interesting twist on the bio controls format, sort of reverse engineered. But I wonder if we shouldn't start threads for each of these controls, since there are always going to be "how to beat PM" threads.
Biological Controls #8? Control Powdery Mildew
- Thread starter Microbeman
- Start date
Montana
Member
What Jaykush said.....is what I have noticed too....Organic and chem gardening methods share the marketplace where both methods have many products for sale.......it's been pretty hard for me to NOT notice that the less I buy and the more I make myself, the less I deal with problems that need a "solution"-via some product off the shelf.....
So far no PM returning after the first application of Actinovate.
I did make some subtle changes to the environment upon first sign of PM and at the time of spraying with Actinovate. I increased the temperature to prevent any change in temp. from light cycle to dark cycle over 15 degrees... temps. in the dark period will not be allowed to go below 65 degrees. I also halted all air movement in the 12 hr dark period except bursts of exhaust every two hrs. for 5 mins. If this change had an effect on the PM's survival or it was the Actinovate that stopped it I am not sure.
I did make some subtle changes to the environment upon first sign of PM and at the time of spraying with Actinovate. I increased the temperature to prevent any change in temp. from light cycle to dark cycle over 15 degrees... temps. in the dark period will not be allowed to go below 65 degrees. I also halted all air movement in the 12 hr dark period except bursts of exhaust every two hrs. for 5 mins. If this change had an effect on the PM's survival or it was the Actinovate that stopped it I am not sure.
Montana
Member
Capn cheeze you halted the air movement? from my experiences PM gets much worse when the air is stagnant, or are you trying to halt the spread of the spores>??
Any problems i've ever had with PM have been there because of not enough spacing and/or air movement......Actinovate what's the update?......I've had success ridding PM with staggering sprays of milk/water..and h202/water.....is actinovate that stuff I read about that is some sort of bacteria?
Any problems i've ever had with PM have been there because of not enough spacing and/or air movement......Actinovate what's the update?......I've had success ridding PM with staggering sprays of milk/water..and h202/water.....is actinovate that stuff I read about that is some sort of bacteria?
Yeah I've found quite the reverse over the years...no air movement in the dark. No spores spores spread,and therefor they don't attack fresh tissue/affect new areas. PM get's it's party on in the dark. To prevent stagnate air I exhaust for those 5 min. every two hrs. PM spores out,grows,and spreads best when it doesn't have the powerful lights hitting them.
When the lights/fans come back on any spores that may have spread are killed by the lights.
I have had plants sitting under HID lighting that only got PM on the side that a fan blows from...more transpiration,more water vapor,party time for PM.
In the dark cycle keep it dry and warm,no air movement IME....keep in mind I am in the PM capital of the world I think and there are many types of PM. I have no idea what types I battle..but I win.
Yes,Actinovate is a bacteria.
When the lights/fans come back on any spores that may have spread are killed by the lights.
I have had plants sitting under HID lighting that only got PM on the side that a fan blows from...more transpiration,more water vapor,party time for PM.
In the dark cycle keep it dry and warm,no air movement IME....keep in mind I am in the PM capital of the world I think and there are many types of PM. I have no idea what types I battle..but I win.
Yes,Actinovate is a bacteria.
At the beginning of the thread
Montana
Member
o I see....very cool......it's the same concept I was going for using milk to combat PM....it built an immunity to my treatment, wonder if the same will happen with actinovate.....milk helps strengthen the immune system and stops pm in it's tracks with a bacterial process...........I noticed that the Hazes I had in the room at the time were resistant and everything else was covered........I'm interested to know how it works in the long term......did you all just start using it?
C
CT Guy
Met a guy in Seattle this last weekend who was using something called SM90 that he claimed was organic and he didn't have any PM on his plants in scrog, and they were dense and tightly packed.
