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African Violets FAQ

What's this white powder all over my violet (powdery mildew)?

11 years ago

Powdery mildew looks like a fine white powder on the leaves and flowers. It's easily disturbed by blowing on it. Powdery Mildew is caused by a fungus, which likes sudden changes in temperature and poor air circulation. In addition to being unsightly, powdery mildew will mar flowers and leaves -- and eventually kill your plant.

First, isolate any affected plant. The most effective treatment of powdery mildew on African violets is Green Light Fung-Away. It does not harm either the flowers or the leaves. Remove plants from lighted areas when spraying and wait until they dry to put them back. Make sure to spray the entire plant -- don't miss any spots! Green Light Fung Away can be found in garden centers or online.

Lysol will help control powdery mildew but it's not nearly as effective as Fung-Away. Lysol also damages the flowers so it's best to disbud your violet before spraying. Once again, remove the plants from the light and wait until they dry to put them back. Hold the aerosol can about 12 inches from the plants and let the spray fall on them. Don't spray it directly on the plants because the Lysol is very cold when it comes out of the can. You'll probably need to spray repeatedly.

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Related Discussions
Powder Mildew on my Old English Roses: what to do?!
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Comments (7)
We do have powdery mildew in the south but primarily in the cool spring. I have been unable to control it with any fungicide but have had some success with washing the foliage off often (like daily) with a brisk spray of water from a hose. I think I read about the water trick on Paul Barden's web site. I found it, Paul says, "Mildew is a less common problem, and is often limited to certain varieties that are susceptible to the fungus. It is rarely as damaging as Blackspot, but is unsightly just the same. For a fairly sucessful organic control, you may want to try what I do: spray the plants once a day with a forceful spray of water. This does 2 things: Mildew cannot survive when exposed to large amounts of liquid water, and so it is often killed outright by this treatment. Secondly, the spraying washes off the spores that can reinfect other leaves. I have used this technique with often very good results, particularly in a greenhouse, where mildew can be a big problem." It works for me. Hamp Here is a link that might be useful: Paul Barden's FAQs
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Help! Powdery something on my violets!
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Comments (3)
When you use self-watering pots, a lot of times the top of your soil forms a white film (that's why I stopped using those). As for the plant and flowers, it might be mildew. You'll need to increase the circulation, so if its with other plants I'd isolate it. There are a lot of effective chemical treatments, but non chemical treatments include brushing milk over the leaves, or a baking soda solution spray (1 tsp/quart). If you have any Lysol around the house and are willing to go chemical, Lysol works well, but may leave spots on your plant, which it will eventually grow out of anyway.
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what causes white powder mildew?
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Comments (4)
Powdery mildew is a fungus favored by periods of high relative humidity or site conditions that promote a more humid environment, such as close spacing of plants, densely growing plants, or shade. There are chemical controls, but - even though one can't do much about rain - you can space plants for good air circulation and avoid wetting the leaves when doing supplemental watering. Removing diseased plants in the fall making sure to clean up all the debris helps to keep the fungal spores from wintering over in the soil or in dropped plant pieces and splashing up with rainfall reinfecting new plantings. Powdery mildew is kind of a fact of life, many plants are vulnerable to it when the conditions are right.
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Are these spots on my pumpkin leaves the onset of powdery mildew?
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Comments (10)
The angular splotching in the vein intersections is a naturally occurring anomoly. It's absolutely nothing to worry about and shouldn't be treated. That is very different than what we see in the original image, which does appear to be PM, at least in your picture. Maybe it's all normal cucurbit splotching. I've attached a link to Google images of white splotches. Some show PM and others are of the other markings. You may have to decide for yourself. I've never used worm tea, milk, or baking soda. My preventative treatments always include good spacing between plants, conservative fertilization practices, rinsing of foliage with plain water, neem applications. Be sure to collect and dispose of infected foliage. Kimmsr has always recommended the milk or baking soda and many report success with it. Worthy of a try if you think your plants have PM. Here is a link that might be useful: splotches
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