Powdery Mildew on Leaves?

Hi Melissa, I did some research and found a few answers...

I got all my information from this website. But I summarized the big points below. For more information you can read the whole thing.

Powdery mildews do not require moist conditions and actually do well under warm conditions. And pumpkins are more susceptible to this mildew than other plants. Which may be why the rest of your plants are doing fine.

Leaves infected with powdery mildew may gradually turn completely yellow, die and fall off. Which it looks like some of your leaves have already done. Severely infected plants may have reduced yields, shortened production times, and fruit has little flavor.

Because pumpkins are very susceptible, it will probably require fungicide treatment. Also, it was suggested to provide good air circulation and avoid using excess fertilizer. Spraying your plants/leaves may help reduce the powdery mildew - but will not control it.

You should use an eradicant fungicide. Oils work best as eradicants and also have some protectant activity. Some examples are Saf-T Side Spray Oil Sunspray Ultra Fine Spray Oil, or one of the plant based oils such as Neem oil or Jojoba oil (a.g. E-rase).

So, oils work best and you might want to look for those at Home Depot. He gives other alternative fungicides besides oil, but he generally says oils work the best.

Good luck, and let me know how it goes :)

What's up with my pumpkins?

So We have early pumpkins. Three to be exact, but I am not sure what's going on with them. The leaves have white stuff on them, and some leaves are turning brown and dying. It's gets enough water cause the other plants in the garden are just fine. So what's up with my pumpkins? If it's fungus and my pumpkins are dying should I pull the whole plant so the other plants don't get affected? I really don't want my other plants to die, but if it will go away with a little help, I want to do that instead of pull the whole plant. Any suggestions? Take a look at the pictures.

Katrina, help is on the way!

Actually, more like suggestions....

I'm no expert. In fact - I'm not even intermediate! But, what I do is read a lot and go from there. And I know I already spoke to you on the phone about my suggestions; but just in case your forget, I think of more ideas, or others want to know - here it is!

1. Find the tags to the plants and research their ideal growing situations. Some may prefer acidic soil, neutral soil, or alkaline soil. Some may actually require watering every day, and others may need to dry out completely before watering again. Also, I remember your soil being sandy - some plants don't grown well in sandy soil (that is why I had you mix soil from the nursery with your ground soil, just in case). This may seem complicated and like a lot of trouble for just plants BUT, it's easy to do a little research about the plants. And you may find that it's a simple fix like watering frequency or mulching to keep roots cool? Who knows!?! Doesn't hurt to try.

2. Soil pH: If your plants require acidic or alkaline soil, here's how to get that: Sawdust, composted leaves, wood chips, cottonseed meal, leaf mold and especially peat moss (found at Home Depot) will lower the soil pH for a more acidic soil. Garden lime (also found at Home Depot) will raise the pH for a more alkaline soil.

3. Try fertilizing. You can probably choose just a general garden fertilizer from Home Depot. Just read the instructions on the back, and if you have a hard time picking one, the Home Depot people can be helpful!

4. Sun Exposure: I remember we found your bushes in a shady part of the nursery. Maybe these bushes aren't supposed to be in full sun? - which unfortunately they are. Not sure what to do in that situation...

But I guess my main suggestion is, research about the plants!! It shouldn't be too hard to find a plant profile online :D

Good Luck, hope this helps!!

Abby, what am i doing wrong. My bushes i planted are dying. Well one is almost dead and the other looks as though it is heading that direction. I dont water them everyday but at least a couple times a week. My flowers arent blooming either. They may get one flower and then it dies and the other flowers IF i get any take for ever to come up.

I so do not have a green thumb. What am i dong wrong?

PICTURES!!

Pictures - Finally!!

My Porch Garden:

The Wine Barrel: the whole caboodle:

The Heuchera 'Caramel':

Seems to be doing pretty well... hasn't grown too much, but may be becuase of the heat and it's growth rate?*

The Hosta 'Cameo':

All the leaves are drying out and dying. I read that Hosta's don't usually do well in zones 9-11, becuae it's too hot. So that may be why it's not doing well. I will continue to water it and fertilize it and hope it comes back.
















Brunner 'Looking Glass':

Looks to be doing better. Especially since there are so many smaller leaves appearing in the center. So I'm hopful this is a sign it's doing well!

The Hanging Plant:

Hasn't moved an inch. Doesn't look to be dying - but it's definitely not growing...

The Saved Tree:

Ryan actually got this tree from a Free Garage Sale. It was in a small pot with 2 fragile leaves on it. He brought it home with him and started watering it. Then I moved in and repotted it. It remained on our porch (with not much light) for about 1.5 years. It was doing OK. I wasn't very good about watering it. So about 6 months ago I bought a MUCH bigger pot and replanted it. Then I moved it off our porch to the front yard. It's doing the best I've ever seen it. So... when we move - we'll have a tree to plant!!!

I also bought ground covering plants to plant under the tree...

The "grass":

I don't remember what the name of this plant is. It was a lot prettier a month ago. It looks really dried out. I think the bugs or heat got to it. I just put plastic bottoms underneath each of the pots outside my porch, so this should prevent bugs in the roots - so we'll see who the real culprit is shortly, I think.



The green ground cover:

I don't remember the name of this plant either - but it seems to be doing really well. It grows really slow, but it's growing! It gets some shade during the day because the "grass" is taller and thicker next to it.



And last... and least... the plant Mom gave me for my birthday (Pink Kalanchoe)...



