I just noticed something spreading on one of my Bower vines:



Looks like powdery mildew but I can't be sure because it's been rather chilly here and PM is more of a wet and warm weather disease, isn't it?. But maybe it's a California PM strain! Anyway, what are you guys fighting in your gardens?

Well, I had to cut about a third of the foliage, there may be some infected leaves still in there.

Have you treated powdery mildew with baking soda? Did it work? Does the soil need to be treated as well?

In a minute I'll go find my recipe for treating powdery mildew and post it for you.
You don't need to treat the soil, just the foliage. This concoction essentially neutralizes the mildew and you can literally see most of it vanish before your eyes.

The only downside to all the rain we had is that a few of my daylily's turned to soggy mush from too much water, but they're easily replaced.
The cold temperatures did a number on my sweet peas which were growing fine but the buds are all dropping off. Now that it's finally warming up they'll be fine.

Had I not kept up with pumping all the excess rain water into the alley, I might have had many losses since where I live we have a high water table and the ground just couldn't absorb so much all at once.

In a pinch, milk will kill the mildew. I suppose it's the lactic acid, so Lactaid wouldn't work. I guess it hasn't been warm enough for mildew here yet, but I have no doubt it will occur. So far, it's just poor drainage that's doing things in. I actually have good drainage as a rule, but these back to back storms just aren't giving the soil a chance to dry

Here is the recipe for the Powdery Mildew spray that I use. This is just one of many I found online from various sources,

To make 1 Gallon of spray:
You will need a 2 cup measuring cup and a pump sprayer that holds at least 1 Gallon of water to apply it.

Mix the following ingredients in the order listed, making sure #5 is added LAST.

1.) Fill measuring cup with 8 oz. of water
2.) Add 1 1/2 tbs. baking soda
3.) 1 tbs. Canola oil
4.) 1 tbs. insecticidal soap
5.) 1 tbs. WHITE vinegar

6.) Stir all these ingredients well
7.) Pour this mixture into your sprayer
8.) Add enough water to your sprayer to make 1 gallon of spray.

Spray your plants thoroughly to cover all infected areas. Do it when the air is calm so it doesn't drift or evaporate too soon.
This works very well on roses, too.
Repeat in 5 to 6 days if needed.

@Calsurf73, Mike! The only ingredient I don't have is insecticidal soap, I'll get it tomorrow. It will be windy tonight and tomorrow (NE winds) and humidity will be less than 30% so I'll have to wait a couple of days to apply it.

Pumping excess rainwater to the alley must've been such a pain, I can imagine. In my case, having to move heavy clay containers with succulents back and forth (I have several of those ) and cover the potted vines that can't be moved was such royal pain in the butt.

@ctcarol, yesterday the forecast was sunny and partially sunny dry weather until the 26th. Today's forecast: 4 rainy days next week. And temps back in the 60s.

Ah, it all depends on which forecast you look at, and which side of the hill you're on.

Living in the PNW we deal with mildew , it's especially on my dahlias and roses....I just use straight milk mixed with water spray every two weeks until cleared. Also helps to rid the bugs that hop around and spread the mildew..

Here's another great recipe for milk and others. Listerene kills bugs and disenfects. Slugs hate it...use with insectidal soaps...
https://dengarden.com/gardenin...

Works like a charm..

The rains were not too bad actually. My succulents outdoors endured well. It was more when the skies was too cloudy and overcast when my tall aeoniums are looking sad, they wanted stronger light. Thankfully it is dry time now, temps rising and nice clear blue skies.

The only plant I seem to miss out this winter is my Kniphofia sarmentosa. Usually it should have given me bloomstalks now, but I see none. I guess it did not like the long soggy period, it prefers just cold and dry.

Glad to really see my Pelargoniums back, they were almost sticks already, but now with the rainfall, they are back to growing nice big leaves.

I do have a lot of clean-up to do in my little garden, since I had some lingering back pain since Thanksgiving, thankfully it is gone now woohoo! Just in time, Spring is coming about, got to clean up outside and do some needed repot when temps warm up some more. I really want to move outdoors my other overwintered plants, my cat Jewel has been feasting on some leaves of my orchids.

I noticed that here too, @tarev. My potted aeonium had been looking sad, I thought it was because of the chilly weather but it must've been the lack of sun, as you said. Now that the sunny weather is back, it looks a lot better. I have five orange pelargoniums, they've tripled their size since the fall and they are blooming beautifully as well, not a yellow leave despite all that rain.

Last year the red hot pokers were truly extraordinary around here. I don't have them in my garden but I loved seeing them in my walks and I was wondering why they seemed to be gone this year, you just answer that question. I hope the plants will recuperate because they were truly splendid.

@bumplbea

@Calsurf73, I will treat the vine with milk today and follow with your recipe in a couple of days, when the winds calm down. Soon I will start preventive spraying treatments on all my plants. Can your recipe be used as a preventive treatment for fungus and other diseases on all plants?

@Calsurf73,

Mike, I just applied "your stuff" (I had sprayed the plant with milk diluted in water a couple of days ago). I will repeat if needed, as you recommended. Please do let me know if you use this recipe as a preventive treatment on all plants. If not, what do you use for that purpose and when do you apply it?

No. I don't use it as a preventative, just when the mildew shows up.
Other than providing good air circulation amongst susceptible plants I don't think you can 100% prevent PM. If the conditions are right it will appear.