River-Running
Member
Nutrifield SM-90
Ingredients:
1% Coriander Oil
94% Sulphonated Canola Oil solution
5% Triethanolamine
Triethanolamine -
Function/use(s): Fragrance Ingredient; pH Adjuster; Surfactant - Emulsifying Agent
Triethanolamine is a strongly alkaline substance used as surfactant and pH adjusting chemical.
Sulfonated Oils
Mineral or vegetable oil treated with Sulfuric Acid to make a water-soluble (emulsifiable) form; used as lubricants, emulsifiers, defoamers, and softeners.
Ingredients:
1% Coriander Oil
94% Sulphonated Canola Oil solution
5% Triethanolamine
Triethanolamine -
Function/use(s): Fragrance Ingredient; pH Adjuster; Surfactant - Emulsifying Agent
Triethanolamine is a strongly alkaline substance used as surfactant and pH adjusting chemical.
Sulfonated Oils
Mineral or vegetable oil treated with Sulfuric Acid to make a water-soluble (emulsifiable) form; used as lubricants, emulsifiers, defoamers, and softeners.
When or if there is a consistent remitter of PM, it will undoubtedly be a bacteria, fungi or perhaps virus which will destroy/consume PM IMO. I don't hold out much hope for all the pasty foliar coverings which are meant to displace it somehow. Perhaps Actinovate is such an animal.
I'll chime in here, though I'm about four rungs down from most of y'all when it comes to my knowledge & understanding of critters on this level..
I discovered some PM about 4-5 weeks in to flower. Dammit. Was at first treating with Mildew Cure, a garlic-based foliar.. About 2 weeks ago, I sort of escalated the treatment, asked the guys at the store what they'd go with..
I was all set with some Greencure when the guy turned me on to Actinovate. So, what the heck, I'll spend the extra few bucks on the Actinovate..
Short story long, I found evidence of more PM about 4 days after applying the Actinovate. However, I wasn't as calculated in my application - I applied probably 4 hours in to lights-on (turned & left the light off for application, 'til they dried), ..
I hate spraying my plants this late in the game (we're at about 7-8 weeks now), for sure. When I saw the PM return after ~4 days, I decided to go with another approach. I sprayed Organicide (about 1 tsp/gal), which I've used in the past here-and-there for PM and SM.
It could be a timing thing, but the Organicide (~5.00% sesame oil, ~90% fish oil) seems to have kept the PM at bay for longer. After about 7-8 days of the Organicide treatment, I've just seen teeny spots of PM here and there.
Just my
I'm glad to have found this thread - I'm going to be sticking around while you smarter folks figure this thing out. 
I discovered some PM about 4-5 weeks in to flower. Dammit. Was at first treating with Mildew Cure, a garlic-based foliar.. About 2 weeks ago, I sort of escalated the treatment, asked the guys at the store what they'd go with..
I was all set with some Greencure when the guy turned me on to Actinovate. So, what the heck, I'll spend the extra few bucks on the Actinovate..
Short story long, I found evidence of more PM about 4 days after applying the Actinovate. However, I wasn't as calculated in my application - I applied probably 4 hours in to lights-on (turned & left the light off for application, 'til they dried), ..
I hate spraying my plants this late in the game (we're at about 7-8 weeks now), for sure. When I saw the PM return after ~4 days, I decided to go with another approach. I sprayed Organicide (about 1 tsp/gal), which I've used in the past here-and-there for PM and SM.
It could be a timing thing, but the Organicide (~5.00% sesame oil, ~90% fish oil) seems to have kept the PM at bay for longer. After about 7-8 days of the Organicide treatment, I've just seen teeny spots of PM here and there.
Just my
I'm glad to have found this thread - I'm going to be sticking around while you smarter folks figure this thing out.
Montana
Member
I"ve been reading this book that's all about plant positive approaches to issues like pests and diseases.....as opposed to plant negative which is treating the problem....plant positive focuses on health and getting all systems up and functioning, apparently, when we achieve optimal plant health systems, diseases and pest become a thing of the past, we can read that diseases and pests are not the problem, rather, the messenger, hinting towards improper growing techniques..........
