If the velvety silvery leaves are covered with white spots, sage is sick with a common infection. What it is and how to cure it with natural means, you can learn here.
Classic symptoms of powdery mildew
Just in time for the start of summer, the fungal spores of a ubiquitous plant disease are out in the garden. In warm, dry weather, you’re dealing with the pathogens of powdery mildew. If summer comes along cold and rainy, downy mildew will make a beeline for sage. Here’s how the symptoms manifest themselves:
- White spots spread on or under the leaves.
- A floury-white patina is formed
- As the disease progresses, the spores penetrate the foliage, causing it to turn yellow
- In the final stage, the leaves turn brown, curl up and fall to the ground.
In the early stages of infestation, there is a good chance of saving the sage. Therefore, combine your daily inspection walk through the garden or across the balcony with a look at and under the leaves.
Combating powdery mildew with eco-compatible agents
There is no need to resort to chemical fungicides in the fight against powdery mildew, given the wide range of natural antidotes. The following formulations have proven their worth in home and small gardens:
Milk-water
Milk contains microorganisms that attack the fungal spores of powdery mildew. In addition, milk strengthens the plant defenses of sage, so that further waves of attack from pathogens bounce off ineffectively. To make it, mix 100 milliliters of fresh milk with 900 milliliters of water and pour the mix into a spray bottle. Applied every 2-3 days, the infection quickly subsides.
Baking soda
More intense in effect than milk, proves baking soda, also known as baking powder. The formula is composed of 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of liquid curd soap and 2 liters of water. Ideally, test the remedy on a single infected branch first.
Tips & Tricks
Powdery mildew and downy mildew spores like to overwinter in herbaceous shoot tips. You can close the door to these winter quarters in front of the pathogens by cutting back all branch tips by about 5 centimeters in the second half of August. For precautionary reasons, the cuttings are not disposed of in the compost but burned.
