bleach spray

[ChrisK]

And don't forget your control group!

Originally Posted by greentiger87

I've been experimenting with this on some infected transplants I got for cheap.

I'm going to have the following treatment groups:

1) .3 % Clorox Germicidal Bleach (starting concentration of 8.25%)

2) .3% Clorox Germicidal Bleach, pH adjusted to 7 with acetic acid (vinegar)

3) 1% drugstore hydrogen peroxide, pH adjusted with acetic acid to around 5.5

4) 3% drugstore hydrogen peroxide

I'll try to post photos with the results. Please feel free to make any suggestions / constructive criticisms.

[gorbelly]

Bill, just reporting in to let you know that I think I've had some success with bleach against powdery mildew on my squash. The powdery mildew was advancing really quickly a couple weeks ago. I sprayed with bleach but at about 1/2 the dilution you recommend because squash is so fuzzy/hairy and needs to be really drenched in order for any spray to make good contact with the leaf surface. Since you emphasize that your formula needs to be misted, I thought I should significantly decrease the dilution if I was going to drench the leaves.

I pruned off badly affected leaves, then sprayed thoroughly. The dieback was interesting--no death of entire leaves, just the patches that were affected by mildew dying and some crisping on the leaf edges. After an hour or so to let it dry, I sprayed with copper.

The result was that I didn't see powdery mildew again until today, so I'm going to give them another round of bleach tonight or tomorrow morning.

Powdery mildew ALWAYS affects squash in my garden and is very aggressive once it gets established, so I'm pretty impressed with anything that stops it entirely for a couple of weeks. Last year, I tried baking soda and milk, but they hardly did anything.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by gorbelly

Bill, just reporting in to let you know that I think I've had some success with bleach against powdery mildew on my squash. The powdery mildew was advancing really quickly a couple weeks ago. I sprayed with bleach but at about 1/2 the dilution you recommend because squash is so fuzzy/hairy and needs to be really drenched in order for any spray to make good contact with the leaf surface. Since you emphasize that your formula needs to be misted, I thought I should significantly decrease the dilution if I was going to drench the leaves.

I pruned off badly affected leaves, then sprayed thoroughly. The dieback was interesting--no death of entire leaves, just the patches that were affected by mildew dying and some crisping on the leaf edges. After an hour or so to let it dry, I sprayed with copper.

The result was that I didn't see powdery mildew again until today, so I'm going to give them another round of bleach tonight or tomorrow morning.

Powdery mildew ALWAYS affects squash in my garden and is very aggressive once it gets established, so I'm pretty impressed with anything that stops it entirely for a couple of weeks. Last year, I tried baking soda and milk, but they hardly did anything.

I found that using the diluted bleach spray on both squash and cucumbers worked great at preventing mildew but found out the hard way not to wait too long to use it. Severely mildewed leaves will die quickly following spraying with the regular dose but frequent spraying prevents it ever getting bad. What I started doing was spraying my squash and cucumbers every time I sprayed my tomatoes and the mildew just never shows up in any significant way anymore. I use my regular mix of 5 oz of 8.25% Clorox added to a full gallon of water and a bit of Dawn for better coverage. I also spray Daconil or copper whenever I use them on my tomatoes. I have basically eliminated mildews as a problem with them and only have to worry about keeping a dusting of Sevin on the stems to keep out the squash vine borers for a long productive season.

Bill

[murihikukid]

Hi...I really need help here..I am in New zealand and we have different regulations as to labeling ...so can anybody advise me on "the Active Ingredients" as written on two different brands of Bleach and the mix I require......I have enclosed photos....My tomatoes apparantly have leaf mould??

Many thanks Ron

[murihikukid]

Hi..Maybe I should post a couple of pictures of my problem just to make sure it is leaf mold..I w3ould certainly welcome any comment....By the way in my original post I realise I should have nominated the size of the bleach bottle..so I have edited it in in my posting...I presume it might be required to get a Percentage if that is possible....Thanks Ron

[murihikukid]

Hi..I have found a 4.95% Sodium Hypochloride bleach ...Would that be alright to use in a mix... I think Clorox is here in New Zealand ? Its a matter of finding a supplier..Thankyou Ron

[b54red]

Originally Posted by murihikukid

Hi..I have found a 4.95% Sodium Hypochloride bleach ...Would that be alright to use in a mix... I think Clorox is here in New Zealand ? Its a matter of finding a supplier..Thankyou Ron

When I first started experimenting with bleach as a fungicide the solutions available were usually between 3% to a little over 5% sodium hypochlorite. I found that using 6 to 7 ounces added to a full gallon of water was approximately the correct mix to use with the bleach that had 5% sodium hypochlorite; but you will need to experiment a little with what you have available. Start with 6 ounces added to a gallon of water and just spray the lowest leaves of one plant and check in 36 hrs or so and see if it has dried up the sick looking leaves without hurting the new growth. If it has not just add another ounce and try again until you find a good balance between stopping the disease and damaging new growth. I have no idea what other chemicals are in the bleach available to you so I have no idea what affect they might have on the plants. The best thing for you in your situation is to start out carefully and just try it on a few plants and avoid spraying the entire plant at first so if you do have some damage that is unwanted it only affects the lower leaves and doesn't burn your new top growth.

