Leaf problem - pumpkins & courgettes

[Novice Gardener]

I noticed today that a couple of the leaves on a few of my pumpkin and courgette plants have a kind of greyish powdery look about them. Any idea what it is? They're both fruiting at the moment so I'm reluctant to dig em up and bin em

[Lavenderblue]

Its probably powdery mildew. Remove the affected leaves and burn them, don't compost them. I've got it all over my pumpkins and its not good news. I understand it will probably kill the plant in time but removing affected leaves will slow its spread. I also read somewhere that detergent splashed onto the leaves will also slow the stuff down.

[seasprout]

Tis powdery Mildew.

I noticed today that a couple of the leaves on a few of my pumpkin and courgette plants have a kind of greyish powdery look about them. Any idea what it is? They're both fruiting at the moment so I'm reluctant to dig em up and bin em

I have it on my pumpkins, its very common this time of year.

Powdery mildew produces a white powdery coating on the surface of plant leaves and fruits and causes plants to become distorted, look unsightly and growth to die back. Affected plants also often display dark brown or bright yellow spots. If it isn't treated, the problem can cause plants to die and crops to become inedible.

Organic Cure
Prune out infected branches or shoots as soon as you see the first symptoms.

Do this slowly and put the diseased material into a container to avoid shaking spores on to healthy shoots. Then burn the infected material.

Some spores of powdery mildew can overwinter on infected material, so remove any sick-looking perennials in the autumn, and clean up thoroughly in the greenhouse with a garden disinfectant.

Chemical cure.

Products containing the following chemicals are effective against this pest:

Myclobutanil

Penconazole

Flutriafol

Sulphur as a dust, or incorporated in a spray with fatty-acids.

[Novice Gardener]

Thanks to you both I shall strip off the offending leaves tomorrow. Thankfully it's only on a few of the leaves on each plant, the rest of the plants look fairly healthy

[lynda66]

one of my courgette plants has a silvery grey colour on some of the older leaves, but it's the colour of the leaf, if its powdery mildew it will rub off, if it's the leaf it won't.