Growing various crops, gardeners are often faced with various plant diseases that negatively affect the harvest. Powdery mildew on cucumbers is a common agricultural disease that affects plants. There are many ways to cope with the disease, but the most effective is the prevention of powdery mildew.
Powdery mildew is a vegetable fungal disease that affects the stems and leaves. Mushrooms colonize plant epithelial cells and contribute to the formation of mycelium - this is a white bloom. The incubation period of fungi lasts from 3 to 5 days.
Favorable conditions for the appearance of powdery mildew are abundant humidity and warm weather. If in summer, in warm weather, it rained for several days in a row, then after a few days you can notice a white bloom, and then yellowed leaves.
The most favorable temperature ranges from +16 to +22 degrees. It also requires a lot of sunlight to get infected. Sudden changes in temperature during the night and day weaken the immunity of cucumbers, which contributes to the rapid infection with powdery mildew.
In addition, powdery mildew appears when:
- Heavily thickened plantings of vegetables;
- Large amount of nitrogen in the soil;
- Overdrying, or vice versa, overflowing the soil;
- Watering the beds when the topsoil is still wet.
The damaged plant looks like this:
- A white fluffy bloom appears in the form of spots on the leaves and stems of cucumbers;
- Withering leaves;
- Decreased productivity;
- The leaves become curled and then begin to fall off.
For the treatment of powdery mildew on cucumbers, you can use folk methods that are not inferior in effectiveness to chemical agents. They are also safer.
Prevention of cucumber diseases
The most effective way to cope with vegetable diseases is through prevention. It is enough to follow the simple rules for growing and caring for cucumbers and you will never have to treat plants for powdery mildew. It will take much less time for preventive actions than for the fight against an already emerging disease.
- For planting, you need to choose only high-quality seeds. Before sowing in the soil, they must be disinfected.
- Before planting both seeds and seedlings in the soil, you need to ensure that the soil is warmed up. The minimum soil temperature should be +12 - +16 degrees.
- Seedlings should be planted in pre-prepared soil. The soil is carefully dug up, all weeds are removed and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate. Then they are mixed with manure and only then the seedlings are planted.
- All plant residues after harvesting are burned away from the site.
- It is recommended to choose those cucumber seeds on which disease resistance is indicated.
- The beds are weeded regularly. Weeds not only prevent vegetables from growing, but also spread disease.
- Diseased leaves should be disposed of immediately so that the fungus does not spread further. They should be removed as soon as possible.
- Regular fertilization. Top dressing must be applied several times per season.
- It is important not to forget about crop rotation. Each year, the place for sowing cucumbers should be changed. This will prevent powdery mildew from re-infesting the vegetables. If the soil was contaminated, then in such places it is necessary to plant crops that are immune to powdery mildew.
Disease prevention is always the most effective method for preserving the crop.
How to deal with powdery mildew with folk methods
You can meet powdery mildew not only on cucumbers, but also on other vegetables. Most often it affects leaves, less often stems, roots and fruits. Immediately after the first signs of powdery mildew appeared, measures should be taken to treat the cucumbers. For this, you can use folk remedies.
Measures to combat powdery mildew on cucumbers:
- Soap and wood ash solution
Cucumbers can be cured with laundry soap and ash. Grate the soap and mix with 200 gr. wood ash. Pour warm water over everything and mix thoroughly to dissolve the soap. Process the bushes 3 times a week.
- Powdery Mildew Soda
You can cure powdery mildew from cucumbers with soda. You need to take 100 gr. soda, 75 gr. vitriol and 10 liters of water. Stir all ingredients and process cucumbers. Watering with soda liquid is necessary first of all on the foliage.
- Garlic
How to deal with powdery mildew on cucumbers with garlic? Chop the cloves of garlic together with herbs and add water. Leave to infuse for 12 hours. Then spray the cucumber leaves for two weeks. Infusion can also be watered part of the land where cucumbers grow.
- Mullein
On cucumbers, the fight against powdery mildew can also be carried out with the help of a rotted mullein. Using this remedy, cucumbers can be protected from death. 1 part mullein should be mixed with 3 equal parts water. The mullein should be infused for 3 days. Bushes can be processed both outdoors and in a greenhouse.
- Kefir
If you do not start to treat cucumbers in time, they will turn yellow very quickly. To save the leaves, kefir is used (you can even take an expired one). The foliage is watered with kefir every 3 days.
- Potassium permanganate
If the cucumbers have a white bloom, then potassium permanganate will help to cope with it. 2 gr. Dilute potassium permanganate in 10 liters of warm water. Sprinkle the cucumbers with the resulting solution for 2 weeks. If plaque persists, spraying can be continued.
Chemical preparations for cucumbers
In order to get rid of powdery mildew, a large number of chemicals have been created. The remedies can be purchased at any gardening store.
Recently, biofungicidal preparations are gaining popularity. They are safe and non-toxic. Biofungicides can be used even during the period of ovary and fruit formation. There will be no negative consequences on human health.
What drugs help get rid of powdery mildew:
- Fitosporin
Fitosporin is one of the most popular remedies used to combat vegetable diseases. Fitosporin contains biofungicides, which are created on the basis of bacteria. It is with their help that the use of the drug Fitosporin slows down the growth of mycelium of fungi.
- Topaz
If the yellowing of the leaves has begun, then Topaz is used. Get rid of powdery mildew with this remedy for one week. But it is worth remembering that Topaz is toxic to humans, therefore, it is better not to touch cucumbers during the treatment of cucumbers. The active ingredient is penconazole. Only one ampoule is required for 10 liters of water. You can spray the foliage on the cucumbers with a freshly prepared solution. The residues after spraying are poured out. The foliage should be sprayed every two weeks.
- Tilt KE
Tilt KE will help to get rid of powdery mildew. Suitable for greenhouse spraying. The active substance of this drug is propiconazole, which inhibits the formation of fungal spores. Available in the form of an emulsion. An increase in temperature enhances the action of the active components of Tilt CE. To protect plants from the harmful effects of fungi, it penetrates directly into the tissues. For 10 liters of water, you need to take 40 grams. funds. A few hours after spraying, a protective layer appears on the plants. It lasts more than two weeks.
How to deal with downy mildew
In addition to powdery mildew, there is also downy mildew. The disease also affects mainly the leaves. The main difference between these two diseases is that with downy mildew, the leaves turn immediately yellow, and there is no white bloom.
If the leaves begin to turn yellow in the beds, then you should immediately take action. Practice shows that it is much more difficult to get rid of downy mildew.
The factors that can provoke the appearance of this crop disease are:
- Watering with ice water;
- Warm and humid air;
- Improper plant care.
You can save the crop using the following measures:
- Air the part of the greenhouse where cucumbers grow;
- Do not water the beds with cold water;
- Harvest periodically.
How to treat cucumbers with downy mildew
For treatment, you can use the same methods as when dealing with a previous disease. You can also spray the beds with drugs such as:
- Ridomil;
- Cuproxat;
- Oxyhom.
Folk remedies are used to combat fungi. They are highly effective and non-toxic to humans.
