longer be fought. The days will soon be too cold for the courgettes to be able to continue to produce beautiful fruit. By the way, you can safely eat the still growing fruits of an infested plant. Powdery mildew does not produce any toxic substances. Care should only be taken to thoroughly clean the fruit, as the adherent fungal spores can cause allergies
Home remedies also help with powdery mildew and downy mildew
If a young zucchini plant is attacked by mildew fungi in late spring or early summer, you should act quickly. Regular checking of the leaves is important so that powdery mildew or downy mildew can be combated effectively. At the first sign of a white or gray lawn, the pathogen should be treated immediately with biological preparations. First, you can try to combat it with home remedies such as milk and baking soda. If you've made up your mind, check out our main powdery mildew article for more advanced tips like thatcorrect ratio of milk and water for the spray mixture. If you want rapid control success, then we can recommend the preparation Fungisan rose and vegetable fungus-free. The natural spray from Neudorff also helps with other fungal diseases and is therefore a real all-rounder! Just three days after the spraying, the vegetables from the treated plants can be eaten again without hesitation. As with many other plant species, there are varieties of zucchini that are tolerant of powdery mildew. The following have proven to be tolerant varieties: Anissa F1, Diamant F1, Soleil, Mastil F1 and Leila F1. In addition to the choice of variety, the location also decides on a powdery mildew outbreak. In general, sunny and airy locations are good for avoiding mildew infestation. Keep in mind, however, that the courgettes do not like locations that are too airy. Another common mistake is planting zucchini too close together. A well cared for plant can easily take up more than a square meter. Planting distances of 100 cm are therefore not uncommon. Due to the large distance, the zucchini leaves can dry off more quickly and the spores of the powdery mildew have a much harder time germinating.
The following products have proven themselves in our garden:
- NEUDORFF Compo Ortiva Spezial-fungusfrei: Environmentally friendly and non-toxic spray against many fungal diseases
- Zuccini “Mastil”: F1 hybrid naturally resistant to powdery mildew
- Zuccini “Diamant”: F1 hybrid with natural resistance to powdery mildew
You can find more information on combating powdery mildew and downy mildew in this special article.