![]() Remember that this is a fungal disease found in the soil. Incorrect watering habits are one of the most common causes of powdery mildew. If you’re companion planting other herbs, flowers, or veggies nearby, ensure you space them far enough apart that the air can still move freely between them. Train your cukes to grow vertically on a trellis and you’ve already done a lot to solve this problem. The good news is that you can grow your cucumbers in such a way as to facilitate good airflow, rather than block it. Think of both air and light as cleansing agents for your plant’s health. This is the condition you can create if your plants are placed too closely together. Imagine a hot stuffy room with no fan to move the air around. Lack of proper air circulation creates an optimal breeding ground for fungal spores like powdery mildew. Your Plants Are Too Crowded Make sure there is enough space between the plants to allow proper air circulation.Ĭorrect plant spacing is incredibly important to a garden’s success. It will do wonders for the health of your plant, its yield, and its ability to fight off diseases. If you realize that your garden bed isn’t receiving an optimal amount of sun, be sure to relocate your cucumbers next season. Note when the sun first reaches a particular area, if it’s ever shaded by tall trees or other buildings, and when it leaves for the day. If you’re not sure how much sun your space receives, take a few days to actively measure it. Southern exposure is the gold standard for this sun-loving vegetable where they receive light the majority of the day but are protected from the strongest afternoon sun. They really prefer 8-10 hours of sun for maximum fruit production. If your sun-loving cukes are planted in an area without enough direct light, they’ll be more susceptible to the disease.Ĭucumbers need to be planted in an area that receives full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sun each day. Powdery mildew thrives in areas that are shaded. ![]() You can’t control the weather, but you have control of a lot of things that can make a difference! Location, Location, Location Cucumbers prefer 8-10 hours of sunlight per day. Once you’re armed with that information, you can set your plants up for success. The first key to successfully protecting your cucumbers from powdery mildew is to understand the conditions the fungus prefers. The faster you treat it and remove the affected material, the better chance you have at eradicating the problem before it spreads to additional plants. Once you spot symptoms on your cucumbers, take quick action. You won’t often find it on very mature leaves. This fungal disease prefers young plants and newer growth. In the early days, it almost looks like a child sprinkled flour on the plant.Īs the disease progresses, however, that dusting will turn into larger white blotches, fuzzy stems, and dead leaves. Powdery mildew looks just like it sounds – it appears as a whitish dust that settles on the leaves of a plant. Visible symptoms can appear at any time in the growing season but tend to be more pronounced when there are swings in temperature and humidity. Visible Signs Symptoms appear when temperature and humidity fluctuate. Cucumbers – along with zucchini, beans, gourds, tomatoes, and peppers – are especially susceptible to it. It is caused by several fungal species including Erysiphe, Microsphaera, Phyllactinia, Podosphaera, Sphaerotheca, and Uncinula. ![]() Powdery mildew is a fungal disease commonly found throughout North America. We’ll discuss what powdery mildew is, the top reasons why your cucumbers may have succumbed to it this season, and a few simple ways to treat the disease. So, if you’ve been wondering about the white spots and powder on your cucumbers this season, this article is for you. This common fungal disease is just a part of the garden landscape that we need to learn to manage. ![]() ![]() Fungal spores move pervasively through the air, on pollinators, and in water and it’s unlikely you can prevent a few from finding your plants. While learning how to prevent a problem is always a better option than treating it, know that even if you do everything right, you cannot completely protect your cucumbers from powdery mildew. Especially if you catch it early, treating the problem is fairly straightforward. Although incredibly common throughout North America, the good news is that this particular fungal disease is rarely fatal to your plants. When it comes to white spots and powder on the leaves of your cucumbers, there’s really only one culprit – powdery mildew. ![]()
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