3 Powdery Mildew Recipes

Powdery Mildew Recipe #1

1 tbsp (15 ml) baking soda
1 tsp (5 ml) vegetable oil
1 tsp (5 ml) liquid soap
1 gal (3.8 L) water

Mix together in a spray canister and apply weekly to top and bottom of leaves.

Note: Some people recommend using horticultural oil which is more refined than dormant oil, thus safer for use on fruiting plants. However, use should be discontinued one week prior to harvesting….impossible with zucchinis and cucumbers ripening on an on-going basis. Also, some experts claim you should use insecticidal soap, not dish detergent. I use organic dish soap in my kitchen, so that is what I use in this recipe. Option is yours.

 

Powdery Mildew Recipe #2

1 part milk
2 parts water

Combine milk and water in a spray canister and apply weekly to top and bottom of leaves.

Note: Why this works so well on powdery mildew is not wholly understood, but speculation leans towards the natural compounds in milk boost a plant’s immune system.

 

Powdery Mildew Recipe #3

2 tbsp (30 ml) potassium bicarbonate
1 tbsp (15 ml) liquid soap
1 gal (3.8 L) water

Mix together in a spray canister and apply weekly to top and bottom of leaves.

Note: Potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) is similar to baking soda and has long been used in medicine, as a food ingredient and leavening agent. It helps to prevent mildew and fungus growth and is approved for use in organic gardening.

 

Posted on August 16, 2018

Homemade Aphid Spray Recipe

elder aphids, some winged & antsAphids are the very devil to get rid of. It is especially tough when your young seedlings are infested. Due diligence is the key…daily checks to ensure all seedlings are healthy…because a few aphids on a plant are a whole lot easier to deal with than a horde. And it never hurts to keep a close watch on your garden plants for any possible aphid damage…especially plants like roses and vegetables like cabbages and other brassicas.

The recipe:

1 quart (1 L) water
1 tbsp (15 ml) organic dish soap*
1 tsp (5 ml) cooking oil

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle.
Shake well and spray infested plant every day to kill all aphids.

*Note: I always buy EcoMax which is an organic brand of dish soap, but that is just my preference. Bottom line: We are on septic so I am very careful about what goes down our drains. You can find this product and other organic brands of dish soap in the organic section of your supermarket.

 

Posted on May 5, 2018

Potting Soil Recipes

Recipe #1:

Ingredients

  • screened homemade compost*
  • leaf mould (composted leaves)
  • clean sand

Directions

  1. By volume measure out equal parts of screened compost and composted leaves. Combine these two and mix well.
  2. Measure out and add one handful of clean sand per quart of soil mix. Mix well.

Notes:

  1. Homemade compost should be pasteurized (but not sterilized) before using it for potting soil…especially if the potting soil will be used for sowing seeds and / or potting up young seedlings. This is to ensure there are no harmful bacteria or fungi which could harm your plants. (For “How To” instructions for pasteurizing compost, please follow the link here.)
  2. If you assuredly hot compost your compost pile to the recommended 65.5 °C (150 °F)…you can skip the pasteurizing step, as you will already have dealt with those harmful bacteria and fungi.
  3. Leaf mould is a substitute for peat.
  4. Clean sand is a substitute for perlite.

~ ~ ~

Recipe #2:

Ingredients

  • screened homemade compost* (see notes above)
  • leaf mould (composted leaves)
  • composted sawdust*
  • clean sand

Directions

  1. By volume measure out ½ screened compost, ¼ leaf mould, and ¼ composted sawdust. Combine these ingredients and mix well.
  2. Measure out and add one handful of clean sand per quart of soil mix. Mix well.

Notes:

  1. Homemade compost, see notes in Recipe #1.
  2. Composted sawdust – it is a good idea to let your sawdust pile compost for a few months so the microorganisms can use up some of the carbon. Carbon provides energy for microorganisms…something you really do not want in your potting soil. Also, if there is too high a level of carbon in the sawdust when it is added to the potting soil mix, any nitrogen fertilizer added to your mix, or in the fertilizer you may feed to your potted plants will gravitate towards breaking down the carbon in the raw sawdust…instead of feeding your plants as it was intended.
  3. Do not use sawdust from cedar or walnut. Not good for plants.
  4. Composted sawdust is a good substitute for vermiculite.
  5. Clean sand is a good substitute for perlite.

 

 

Posted on February 2, 2017

Optimum Compost Recipe

Materials:

  • greens – raw kitchen waste, plant debris, grass clippings
  • browns – leaves, straw, shredded newspaper, torn pieces of cardboard, chipped branches*

Procedure:

  1. By volume, for every part of greens thrown onto the compost pile, add three parts browns
  2. If material matter is dry, give the compost pile a good soaking of water
  3. Once a week, or at the very least once a month, turn the compost pile to introduce air.

Following this recipe and the directions for adding water and introducing air into the compost pile will produce a “hot” process whereby the compost should heat up to 65.5 °C (150 °F). This will not only be hot enough to deal with harmful bacteria and fungi, but will also quicken the whole composting process so you should have usable soil amendment in no more than three months.

Note: Chipped branches – do not add any cedar or walnut chips or sawdust to the compost pile. They contain toxins which are not compatible to plants.

 

Posted on February 2, 2017

Soil Test Recipe

If you want a complete soil composition test, I would suggest you collect some soil from around your garden…or a particular area, if you are just interested in the soil composition of that part of your yard…and send off your sample to a reputable laboratory. Depending on how much information you require from your soil sample, the lab will do the appropriate tests. For a price, of course.

But if you are a science geek…or are only concerned with some rough results on your soil sample…by all means do this simple test at home. It will certainly provide working knowledge of what soil type you are dealing with in your garden.

Soil Test Recipe

1 quart (1L) jar with tight-fitting lid
1 c (250ml) soil (air dried)
1 tsp (5ml) plain, non-sudsing detergent (such as Murphy’s soap)
water (enough to fill jar two-thirds full)
1 black marking pen
ruler or measuring tape
clock or watch

Combine ingredients in jar, except black marker. Screw on lid and shake jar vigorously for 2 minutes. Set jar on table.

Let sit for 1 minute. Mark the level that has settled to the bottom of the jar with the black marker. This is sand.

Let sit for another 2 hours without disturbing. Mark this level with the black marker. This is the silt level.

Let sit for 2 days. Mark this level with the black marker. This is the clay level.

Measure the total height of the settled soil and the individual levels marked on the side of the jar to calculate the particle make-up of your soil.

Example: height of settled soil = 3” (7.6cm)
                   sand level = 7/8” (2.2cm)
                   silt level = 1 1/8” (2.9cm)
                   clay level = 1” (2.5cm)

      Soil composition = 28.9 % sand, 38.2 % silt and 32.9 % clay

Optimum is: 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay

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