"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"Sacha" wrote in message

Just a day or so ago I read that 50/50 milk and water can be sprayed on
gooseberries to counteract mildew. I'd never heard of that before but
Ray
says he has a faint memory of it. Might be worth a try for those who
are
plagued by it.

It is also supposed to work as a spray on roses that get mildew (such as
Dorothy Perkins)

baking soda in a bit of oil also does the same job apparently.
http://www.ghorganics.com/page15.html#Milk for Mildew:
Baking Soda Spray
For anthracnose, early tomato blight, leaf blight and spots, powdery mildew,
and as a general fungicide
Sodium bicarbonate commonly known as baking soda has been found to posses
fungicidal properties. It is recommended for plants that already have
powdery mildew to hose down all the infected leaves prior to treatment. This
helps to dislodge as many of the spores as possibly to help you get better
results. Use as a prevention or as treatment at first signs of any of the
diseases.
To make: Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil with
one gallon of water. Shake this up very thoroughly. To this mix add 1/2
teaspoon of pure Castile soap and spray. Be sure to agitate your sprayer
while you work to keep the ingredients from separating. Cover upper and
lower leaf surfaces and spray some on the soil. Repeat every 5-7 days as
needed.

Apple Cider Vinegar Fungicide
For leafspot, mildew, and scab
Mix 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar (5% acidity) with one gallon water and
spray in the morning on infested plants. Good for black spot on roses and
aspen trees too.

Milk for Mildew
Milk with its' natural enzymes and simple sugar structures can be used to
combat various mildews on cucumber, asters, tomato, squash and zinnia
foliage. This works by changing the pH on the surface of the leaves, so they
are less susceptible to mildew. Use a 50/50 mixture of milk and water.
Thoroughly spray plants every 3 to 4 days at first sign of mildews or use
weekly as a preventative measure.
Milk can also be mixed at a rate of 2 ounces milk to 18 ounces of water and
used as a spray every 7 to 10 days to treat mosaic disease on cucumber,
tomato and lettuce.

Soil pathogens
Conventionally, soilborne pathogens are controlled by soil fumigation or by
addition of chemical fungicides to the soil. The most commonly used soil
fumigant is methyl bromide, a toxic and dangerous gas that also depletes the
stratospheric ozone layer. Another common soil fungicide is Dazomet (sold
under the brand name Basamid), a granular material that releases a toxic gas
when it comes in contact with the water in the soil. Among the alternatives
to these poisons are plants such as garlic that release fungicidal chemicals
into the soil. Rotation of garlic with tomatoes, for instance, can reduce
the likelihood of soilborne tomato diseases.

This is something I am practicing, following a crop of tomatos with garlic
sown mid winter.
rob