Chard - Powdery Mildew

[plantmark]

I have Swiss Chard in my raised bed and its covered in powdery mildew. I have removed the affected leaves. Dont want to treat it with anything, is the only option to pull it?

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Plantmark, you could treat it with an organic option which is a foliar spray two or three times a week of skimmed milk diluted in water one part skimmed milk to nine parts water. This works because of the salts and amino acids in the milk which aswell as being beneficial to the plants help fight the disease. Powdery mildew is an airborne fungus that lives on the surface of the plant, it doesn't spread through the plant tissue so there is no reason to pull the plants up. However, the spores will over winter on plant debris and start the disease off again in the spring so it's important to clear up all the plant debris and also don't compost the leaves but bag them up for the refuge.

[plantmark]

Thanks Lesley, that sounds useful, I will give it a try.