How to deal with powdery mildew on grapes
Vineyards during the fruiting period are prone to dangerous diseases: they develop due to improper care or against a background of high humidity. Powdery mildew on grapes, or powdery mildew, develops due to infection of the plant by microorganisms participating in fermentation. To combat the disease, traditional and folk methods are used.
Fighting powdery mildew on grapes
What is powdery mildew
Powdery mildew of grapes affects the culture at any time of the year, but during the ripening of the berries, such a disease is especially dangerous.
It can be cured only with proper prevention (thanks to this, the natural protection of the grapes is enhanced) and with quick treatment of the affected areas (stopping the disease). Oidium belongs to fungal diseases, and is popularly called an ashtray. It is passed from one green plant to another. More often, the ashtray appears during the fruiting period and after winter.
Signs of the disease
In order to properly treat the vineyard, it is important to recognize the fungal disease in a timely manner. It is divided into 2 types: false and real. Each species has its own external manifestations. If a grape bush is ill with a false type of disease, it shows the following symptoms:
- leaves are affected: they gradually change color;
- as the leaves wither, the leaves wrinkle;
- leaves become brown;
- the separation of the sheet plate occurs.
With downy mildew, the vineyard quickly dies (from the foliage, the fungus passes to the fruit). This type of disease leads to yellowing of young lashes. A bloom of a characteristic white-yellow color appears on the leaves. The edges begin to dry out, then dark spots appear. Neglected forms of crop disease lead to partial or complete destruction of the vineyard.
Disease prevention
Preventive measures allow you to save the crop even before it appears. To prevent the fungal disease from infecting the vineyard, use solutions with soda or iodine. These are safe and cheap products that are diluted with water. They spray the plant in the spring, before the first bunches appear.
Soda improves the quality of the future harvest, and not only saves it from wilting. Thanks to the soda solution, the sugar content of the berries increases.
Treatment of grapes from powdery mildew involves the use of concentrated products (homemade or purchased).
Control methods
In the fight against powdery mildew on grapes, time is important: the sooner the gardener begins to process the diseased plant, the more harvest he will be able to harvest at the end of summer. Measures to help fight the manifestations of the first symptoms of the disease:
- spraying the vineyard;
- the use of contact systems (preparations for the treatment of the entire vineyard);
- mechanical treatment of damaged areas.
You need to get rid of the disease as soon as possible
Homemade remedies are needed to treat the vineyard. They are safe and effective.If powdery mildew appears on the grapes, treatment is carried out urgently, otherwise it will not be possible to save the harvest.
Sulfur preparations
For the treatment of grapes from powdery mildew, sulfur-based products are used. They are released in dispersion form, which allows you to directly affect the source of the disease. Sulfur is absorbed by the fungus, as a result of chemical reactions, hydrogen sulfide is formed, which kills the fungus. So that downy mildew on grapes does not harm the harvest, sulfur treatment is carried out in the morning or evening (you cannot process the vine in direct sunlight, otherwise burns will appear on the foliage).
Sulfur-containing products are used every 10-15 days. More frequent processing harms the fruit. For the prevention of the disease, from 25 to 40 g of the drug are used. The concentration of the substance for treatment is from 80 to 100 g. The dry component is diluted in 10 liters of water. Such therapeutic measures are ineffective if the air temperature is below 20 ° C. In the cold season, colloidal sulfur is used.
Contact systems
During the ripening of the crop, chemicals are not used for treatment: after such treatment, the berries are unsuitable for consumption. If the crop is completely affected, potassium permanganate is used to save ripening bunches. The substance is diluted with plenty of water.
If an entire vineyard is to be treated, use a spray bottle or spray bottle. Complex preparations are used during the formation of fruits. To get rid of powdery mildew, use a complex based on iodine or soda.
Biological protection
To safely treat grapes from powdery mildew, use a humus-based agent. It is prepared in the spring: a concentrated saprophytic microflora is obtained from humus.
To prepare biological protection you will need:
- pour humus into a large container by 1/3;
- fill it with water;
- heat the mixture to a temperature of 25 ° C;
- insist the drug for a week.
It is impossible to process green plants with a fresh mixture of humus. I filter the resulting substrate through thick gauze. To treat grapes of any variety from powdery mildew, use a spray bottle. Treatment is carried out within a week, spraying the vine daily.
For prevention, so that powdery mildew is not found on the grapes, green leaves are sprayed.
The solution acts gradually: the substance penetrates into the fungal spores and destroys them. The fight against the disease with the help of humus is carried out throughout the year. If it is docked (the vineyard is partially affected), re-processing is carried out in a week.
Folk remedies
Folk recipes are a safe alternative to purchased drugs. Ash diluted with water helps to destroy the disease: 0.5 buckets of ash are prepared for 7 liters of water. Such a solution helps to fight any manifestations of the disease. Before processing, it is additionally diluted with water. If necessary, the ash is boiled for half an hour. Folk remedies based on ash in a matter of days stop the disease.
A solution with straw dust helps to fight the disease. 3 parts of manure are poured onto one part of the dust. The mixture is diluted with water. Processing is carried out after sunset (use a spray bottle). The mixture is preliminarily insisted in a dark room for 3 days. Processing is carried out in a course: once every 2 days for a week. Homemade mixture helps to get rid of not only diseases, but also pests.
Conclusion
In the event of fungal diseases in the vineyard, it is necessary to process the vines and bunches. The fight against the fungus begins at the first symptoms of the disease. A good time to clear the vineyard from fungus is evening, after sunset.
Fighting the disease with the help of folk remedies helps to preserve the harvest (ripening clusters are not treated with pesticides, otherwise they cannot be eaten). Sulfur based solutions are the most effective. They are diluted with water and used for both treatment and prevention.