The mint leaves seem to be dusted with flour. As they progress, they turn brown, dry out and fall off. Given this damage pattern, you are dealing with the plant disease powdery mildew. The following lines explain how you can do this.
What to do if there is a white coating on mint leaves?
Answer: White deposits on mint leaves are usually powdery mildew. Remove infected leaves, dispose of them in household waste and spray the remaining parts of the plant with a milk-water mixture or garlic tea for natural control.
Fighting mildew with natural means – this is how it works
The fungal infection mildew is one of the most common diseases in the herb garden. The velvety green leaves of mint are attacked just as mercilessly as other herbaceous garden plants. As soon as temperatures reach the 20 degree mark, the danger increases. Since most mint species are cultivated for consumption, using chemical fungicides is out of the question. How to fight the disease with natural remedies:
- clean all leaves with white coating
- Do not dispose of the infected leaves in the compost, but in the household waste
- spray the remaining plant parts with a mix of 100 ml fresh milk and 900 ml water
To kill off the last fungal spores on a mint, garlic tea serves as an effective natural remedy. To do this, squeeze a clove of garlic, pour boiling water over it and let the whole thing steep for an hour. Filled into a spray bottle (€27.00 on Amazon), apply the solution every 2 days.
How to effectively prevent mildew
In the fight against mildew, knowledgeable hobby gardeners have a whole arsenal of effective preventative measures at their disposal. How to keep fungal spores away from mint:
- Plant young mint at least 50 centimeters apart
- an airy location is ideal so that the leaves dry quickly after a downpour
- Always apply the irrigation water directly to the root area without wetting the foliage
- consistently loosen the soil and pull weeds
- do not administer nitrogen-concentrated fertilizer
- The risk of infection is reduced in mixed culture with garlic
After pruning before winter, do not leave the clippings lying in the bed. The fungal spores like to use such places to overwinter so that they can strike again next year.
Tips & Tricks
If you are afraid of repeatedly wetting mint leaves because of the risk of rot, use this remedy: The silica in pure primary rock powder eliminates fungal spores. Applied repeatedly with the powder syringe, mildew recedes.