It was on my desk at work for several weeks, then I left it inside for several more weeks. Also, it came in a basket lined in plastic - so doesn't allow for good airation. So I repotted it in a bigger pot and put it outside in full sun. It slowly died... so I put it on my porch in full shade and it hasnn't changed in look. I keep watering it not sure if it's dead or not becuase the leaves are still green.....

and there is one flower left on it...

haha! Maybe I will prune off the dead stems and hopefully it will start coming back to life??

This is what it's supposed to look like:

I just found these tips for this plant:

They tolerate most light levels and they prefer temperatures between 50-70 degrees F. Never allow the plant to stand in water or dry out completely. Usually a once a week watering is sufficient. Water carefully near the bottom of the plant--do not water the leaves-- only the soil. (Whoops!!! :D )

After all the flowers have died, remove the stems and cut back to the second or third leaf below the flowers on the side stems (Will Do!). Repot the kalanchoe in late February or early March after the flowers have finished blooming.

The addition of a little limestone will also benefit the plant (Which I have, and will use this week). At this point cut back on the watering and do not fertilize until new growth begins. Then start watering regularly again, and fertilize every 2 weeks with a standard houseplant fertilizer.

I wonder if it should be inside and not outside, becuase it says to use a "houseplant fertilizer"? We just don't have any windows to put it next to!! Hopefully my porch will suffice.

Anyway, that's my small potted garden!

Oh, and as for the BUGS! I put plastic bottoms underneath, after spraying away any visible bugs. Under one pot I found an empty snail shell, 1 inch in diameter... i guess the bugs ate it. But I want to know is how it got there in the first place!! The pot was flat on the grass! Also, underneath the same pot were black spiders, and more on the way (there was a white sac of spider eggs - EEK!). I hosed them all away, but somehow the black spider kept coming back. Not sure if it was the same one - or it's brother - or sister!!! But it seems, unfortunately, it was an ideal place for spiders.... :/ I am hopeful the plastic bottoms will help!

The beginning

I still have a TON to learn – but this is my first attempt in documenting my successes and failures.

On May 8^th I ordered online plants from Big Dipper Farm. Click on the name to see a picture and description of the plant:

Primula ‘Pacific Hybrids’

Corydalis ‘Berry Exciting’

Heuchera ‘Caramel’

Hosta ‘Camea’

Brunner macrophylla ‘Looking Glass’

They arrived around the end of May, and I planted them in my wine barrel on my screened porch. I put the Berry Exciting in a hanging basket above the other potted plants, and put the Pacific Hybrids in an 8” Terra Cotta Pot.

The soil that I used, I found online from gardenweb.com, Al’s recipe. I’ve used this for about a year now. I’ve tried plants that say full sun – part shade and have killed all of those. I am assuming it was because my screened in porch is completely full shade. So this time I’ve decided to do purely full shade plants. However, the catch with this batch is – I’m a zone 10 and the max zone listed, from perennialresource.com, is zone 9 for all of them. I am hoping I’m a cooler zone 10.

Anyway, here is the soil mix that I use:

5 parts pine bark fines (3 gallons)

1 part sphagnum peat, not reed or sedge peat (1/2 gallon)

1 part perline (1/2 gallon)

Garden lime (4 TBS)

Controlled release fertilizer (1/4 cup)

Micro-nutrient powder (or other source of the minor micronutrients)

I try to water them everyday, since they are potted plants. And for the last month I’ve fertilized them with Miracle-Grow’s All Purpose Fertilizer.

I believe that the pot gets about an hour morning sun, and 2 hours afternoon sun. I’m not exactly sure how accurate that is.

The Berry Exciting died right away, within the first week. I’m not sure if it was due to my soil choice or what, but it didn’t last at all. I probably could have gotten a refund or a new plant – but I didn’t bother with that. Too many other things on my mind.

The Heuchera isn’t really growing. One of their leaves is brown, as if burnt from too much sun? But it doesn’t look to be dying – so I’m hoping it’s just growing really slowly.

The Hosta lost a few leaves at first, on the outside but I saw new growth from the inside. So I got excited, thinking it was doing well in the soil. However, lately it’s been losing some more leaves and seems to have come to a stop in it’s growth. I will need to take weekly pictures to be sure.

The Brunnera has been the same as the Heuchera – one burnt/brown leave on the corners and hasn’t really grown much since.

My eyes may not be able to see the growth, so I will start documenting weekly, or biweekly growth along with my entries.

Since the Berry Exciting died right away, I got a new plant from Home Depot (I can’t recall the name of it off the top of my head). It looks like a potato vine. It hasn’t grown much either, and a few leaves are burnt.

I’m concerned about the lack of growth, that is why I started fertilizing. I think I will get my soil tested and reevaluate my fertilizer and soil mixture.

I also have a small tree that Ryan rescued 5 years ago, and it’s been re-rescued several times. I’ve transferred it to bigger pots twice, as it’s roots were growing up and out. The first time it went from a 6” pot to an 8” pot. This last time I transferred it to an 18” pot. I also put some ground cover plants on top. They were flourishing at first; and the tree looks much brighter and green (however not many leaves), but now some of the ground covers are dying. And when I lift the pots up, I find tons of grub and bugs underneath – and even a nasty looking spider. I sprayed it with some insect killer I have, but today I found more bugs underneath. Not nearly as many – but still. I wonder if they are killing the plants. There are no “water catchers” on the bottoms, so the drain holes drain right into the ground. (These plants require full sun so I’ve put them out front on our shared yard. I don’t have bug problems on my porch.

Pictures to come for all things mentioned above. I will research more too.