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Mildew is feared by all hobby gardeners because it damages plants enormously and can even kill them. Many home remedies are recommended to combat fungal disease. Does the often mentioned baking powder actually have an effect against powdery mildew?

In a nutshell

  • Powdery mildew Widespread fungal disease that affects the leaves and flowers of plants
  • There are many home remedies to combat it
  • the baking soda contained in many baking powders acts against the causes of powdery mildew
  • The effect is based on an increase in the pH value
  • Mixing with rapeseed oil supplements the effect with lecithins from rapeseed oil

detect powdery mildew

There is not one powdery mildew. Instead, the name is a collective term for various diseases caused by fungi. The origin of the name is the white fungal growth that initially covers the leaves and is strongly reminiscent of pollination with flour. The so-called "powdery mildews" are caused by sac fungi (Ascomycota), which all show the same behavior with regard to the use of baking powder.

Powdery mildew on zucchini leaf

Damage caused by “powdery mildew”

  • Forms mainly in warm and dry conditions
  • white, later brownish coating on top of leaves/flowers
  • wipeable
  • withered leaves, stunted flowers

This is how baking soda works against powdery mildew

In addition to binding agents and carriers, normal raising agents from domestic kitchens mainly contain baking soda or sodium bicarbonate, chemically also known as NaHCO3 known. When reacting with water, the substance primarily evolves carbon dioxide, or CO for short2 and causes an alkaline reaction after it escapes. The pH in the area of the baking soda increases. Properly applied to plants, the baking soda-water mixture deprives the sac fungi, which depend on a certain pH value on the leaf surfaces, of their livelihood and slowly but effectively causes them to die off.

Tip: Since raising agents cannot be used in their pure form anyway, they are dependent on other carrier substances. By choosing the right carrier, the spectrum of action can be expanded.

Use baking soda for mildew

In order to combat mildew, the home remedy baking powder or baking soda must adhere permanently to the leaf. A mixture of cooking oil and water in the following dosage is ideal for this purpose:

You need these ingredients to combat powdery mildew effectively.
  • 1 packet of baking powder
  • approx. 20 milliliters cooking oil
  • 1 liter of water

The oil allows the mixture to adhere well to the plants, while the water allows for an even application while providing the moisture to initiate the chemical reaction.

Tip: Use canola oil to increase the effectiveness of the mixture. This type of oil contains lecithins, which are also used in plant protection products and also combat the growth of fungi.

The resulting emulsion can now be used as follows:

  • Shake well immediately before use due to poor miscibility of oil and water
  • Spray the mixture generously
  • repeat the process regularly after two weeks at the latest
  • reapply after rain or excessive condensation

Prevent instead of fighting

Despite its proven effectiveness, sodium bicarbonate takes a long time to get a mildew attack under control. However, the remedy can also be used preventively in the same form. The advantage of this is that isolated fungi are killed off at an early stage and thus do not have the opportunity to form significant colonies from the outset.

Powdery mildew on gooseberries

In order to be able to prevent it, it is important to know which plants are particularly susceptible to powdery mildew. These include, among others:

  • roses
  • apple trees
  • gooseberries
  • grape vines
  • cucumbers
  • zucchini
  • pumpkin
  • tomatoes
  • oak trees

frequently asked Questions

Why isn't my baking powder mixture working?

You probably used the wrong leavening agent. In addition to agents containing sodium hydroxide, there are numerous alternatives, for example those based on tartar. These show no effect against fungal infestation.

Why is ingredient dosage so important?

Of course, the effectiveness does not stop immediately with a different mixing ratio. However, too much oil will cause oil droplets to enclose the baking soda and prevent the reaction. Too much baking powder often leads to the formation of lumps that do not stick to the leaves because of their own weight.

Does the powder also work on “downy mildew”?

In contrast to the "real" variant, the cause of "downy mildew" is not sac fungi, but egg fungi. These types of fungi are far more resistant to changes in the pH value and are therefore only partially combated by the baking soda-oil-water mixture produced.

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Garden design