Not to say that right now anyone who is attempting to manage pm with whatever method should drop it and start over, but it's some good thoughts, it is possible that what we know about gardening isn't entirely the truth........or, just that we should always keep be prepared to keep an open mind about new or old ideas and not throw new information aside because we think we know our shit........
Not to say that right now anyone who is attempting to manage pm with whatever method should drop it and start over, but it's some good thoughts, it is possible that what we know about gardening isn't entirely the truth........or, just that we should always keep be prepared to keep an open mind about new or old ideas and not throw new information aside because we think we know our shit........
Update:
PM did return to the treated area after using Actinovate. However the leaves that have the Actinovate residue on them did not get PM again. I think this is how it was intended to work...every leaf coated every 7 - 12 days. Overall not a bad deal...you can spray it in flower,it's just a bacteria,the trace amount of residue is clear,and the mixing of the powder is simple.... for 20 bucks it's a life saver.
PM did return to the treated area after using Actinovate. However the leaves that have the Actinovate residue on them did not get PM again. I think this is how it was intended to work...every leaf coated every 7 - 12 days. Overall not a bad deal...you can spray it in flower,it's just a bacteria,the trace amount of residue is clear,and the mixing of the powder is simple.... for 20 bucks it's a life saver.
C
CT Guy
See, now I'm not as convinced myself. When I've used it, I've noticed some improvement, but rather minimal (as in I'd still see some PM in the room the next day). It took 2-3 applications, approx. every other day to really knock it out. I've found the neem to be more effective so far.
My next run I plan on trying out a sulfur burner in conjunction with actinovate.
It's possible we're dealing with different strains of PM too, even though we're rather close geographically.
Absolutely..many many micro climates in the area which support multiple types of fungi unique to each little niche.
How 'bout an update on Actinovate.....
The plants that are under attack near the cool air intake still all have PM. Not bad at all,but they have it even after several applications. Some areas that had it are devoid of it while others that had it still have it. Older treated leaves with the Actinovate residue on them do not get reinfected.
I made the decision to double the amount per gallon thinking that the higher the population of the organisms,the better the chances that they set up colonies and establish a niche to work for as the company claims.
It does work...buts it's not the silver bullet I had hoped.
The plants that are under attack near the cool air intake still all have PM. Not bad at all,but they have it even after several applications. Some areas that had it are devoid of it while others that had it still have it. Older treated leaves with the Actinovate residue on them do not get reinfected.
I made the decision to double the amount per gallon thinking that the higher the population of the organisms,the better the chances that they set up colonies and establish a niche to work for as the company claims.
It does work...buts it's not the silver bullet I had hoped.
il19z8rn4li1
Member
Im an Organic Produce Gardener and have been a mycology hobbyist for the past 8 yrs.
These combined are how I achieve 2000lbs+ of Tomatoes in 4foot by 8foot boxes per season.
Now I have dealt with all of the blights...mildews.. molds...fungi...you can imagine.
the only way you can CONTROL them, is to make the environments not inviting
to them.
I deal with PM on my zucchini plants id say about every other year outdoors, i dont know why not every year and I dont use ferts, just compost teas, living mulches, and inoculate the beds with selected mushroom spores. This partnership will never be beat by anything man made.
How I have always controlled PM is simply with milk...
I use Dry Milk... at 1 Tablespoon per gallon. Ill apply this once a week when plants are babies... then rarely once they grow up.
Old school techs will always stick with gardening forever. :-D
Cheers
PS> I gotta add, not that no one knows this already, but if your experiencing problems
with anything such as pests... or mildews.. or anything else that is harming a CURRENT crop...
if that crop is 4+ weeks into flower... its very hard to get it under control.
When I have experienced that kind of situation.. action needs to be taken with a first MASSIVE blow.
