If the velvety, silvery leaves are covered with white spots, sage has a widespread infection. You can find out what it is and how it can be cured with natural remedies here.
What helps against white spots on sage leaves?
White spots on sage leaves indicate powdery mildew infestation. To combat the infection naturally, you can use a mixture of milk and water (100 ml milk, 900 ml water) or baking soda, liquid curd soap and water (1 tbsp baking soda, 1 tbsp curd soap, 2 L water) as a spray.
Classic symptoms of mildew
Just in time for the start of summer, the fungal spores of a ubiquitous plant disease are on the move in the garden. In warm, dry weather you are dealing with the pathogens of powdery mildew. If the summer is cold and rainy, downy mildew attacks sage. This is how the symptoms manifest themselves:
- White spots spread on or under the leaves
- A floury-white patina forms
- As the process 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 infestation stage there is a good chance of saving the sage. Therefore, combine your daily inspection tour of the garden or balcony with a look at and under the leaves.
Fight mildew with eco-friendly means
The use of chemical fungicides in the fight against powdery mildew is unnecessary, given the wide range of natural antidotes. The following recipes have proven themselves well in home and allotment gardens:
Milk-WaterMilk is home to microorganisms that attack the fungal spores of mildew. In addition, milk strengthens the plant defenses of sage, so that further waves of pathogen attacks are reflected ineffectively. To make it, mix 100 milliliters of fresh milk with 900 milliliters of water and fill the mix into a spray bottle. Applied every 2-3 days, the infection clears up quickly.
Baking powderBaking powder, also known as baking soda, has a more intensive effect than milk. The recipe consists of 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and 2 liters of water. Ideally, you should first test the remedy on a single infected branch.
Tips & Tricks
The spores of powdery mildew and downy mildew like to overwinter in the herbaceous shoot tips. You can close the door to this winter quarters in the pathogens' faces by shortening all branch tips by around 5 centimeters in the second half of August. For precautionary reasons, the clippings are not disposed of in the compost but instead burned.
