Given what you have tried to date, I hope the Daconil works for you. Sounds like you have a mutant fungi ;-)

Good luck.

If it is that much of a problem you have misdiagnosed your problem and you have a soil problem. When was the last time you had a soil test done? Have you dug in and looked closely at your soil to see what you have?

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell on PM

I appreciate the link, I don't see anything on a soil test for PM. What sort of things would a soil test help with in this case?

About 14 mos. back I tested the soil and things came back mostly good. The only comment was trace elements were semi-low and to use a lava powder or other rock powders and that the NPK ratio was too high on K and I needed to do a soil drench. That was a while ago though.

It's an extremely active soil with a large earthworm population and well mulched with cedar etc. etc.

The problem is everything you have used is a preventative and should have been started BEFORE the onset of the infection, Even Daconil is a preventative and won't stop the current infection.

A tbsp of clorox in a gal of water will slow it down, but you need to repeat applications every week

Before you jump ship-have you tried a new product called Serendade. I am going to purchase it today for my garden. I heard it discussed on a Boston gardening radio show and after reading some material, it seems worth a shot.

It is rated Organic by OMRI and is suitable for use in commercial organic crops. Here is the link:
http://www.agraquest.com/products/serenade/index.html

Hope that helps

Carole

Sprays for fungus? For mold? That sounds insane. Mold is forming because it has a place to. How about trying to dry up the area to prevent and stop further growth?

Neem doesn't do anything against mold/fungus, last time I checked

Neem oil is a preventative in the same way a horticultural oil is. Nothing special about it being neem, as far as I know.

Sprays for fungus? For mold? That sounds insane. Mold is forming because it has a place to. How about trying to dry up the area to prevent and stop further growth?

How with over 24" of rain in 2 weeks, another 5 days of rain predicted ??????????????????

Last year I controlled very persistant powdery mildew organically with regular spraying of diluted milk on infected plants. It didn't cure it but it allowed seriously infected Hubbard squash and pumpkins to produce a healthy crop. 1 part milk (any kind, 2%, whole milk, doesn't matter) to 9 or 10 parts water. Begin spraying at first sign of mildew.

Yes, you spray liquid to control the powdwey mildew. This mildew will spread in the dryest of conditions.

Wayne

Soils that have a nutrient imbalance can contribute to plant disease problems and there is no real test for the pathogen that causes mildew problems. That pathogen can also travel through the air with the wind. A good, in depth look at your soil can tell you if you have a good, rich soil that will grow strong healthy plants that will be more disease resistant. Start with these simple soil tests;

1)Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2. Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Hey Byron- good stuff huh? I have the best drainage that you ever saw, but I still have puddles because it's raining faster that the drainage!

Lucky that I started working on that ark in March when it was really dry.

BTW- what is a cubit? :)

IIRC a cubit is a unit of measure from the elbow to the fingers

My lumber yard won't sell it in that length

Interesting reading. I am also on the same path.
My yard has become infested with horsetail and clover.
-lg

Serenade is a fine organic solution that works great.

www.agraquest.com

if you have a large area get the 2 1/2 gallon concentrate and a good backpack sprayer. you will be fine.

I like to use it when there is dew on the plants. before sun goes up so it has time to work. do not use in the heat of the day as it will simply dry up. or put on late at night when it is cool. so it lasts wet longer so it can work.

another product that works is Zero Tolerance. very organic also.

dont use daconil. that stuff is pure poison.

I ran into this on the Nichols garden web site.

Milk may have potential as a fungicide.

A report in the October 16 1999 edition of New Scientist suggests that spraying diluted milk on cucumbers and courgettes (zucchini) may be effective in killing powdery mildew, caused by the mold Sphaerotheca fulinginea. This could be a significant benefit for organic farmers trying to meet the growing demand for chemical free vegetables.

According to the report, milk's fungicidal powers were discovered by Wagner Bettiol of the environmental laboratory of Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, in Jaguariuna, north of Sao Paulo.

Bettiol, who was looking for cheap ways to control plant pests, observed that by-products from milk-processing factories killed powdery mildew on squash. So he decided to simply spray fresh milk on the plants to see if it had the same effect.

To his surprise, he found that it did. In fact, spraying heavily infected plants twice a week with a mixture of one part cow's milk to nine parts water was at least as good at stopping mildew as the chemical fungicides fenarimol and benomyl, Bettiol discovered.

Bettiol added that several organic growers in his region were able to control less severe outbreaks by spraying once a week with a 5% milk solution. In many cases, milk was both faster and more effective. After two to three weeks of spraying with milk, the area of leaves infected was in some cases only a sixth or less of the area affected on plants treated with chemical fungicide.

Bettiol is not yet sure why milk works so well, but he speculates that it helps the plants in two ways. Milk is known to kill some microorganisms. It also contains potassium phosphate, which boosts the plant's immune system and so may help it inhibit the mildew's growth.