Mold thrives in areas where there isn't any air circulation and sunlight is very low. On the Bee Balm's and on
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| Powdery mildew |
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| Powdery mildew |
Luckily with proper treatment and care you can safety and inexpensively get rid of these terrible powdery mildew on your Bee balm flowers/Roses without having to loose your favorite plant.
Note: I know this because I've gone through this myself with my own favorite Red Bee balm flowering plant, that I've had for many years. Although this year since we had a early bloom on the bee balm's and them the June thunder storms and heavy rains and winds it was to late for my Red Bee balm to be treated for the powdery mildew. I had to basically cut it all back for next year. But for you lucky ones I have what you will need to save your plants-
I will included a few photos so you will see what the powdery mildew looks like too-
This is what you will need-
1) Baking soda
2) Dish washing liquid soap
3) Bottle sprayer
4) Clippers
5) Trash bags
Instructions-
1) First you need to get a set of good pruning scissors and prune the infected areas of your bee balm plant. This will increase air circulation and will reduced any more chances of the powdery mildew to grow on your plant. It also directly removes any of the mold and can be incorporated into regular pruning through the summer months till late Sept early Oct.
2) To make your mixture to rid the powdery mildew from your bee balm, you must combine 1gallon of cold water, 1tbsp. of baking soda and several drops of dish washing soap ( I would use dawn soap). Mix the contents well to form a soapy mixture. pour into your spay bottle.
3) Spray the mixture onto your infected areas of you bee balm, covering all the leaves, the tall stems in which the flowers are connected too, especially those that are thickly covered with the powdery mildew. This makes it impossible for the mildew to continue to grow.
4) Continue to spray the mixture everyday, twice daily if needed, until the mildew disappears completely. You must check the plant often even after all mildew is gone, so that it does not return. If it does - repeat the previous steps above.
5) Another trick is too Fill your spray bottle with cold water, then add two to three coves of crushed garlic. Spray the garlic water directly onto the bee balm at the first sign of the powdery mildew. This will ensure that the top and bottom of the leaves are covered with the solution and that you may not have to go through the first few steps..
Tips:
When pruning your Bee Balm Plant /Roses with the powdery mildew - the tools can spread the mildew, mold spores to your other plants. So you must clean all your tool and trash all trimmings from your infected plant without it touching any of your other plants. Yes this is very contagious disease mildew for plants.
I would have a bucket with a mixture of one part beach to four parts water ( I would put 2 cap fulls into the gallon bucket - but don't fill to the top. fill 3/4 high or less depending on how many tools you use). Anyway this will kill any of the mildew spores and help prevent any spreading to your other plants or to the rest of your garden.
Watering the Bee balm/Roses in the morning will allow the sun to quickly dry it to reducing the chance for the powdery mildew to create its spores on your plant and to build-up on your plants too.
I hope that all of my hint will help you have a healthy garden and rid you of the nasty
POWDERY MILDEW
Here are a few examples of healthy bee balm of different varieties..
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| Red Bee balm |
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| Purple bee balm |
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| Lavender bee balm |
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| Orange bee balm |
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| Red bee balm in pot |
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| Snow White bee balm |
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| Red bee balm |
