Is this powdery mildew?

[neoguy]

I've done some looking around and the closest diagnosis I can come up with is powdery mildew.

The problem appears on all my seedlings. I'm growing 2 Lime Green Salad and 4 Tiny Tiger. The lower leaves develop those milky stains and then they dry up and die. It seems to be moving up the plants.

If this is powdery mildew, can someone suggest an organic treatment for it, or should I just chuck them all?

If this is not powdery mildew, can someone tell what it is?

[dice]

The quick, cheap, low-impact treatment for
powdery mildew is a baking soda solution.

One recipe:

4 Tablespoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons Murphy's Oil Soap
1 gallon warm water

Can substitute Castille or mild dish soap (somehow
I am never sure about that one; what's in it exactly?)
for the Murphy's.

Mist liberally with a handheld sprayer.

The stuff on the left in the second picture does look
a lot like powdery mildew. I can't tell on the others,
because I am basically seeing the aftereffects on the
leaf.

[neoguy]

Thanks for the reply and the recipe.

Originally Posted by dice

The stuff on the left in the second picture does look
a lot like powdery mildew. I can't tell on the others,
because I am basically seeing the aftereffects on the
leaf.

When you say you are basically seeing the aftereffects on the leaf, do you mean a determination can't be made because of the late stage of the mildew?

[tessa]

tomatoes get powdery mildew???

no disrespect for the baking soda/soap solution...but i've tried that recipe as well and it didn't work for me. nor did the milk sprays. the only thing i've found to work for me on powdery mildew is neem oil. it's safe and organic and worked the trick on my cucurbits last year. you might try that if you also have no luck with baking soda.

[neoguy]

Originally Posted by tessa

tomatoes get powdery mildew???

no disrespect for the baking soda/soap solution...but i've tried that recipe as well and it didn't work for me. nor did the milk sprays. the only thing i've found to work for me on powdery mildew is neem oil. it's safe and organic and worked the trick on my cucurbits last year. you might try that if you also have no luck with baking soda.

Hi Tessa,

Your first comment leads me to believe it may not be powdery mildew. Any thoughts from the pics I posted?

Thanks!

[Worth1]

Yes tomatoes can get powdery mildew.
All kinds of plants can get it.
Grass, squash, cucumbers, bushes, trees, and the list goes on.

Is the white stuff sort of fuzzy?
Does it wipe off
If so it is mildew.
Powdery mildew is caused from high humidity and dampness.
Use your choice of remedy and get rid of the dead leaves in the pots and the infected leaves still on the plant.
make sure the young growing tips get treated as long as they are Ok you can get rid of the rest of the bad leaves.
trust me the plant will live.
If the growing tips on a plant that small get infected you might as well start over, the plant will have a hard time and could die.

This is one reason I don't spray my plants with water and foliar feed.
I hope this helps.
Just too humid here.

Worth

[Worth1]

After looking at the pictures again you can see it on the main stem.
Unless you just watered there is no reason the keep the soil that moist.

It would be best to let the top surface dry a little and use a water bottle instead of a sprayer.

All of that moistness will do nothing but invite disaster.
Some folks can get away with it for a while but sooner or later it will catch up with them.

Make sure there is air movement.

Worth

[tessa]

hi neoguy. my response was simply surprise.
my cucurbits are plagued with PM and live closely to the tomatoes...yet the tomatoes have never 'caught' it.

PM might be associated with humidity and dampness....but i live in one of the driest, most arid places on the planet...and i'm still plagued with it.

[neoguy]

Thanks for the replies. The soil was very wet when the pictures were taken. I haven't watered all week and the soil is still a little moist. I tried a milk solution on Sunday. Today, I'm switching to the recipe above.

[dice]

Some dahlias I have had are prone to it around here,
and the baking soda solution has worked for those.
(Slows down rust on hollyhocks and their relatives, too.)

I can't say that I've noticed it on the tomatoes.

I haven't tried neem for powdery mildew,
but neem oil does a lot more things for insect
and disease control than baking soda.

A neem oil recipe:

2 Tablespoons neem oil
1 teaspoon liquid soap (same choices as with baking soda)
1 gallon water

Most neem oils are not refined and have a lot of fat
in them. They need to be at 80F or above for the fats
to stay dissolved in the oil.