bleach spray

[b54red]

Originally Posted by socalgardengal

Here's my update un using bleach spray on Chayote squash that had Anthracnose. I sprayed 3 days ago both tops and undersides of leaves and the soil in the pot. Today all the larger leaves are dried up and falling off but the new smaller ones at the base of the plant are ok. No leaf burn or signs of disease. Should I cut the vines completely off, as there are no new leafs growing on them? I do have a back-up plant that's doing fine. Thanks

I like to go out and remove the dying or dead leaves a few days after the bleach spray to allow more room and a cleaner environment for the new growth. If you spray the bleach spray when a disease first makes its presence known you usually lose very few if any leaves but the longer a disease works on a plant the more severe the reaction to the spray will be. That is why I encourage people to use it sooner rather than later. Of course down here that means I have to use it rather frequently because new outbreaks of diseases pop up nearly every week with our oppressive humidity. Late in the summer and early fall we sometimes get a little break from the really high humidity and then the disease pressure lets up; but of course that is when spider mites start showing up in numbers along with their pals whiteflies.

Bill