Freshly sprouted, leaves formed and then the nasty surprise: a white coating on the leaf surface. You have already dreamed of fresh cucumbers in vain, because the plants are suffering from a fungal disease. What can you do if the cucumber has white leaves and which home remedies help against mildew on cucumbers, we will tell you in the article.
Cucumber has white leaves: what can you do about powdery mildew?
Powdery mildew is a very common fungal disease. The pathogens are different for different plants, but they have one thing in common: the fungi form a powdery, white coating on the leaves and flowers. Then the leaves begin to yellow and the flower buds dry up and fall off. The infected cucumber either does not produce fruits or they remain very small and do not ripen. If the disease has progressed, the fruits can also rot.
Powdery mildew occurs both on outdoor cucumbers and on plants in the greenhouse. In order to prevent it from spreading to neighboring plants, the infected plants must be treated immediately. The following measures help with prevention:
- Minimum distance in the greenhouse:Plant the young plants at a distance of 50 cm. The minimum distance between rows should be 140 cm.
- Minimum distance in the vegetable patch:110 cm between rows, 50 cm between plants in a row.
- Strip out the cucumbers: The leaves that lie directly on the ground are entry points for the fungi. When thinning out, the plant is also thinned out so that air can circulate between the leaves.
- The plantspour from belowand keep the leaves as dry as possible. The correct watering time is early in the morning.
- Weeding wild grasses in the flower bed– They are often affected by powdery mildew and should therefore not have direct contact with the crops.
- Low nitrogen fertilizersuse.
- Remove all diseased plant parts and dispose of them with household waste.
Fortunately, there are several home remedies that are effective against powdery mildew on cucumbers. It is best to choose a warm afternoon for treatment. If the weather is sunny, spray the plants after sunset. If it rains in the evening, you can repeat the treatment in the next few days.
Buttermilk against mildew on cucumbers
Milk is one of the best-known home remedies for mildew. However, you can easily use buttermilk instead. Mix 100 ml buttermilk with 800 ml water and pour into a 1 liter spray bottle. Spray the diseased plants with it 4 to 5 times a week.
By the way, milk is only effective against powdery mildewDowny mildewHome remedies cannot help.
Spray with garlic decoction against mildew
Alternatively, you can make your own spray against powdery mildew with garlic. For this purpose, take about 5 to 7 cloves of garlic, peel them and squeeze them. Pour 1 liter of water into a pot and bring it to the boil. Remove the water from the oven and add the pressed garlic cloves. Let the brew cool and then steep at room temperature for the next 24 hours. The next day, pour the garlic broth into a bucket and add 9 liters of water. Spray the diseased plants with the solution and also treat the soil around the root area. Repeat the process every 5 days.
Neem oil against mildew
Neem oil and jojoba oil are effective natural remediescombatof powdery mildew. The plants are treated every week with a solution of 1 tablespoon of neem oil and 4 liters of water. You can add a few drops of mint oil to strengthen it. Its effectiveness as a natural fungicide has already been proven in numerous studies. However, treatment with neem oil cannot help immediately - you have to treat the plants several times with the home remedy and the first results are visible after a week.
Apple cider vinegar for mildew
Vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar, also proves to be very effective against mildew. To do this, simply pour 3 liters of water into a bucket and add 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Mix the whole thing well and spray the affected cucumbers with it. Treat the sick cucumbers three times a week, and spray the neighboring plants once a week as a preventive measure. It's best to do it late in the afternoon so that the leaves don't burn.
If the cucumbers are affected by mildew, several home remedies can help and kill the fungus. You can make the sprays yourself and then treat the vegetables with them. Incidentally, it is also worth using the sprays as a preventive measure on neighboring plants in order to prevent the pathogen from spreading. If the disease is very advanced, home remedies can unfortunately no longer kill the fungi. Then treatment with specialized means is necessary.
