Powdery Mold or Mildew on Garden Crops

It's that time of year again, the garden and the garden pests are back with a vengeance! This is what white mold looks like. It destroys cucurbit crops such as pumpkins, cucumbers, and peas. To date we have tried everything to rid ourselves of this. We have cut off diseased leaves, sprayed them with neem oil, compost tea, water, milk, and baking soda. So far nothing at all rids the cucurbits of this disease.

It makes the leaves brittle and it gets in the stems. Then the plant starts to wither and slowly die off. It''s highly contagious. If you try cutting off leaves treat the cutters with alcohol wipes or wash them in soapy water after each cut. Also keep a bag handy and place all cuttings in the bag and throw it away. Do not compost it! They say that warm humid conditions cause it, which is the typical summer weather where we live so it's only a matter of time most years. I hope to try to combat it next year with tri weekly treatments of compost tea on the leaves.