Powdery Mildew

Glad to see you on this side of 2016!  I was watering some houseplants and came across this loveliness...

As common as it is to see powdery mildew in the greenhouse after a rainy week, I was, (not going to lie) a little sad to see it on a houseplant.  This one is leftover from a few Christmas baskets that I had made up and I was going to repot into a hanging basket for my front step this spring.  Easily identified by the powdery white spots on leaves and stems, powdery mildew is caused by high humidity, low light and moderate temperatures.  I had this set in a planter with another couple plants until I could deal with it.  I suspect it was the little to no air movement from being crowded in with it's buddies.

I decided I would try to heal it and immediately took put it in plant ICU.  

First I removed all infected areas of the plant.  I then mixed up a "fungicide" of 1 TBSP Baking Soda, 1 Tsp Oil and 1 Tsp Insecticidal Soap with 1 gallon of water and gave my plant a good bath.  I will repeat this weekly until all signs of the mildew are gone.  This is my goto for mildew, however there are other recipes out there - I'm not sure how well they all work;  Milk and water spray (milk is a precious commodity in my house with 2 teenagers and a 12 year old), Vinegar and water spray - this one makes me a bit nervous as vinegar can burn your plant, and Mouthwash and water spray, Neem oil spray, the list goes on if you google but as always commercial fungicide is at the top of the list.

To prevent powdery mildew make sure to:
~not crowd your plants so they get enough air flow
~make sure the plants are getting enough sun - 6+ hours
~don't overfertilize
~don't water the leaves - water the soil

I think my patient will pull through, it's already looking much better!
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