Courgette problem

[chalkies_shorts]

I've grown 4 courgette plants from seeds. Started them ouside and then when I got the greenhouse recently moved them inside. They are big buggers but virtually all the leaves developed white pock marks everywhere. Today I took them out of the greenhouse and took off all the affected leaves at the base of the plant - I left the growing courgettes on. I've now burnt all the leaves so no pictures unfortunately. Any ideas. My wife is sure its spread to the tomatoes but I'm not so sure.

[sewer rat]

It's almost definitely Powdery Mildew - no real need to remove and burn the leaves - courgettes are very susceptible to this but will almost always still produce plentiful fruits for you. I would leave them outside - if you keep them in a greenhouse they will pretty soon take over - I have a coule in my tunnel and they have each got a spread of about 6ft diameter.

[chalkies_shorts]

Thanks sewer rat. I've just looked it up and powdery midew is what it is. There seems to be a mixed view as to what should be done about it.
I've also got flea beetle in my spinach.
It looks like neem oil may be the solution.
As a newbie the growing bit has been easier than I thought but I severaly underestimated the variety of sods who want to eat my veggies. I'm happy to have a few sacrificial plants but it looks like a black or white solution is required.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I get powdery mildew on my courgettes almost every year and have tried all sorts to try and tame it without much success. However it does not seem to stop the plants producing so now I don't bother to much and just remove the leaves as they die.

Colin

[taff]

A certain amount of white mottling is normal though, so don't get too excited and take every leaf off...

[Chitfaced]

i have it on my courgettes too and it seems to have spread to nearby rose bushes. Looks unsightly but I'm still getting fruit so...

[Tattie-muncher]

I've got 4 cucumber/courgette plants growing, one is tall and skiny, and the leaves have gone a sort of brown, the other three are short and stumpy, with really thick stems, whats the best way of watering/feeding these plants, and when will I see some fruit growth, its my first try at growing them.

[Potstubsdustbins]

TM if you could post some pics that would help also some info on where they are planted under cover etc, and what they are planted i.e. the ground, container, and so on.

Colin

[Tattie-muncher]

I keep them in one of those plastic greehouses, they're planted in multi purpose compost in a trough container with good drainage, I feed them weekly with tomato feed, and I keep the door closed at night, and allow fresh air during the day.
And if someone can tell me how to attach a photo, I'll gladly take a picture and post it tomorrow.

[rustylady]

Save the photo to your computer. Post a reply to this thread, but instead of "Post Quick Reply" click "Go Advanced" and then click on the paperclip icon and follow the instructions.

[Two_Sheds]

^ you may need to reduce the size of your picture. I use resizr.com It's a good cropping tool too, for cropping out background gumpf

[Florence Fennel]

It's a shame they get powdery mildew every time, it looks so unsightly when the leaves start to die, but as the others have said above, it doesn't normally affect the fruit production.

[gillian62]

It's a good thing we judge by the taste and not looks!

I think the same with brassica beds - by the time you get them covered with mesh/netting etc you can't see what's under there. Half my plot looks like net curtains blowing in the breeze.

[chalkies_shorts]

Well in the end i gave mine a "Brazilian" and left them outdoors. Doesn't seem to have done them any harm and funnilly enough I've got a load more room in the greenhouse.

[taff]

they usually only get mildew when the leaves get wet from rain, or condensation or something. were you watering the leaves at all? They shouldn't really get it if they were undercover.