It's raining outside. Tumbling town. Not a thunder storm. Not drizzle. Quality, soaking rain! Oh wow!
It is a blessing of course but the humid weather leading up to this cleansing has been somewhat trying. I'm prepared to guess that from now on we are moving towards winter. It reminds me of one important tip for Autumn growing. Warm days and cool, still nights are shockers for fungal diseases on the foliage of plants.
I'm particularly thinking of powdery mildew, downy mildew and a miserable spotting caused by a fungi called Alternanthera. These are all quite different diseases caused by different fungi and if you choose to treat chemically will each require a different poison. That's three separate treatments for one plant... Pansies and Violas are certainly susceptible to all three so I would prefer to avoid the diseases altogether.
It is a blessing of course but the humid weather leading up to this cleansing has been somewhat trying. I'm prepared to guess that from now on we are moving towards winter. It reminds me of one important tip for Autumn growing. Warm days and cool, still nights are shockers for fungal diseases on the foliage of plants.
I'm particularly thinking of powdery mildew, downy mildew and a miserable spotting caused by a fungi called Alternanthera. These are all quite different diseases caused by different fungi and if you choose to treat chemically will each require a different poison. That's three separate treatments for one plant... Pansies and Violas are certainly susceptible to all three so I would prefer to avoid the diseases altogether.
Powdery Mildew on Pansy
This is one situation where water restrictions have been thought through effectively because the easiest way to avoid these diseases is to water early in the day to make sure the foliage is not wet over night, especially those cool clear nights that will be frosty in a few months time. Easy! And seriously, no watering after 10.00am (yes I know Stage 3 restrictions dictate 6am-8am but you might have tanks or use grey water).
Enjoy your long weekend. Get into the garden the ground is still warm.
We use organic Crop protecorants eco rose mildew powder to solve this problem
ReplyDeleteHi Peter, if my plants get mildew I either ignore it and it goes away eventually or I get rid of the plants and replace them with others that don't make trouble! The rain has been so wonderful, the garden keeps smiling and growing. cheers, catmint
ReplyDeleteWow Catmint you're a tough parent. I had a landscaping friend who was adamant that she wouldn't amend soils, the plants used had to suit the soil and conditions. A really interesting discipline to bring to garden design.
ReplyDelete