Assistance with my violets.....powdery mildew

[sewagner86]

I have 2 African violets and the one has caused a ton of headaches ever since I got it. First, it had mealy bugs. I got rid of those, now powdery mildew has come. I am horrible about not cross contaminating things so my 2nd one that has NEVER had issues has it too. What can I do to treat it without killing them? They both are pretty when they bloom and the problem child has finally just started blooming after a ton of caudiling. A friend of mine told me to cut off infected leaves but if I keep cutting there will be next to nothing left. The 2nd one I have had from a leaf cutting and now wish I would have never purchased the other one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[estación seca]

If it's powdery mildew and not another fungus.... Don't kick yourself. Powdery mildew spores are in the air all over the world, including everywhere outside your house. The new plant isn't the culprit.

It's a disease of cool temperatures and dryish daytime air, with cool humid nights. It is knocked down by spraying the leaves with water. I would suggest spraying the whole plant, especially leaf undersides, with a strong stream of water on a warm day. Try to raise the humidity in the growing area as well, and the temperature as high as you feel comfortable. African violets aren't fond of high temperatures.

I would do this before using a fungicide. I would need to look up which fungicides work for powdery mildew.

[Dimples]

The spread of PM and early/mild infections can be managed by regular showers (washes off the spores that would otherwise blow/move around) but once it’s established on a plant you’ll need some type of fungicide to eliminate it. Cutting off badly infected leaves will make the task easier and will improve the plant’s chances. AVs may not be compatible with every fungicide, so check the labels and reliable online sources for what to use.

[Ray]

Powdery mildew was the bane of the New Guinea impatiens we put in our flower beds in PA. One treatment of plant probiotics prevented it from occurring, so I imagine it could be a curative treatment, as well.

[sewagner86]

Originally Posted by Ray

Powdery mildew was the bane of the New Guinea impatiens we put in our flower beds in PA. One treatment of plant probiotics prevented it from occurring, so I imagine it could be a curative treatment, as well.

I see that you have the quantum probiotics. Would you use it as a foliar on a violet? I am willing to try anything, but I know they don't like their leaves getting wet. I love the little flowers on my violets, especially between my orchids blooming.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by sewagner86

I see that you have the quantum probiotics. Would you use it as a foliar on a violet? I am willing to try anything, but I know they don't like their leaves getting wet. I love the little flowers on my violets, especially between my orchids blooming.

I would use it as a drench.

[Clawhammer]

One application of liquid copper recently knocked out an outbreak in my AV collection.