Eeek! powdery mildew on my potted kale!
Milk treatment of powdery mildew on kale in my aquaponics bed
Powdery mildew ... powdery mildew ... powdery mildew. It's a funny word combination, isn't it? Anyhoo, this fungus ended up on my redbor and regular kale in my aquaponics grow beds (It also infested my long beans in my garden but I'm so tired of eating long beans, I'll let them have it). I found out diluted whole milk (1 part milk to 4 parts water) is an effective treatment so I tried it ... and it is working! For a soy milk kind of gal, I had to buy a half quart of the stuff! It looks like I will need to treat again because there are spots that I missed but I am pleasantly surprised by the results and there is apparently no harm to my fish. I mean, milk?! Really? Yeah, really! :D
Maybe milk will increase the calcium content of your kale? Wouldn't they absorb some of the milk nutrients through their leaves? Might be one way to get calcium? I'm just guessing, here, of course. I'll let my neighbors with the aquaponics know about getting rid of powdery mildew with milk, they have trouble finding things that will fix the plant problems without upsetting the fish. Thanks for letting us know, Jo!
ReplyDeleteOh, updates at: https://sites.google.com/site/hillsidefarmhawaii/home Baby bunbun pictures! And, need any wool?
I'm not sure what it is in the milk that kills mildew, probably some enzymes that breaks down fungi. And it has been too long since I took plant physiology to tell you with confidence how kale gets it's calcium. ;). I'm very pleased to say that the milk worked quickly ... overnight!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the link to your website! I'm so psyched by your little popples! I hope the chocolate one makes it. I wanna see them all when I come over! :)