(IE: Make a Dry Milk mixture.. put it in a PUMP SPRAYER(you gotta use a pump sprayer... spray bottles dont
have the pressure for needed success), pump that sucker WAY UP, HIGH PRESSURE.. and just blast the plants...
dont get RIGHT on them.. stay like 6inches away or more. Youll have winning success :-D Granted yield
wont be recovered because of the issue already rooted..but youll know how to prevent it from being
a problem in the future :-D
always gotta hit your babies with some preventative sprays when they are young along with foliar feedings :-D
These combined are how I achieve 2000lbs+ of Tomatoes in 4foot by 8foot boxes per season.
Now I have dealt with all of the blights...mildews.. molds...fungi...you can imagine.
the only way you can CONTROL them, is to make the environments not inviting
to them.
I deal with PM on my zucchini plants id say about every other year outdoors, i dont know why not every year and I dont use ferts, just compost teas, living mulches, and inoculate the beds with selected mushroom spores. This partnership will never be beat by anything man made.
How I have always controlled PM is simply with milk...
I use Dry Milk... at 1 Tablespoon per gallon. Ill apply this once a week when plants are babies... then rarely once they grow up.
Old school techs will always stick with gardening forever. :-D
Cheers
PS> I gotta add, not that no one knows this already, but if your experiencing problems
with anything such as pests... or mildews.. or anything else that is harming a CURRENT crop...
if that crop is 4+ weeks into flower... its very hard to get it under control.
When I have experienced that kind of situation.. action needs to be taken with a first MASSIVE blow.
(IE: Make a Dry Milk mixture.. put it in a PUMP SPRAYER(you gotta use a pump sprayer... spray bottles dont
have the pressure for needed success), pump that sucker WAY UP, HIGH PRESSURE.. and just blast the plants...
dont get RIGHT on them.. stay like 6inches away or more. Youll have winning success :-D Granted yield
wont be recovered because of the issue already rooted..but youll know how to prevent it from being
a problem in the future :-D
always gotta hit your babies with some preventative sprays when they are young along with foliar feedings :-D
CC1
I was thinking to post last night (but never made it), and your post is exactly what I was going to mention.
I initially started with the Actinovate at the recommended 1 TSP/2 gal, 1x weekly. However, that soon became every 3 days, at the same dilution rate.
The ~ 2x weekly applications seem to have kept things under better control, but that is by no means to say that I'm PM free.
By way of comparison, I picked up a bottle of PM Wash, for shits-and-giggles. FWIW, that seems to be as effective (if not slightly more effective, hard to say) as the Actinovate. In that regard, however, the Actinovate is by far the more economical choice.
My
I was thinking to post last night (but never made it), and your post is exactly what I was going to mention.
I initially started with the Actinovate at the recommended 1 TSP/2 gal, 1x weekly. However, that soon became every 3 days, at the same dilution rate.
The ~ 2x weekly applications seem to have kept things under better control, but that is by no means to say that I'm PM free.
By way of comparison, I picked up a bottle of PM Wash, for shits-and-giggles. FWIW, that seems to be as effective (if not slightly more effective, hard to say) as the Actinovate. In that regard, however, the Actinovate is by far the more economical choice.
My
Anyone tried Natria from bayer? I've been dealing w/ PM on and off for about a year and some change and its seems to be good so far.
from: http://bayeradvanced.com/system/pro.../original_Natria-Disease-Control-24oz-RTU.pdf
ACTIVE INGREDIENT:
QST 713 strain of Bacillus subtilis* ........... 0.074%
OTHER INGREDIENTS ............................. 99.926%
TOTAL ......................................................... 100.000%
from: http://bayeradvanced.com/system/pro.../original_Natria-Disease-Control-24oz-RTU.pdf
ACTIVE INGREDIENT:
QST 713 strain of Bacillus subtilis* ........... 0.074%
OTHER INGREDIENTS ............................. 99.926%
TOTAL ......................................................... 100.000%
