Powdery Mildew

Sometimes the solution to a difficult problem can lie right under our noses. A Brazilian scientist, Wagner Bettiol, has used cow's milk to control powdery mildew, a notorious disease of cucumbers, zucchinis, and many other plants, and he's enjoyed startling success. According to Bettiol's research, fresh cow's milk is just as effective at controlling the mildew as are conventional fungicides. In his experiments, the milk was mixed at a 1-to-10 ratio -- 1 part cow's milk to 10 parts water -- and sprayed onto zucchini. The results were excellent. Bettiol theorizes that the cow's milk contains some naturally occurring antimicrobial agents that act to reduce powdery mildew infection. I was intrigued when I came across this research, because in the greenhouse industry, milk has been used for some time to disinfect pruning knives of viruses. Apparently, the milk combats fungi just as well as do many of the more expensive commercial fungicides.