How to Control Powdery Mildew with Neem Oil?

Neem oil is probably the only oil that has a variety of uses. A lot of people might take it as a miracle for skin and hair without even knowing how beneficial it is for the plants.

The neem oil is used to cure several annoying plant diseases that keep on saying HI again almost every year. This nature’s gift is a great pesticide and fungicide that works better than the commercial ones.

It’s the cheaper and most effective way of protecting your plants from dying a slow death. The use of neem oil in the vegetable garden is quite common and it works best on arthropod pests, hornworms, earworms, whiteflies, and aphids, etc.

Using neem oil for controlling powdery mildew is a little less common as most modern gardeners think it’s not that useful for this purpose. To your surprise, it is as miraculous (for powdery mildew) as for your skin and hair. One just needs to learn how to use it correctly.

Before moving ahead, and discussing how it can be used to treat powdery mildew let’s just answer the most Googled questions first, it’s basic but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be answered.

Can neem oil control and cure powdery mildew?

Yes, Neem oil is a great fungicide that can be used to control and cure powdery mildew. In fact, it’s even more miraculous than the recently approved Chlorothalonil, copper, and sulfur fungicides. Besides powdery mildew, it can be used for several other fungus diseases again.

Can neem oil prevent powdery mildew?

Yes, it does help in preventing the powdery mildew from spreading but only when the first symptoms of this deadly plant disease start appearing. The first symptoms of powdery mildew are white spots, applying neem oil as suggested by the experts on the white spots can put a full stop to their growth.

It’s now as clear as water that neem oil is miraculous pesticides and fungicides that help in controlling, curing, and preventing powdery mildew, black spot, downy mildew, rust, botrytis, and several other deadly plant diseases. Now, let’s move ahead, 

Why should you consider using Neem Oil for powdery mildew?

Knowing neem oil can cure powdery mildew is not enough, you should know why it is superior to commercial fungicides and why you should use it for this purpose as well.

Neem oil takes 6 to 7 days to treat powdery mildew

Yes, you are reading it correctly this natural oil takes only 6 to 7 ways to display its artwork whereas the commercial fungicides are a bit slower demanding 10 to 14 days to meet the expectations of the gardeners.

It’s one hundred percent non-toxic

It’s the most effective eco-friendly way of treating, curing, and preventing fungus diseases like powdery mildew. Most commercial-made fungicides are harmful to the environment and they even come with a caution “Toxic for kids and pets but the neem oil is 100% safe to be used in the presence of kids and pets.

Neem oil has the approval of  ” Environmental Protection Agency”

Since the trend of using neem oil as natural pesticides and fungicide is taking the world by storm. The Environmental Protection Agency gave its approval this way ” … No unreasonable adverse effects.”  Is this not enough that the Environmental Protection Agency considers it safe?

It’s great for flowering plants

It is suggested that neem oil should only be used on flowering plants. Using it on vegetable gardens is a little harmful, as per the rumors it can cause infertility and various other health issues. 

100% pure cold-pressed neem oil is only good for this job

If you want your plants to glow again, ditch the idea of surveying the superstores to get the cheapest neem oil bottle. Invest in 100% pure, Cold-Pressed neem oil, even if it’s expensive. The cheapest versions are not effective for the said disease.

How to make a Neem oil fungicide for powdery mildew?

You have gained a lot of information and evidence to use Neem oil as a fungicide to control powdery mildew. The question that is now popping in your head is ” But how do I use it to control powdery mildew?”

Mixing neem oil and water is the simplest, easiest, and cheapest way of controlling powdery mildew. However, if you want it to be more effective or to have a pleasant fragrance, the ingredients you will be needing are;

• Water
• 100% pure cold-pressed neem oil
• Rosemary oil
• Peppermint oil
• Olive or Almond oil
• A container
• A gallon

Recipe for neem oil fungicide

 Here is the recipe;

• Take one gallon of water
• Arrange a pot and mix the following oils
• Add one tablespoon of Rosemary Oil
• Add one tablespoon of Peppermint Oil
• Add two tablespoons of hundred percent cold-pressed neem oil
• Add two tablespoons of Olive Oil(You can use Almond Oil as well)
• Mix these oil well
• Pour the solution into the gallon 
• Mix it well again
• You are done!

This solution is known for showing results within 24 hours. If the attack is mild, using it regularly for at least 2 to 3 days is enough but powdery mildew is taking over completely, it’s better to keep spraying until the plants start glowing again.

Remember! This DIY fungicide doesn’t give the guarantee that powdery mildew won’t appear again, but it surely helps in making the environment a little less favourable for this disease.

The other least-known recipe is a little cheaper than the above-mentioned one, but not any less effective. For this DIY fungicide, you will need;

• 100% percent pure cold-pressed neem oil
• Dish soap
• Lukewarm water
• A spray bottle

Now what you need to do is;

• Fill a spray bottle with lukewarm water
• Add a small quantity of dish soap
• Stir it well
• Add two tablespoons of neem oil to the mixture
• Stir it again
• Spray and get done with your job!

Pro Tip to control powdery mildew

It’s better to spray these two solutions to the affected parts only.

It’s easy to make a  DIY solution for powdery mildew using neem oil but it works only when it is used in the right manner. So, what is the right way of using neem oil fungicide for controlling powdery mildew? The rules of using this fungicide are;

• Wait or wish for a cloudy day to avoid the chances of burning leaves
• Spray on both sides of the affected leaves
• Check the weather prediction. Do not apply, if the rain is expected.

Since it can be used as both curative and preventive measures, so here is what you need to know about using it in any of the above-mentioned ways.

To cure Powdery Mildew

Cut off the nearly damaged leaves first, then take out the solution and apply it to the mild to moderately affected areas evenly. Keep applying it until the signs of this disease disappear properly (It usually takes seven days.)

To prevent Powdery Mildew

To prevent Powdery Mildew from happening again, keep applying the mixture every 14 days, but avoid it on the days when the temperature goes beyond 80F

In brief, Neem oil is a 100% non-toxic and effective way of treating, curing, and preventing Powdery Mildew. The pure cold-Pressed neem oil works faster in controlling the said disease than the commercial heavily-Advertised fungicides. It can be both a curative and preventive fungicide.

Resources

• Environmental Protection Agency
• Neem oil as protective against powdery mildew and safe for environment

• Research Gate
• Anti fugal activities of neem oil