I know this might be a little slow for you but you don't want to make some of the mistakes I did that first year where I used way too strong a solution on some plants and basically burned them up even though most of them came back eventually I did kill a few.

Bill

[murihikukid]

Bill...Thankyou for your reply ...I wonder if you can tell from my photos if a bleach is actually required or should i ask this elsewhere...The plants are inside ....under lights ...I have two varieties..Tasty Tom and Black From Tula..The three Tasty Toms are laden with fruit so the discolouring of the leaves on one has been a real shock for me...The Black From Tula's I pulled out apart from one plant as I did not think they would produce fruit as the flowers were not opening properly and were just drying up ...and then the leaves started withering and the branch would basicly fall off...All plants have been grown out of season with cuttings given to me and I have had expert advice all the way through from a member who has now advised me to use Bill's Bleach....I only have 12 growing "drums" so will be regrowing where plants have been removed if this is possible? I will however not be growing any Black from Tula,s ...Needless to say I will be trying my best to ensure my Tasty Toms survive especially as my monthly electricity bill is so huge..
Regards Ron.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by murihikukid

Bill...Thankyou for your reply ...I wonder if you can tell from my photos if a bleach is actually required or should i ask this elsewhere...The plants are inside ....under lights ...I have two varieties..Tasty Tom and Black From Tula..The three Tasty Toms are laden with fruit so the discolouring of the leaves on one has been a real shock for me...The Black From Tula's I pulled out apart from one plant as I did not think they would produce fruit as the flowers were not opening properly and were just drying up ...and then the leaves started withering and the branch would basicly fall off...All plants have been grown out of season with cuttings given to me and I have had expert advice all the way through from a member who has now advised me to use Bill's Bleach....I only have 12 growing "drums" so will be regrowing where plants have been removed if this is possible? I will however not be growing any Black from Tula,s ...Needless to say I will be trying my best to ensure my Tasty Toms survive especially as my monthly electricity bill is so huge..
Regards Ron.

Having grown Black from Tula before I know it is very susceptible to gray mold but from the pictures I can't tell for sure what is going on with your plants. The bleach spray helps with almost any foliage disease if it is applied properly and in the right strength. Have you checked to see if you have an aphid or spider mite infestation which can cause wilting leaves? Gray mold tends to start in the area of the plant where the least air and light get to it and then just move up the plant. The leaves will eventually look like they are dark and wilting almost like boiling water had been poured over some of them. The early signs of gray mold are usually a bit of gray or tan looking spots that might appear almost as if some kind of colored chalk was put on the leaf. It might or might not appear fuzzy but it can spread fast in the right conditions and especially on black tomatoes.

Bill

Bill

[murihikukid]

Bill...I basicly fell through the window some time back when hanging my lights....and I put an alloy cover over it until I could find a whole new bay Window frame....Why am I telling you this?? Well its impossible to get decent clear photos because of the camera flash or the lighting I have so I will put the alloy cover on hinges so as I can lower it ??? then my tomatoes will get some fresh air and bright sunshine on nice days and I should be able to get some decent photographs...

I have of course been doing a lot of research on leaf mold etc.....My leaves have no sign of spot ..only the one plant with the "blotchy" leaves......
I can get some bleach tomorrow ....Meantime how about this bleach??? I wonder what this is worth in the USA...I hope this is not politics but what the USA - NZ requires is not free trade but a reasonably priced shipping system between us both... Regards Ron...

[efisakov]

The price will vary from store to store, here is an example. These container holds a bit less than 1 gallon/121 ounces/3.6 litters.

[b54red]

Looks just like the bottles I use but I can't see the label of contents so you need to check that before using. Go back to the beginning of this thread and read about the different rates according to the strength of the bleach. If it is the 8.25% hypochlorite formula you can start with 4 1/2 oz added to a gallon of water and go up as necessary. I usually use about 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 oz added to a gallon of water with a little dish washing soap and spray late in the evening with a fine mist getting all parts of the plant. You might want to start with a slightly less strong mix and check the results before moving up to the strength I use.

Bill

[murihikukid]

Bill..As I said I can get a 4.95% Bleach....I am not buying Clorox at that price and I am sure nobody would buy it in America at the prices the website.has it advertised at ...The ingrediant is the same no matter what brand it says...

I just missed out getting the window cover off and hinged yesterday...and it was a nice day....Today I have got it done but the weather is overcast however I have taken photos but the flash went off because of the light...So I will post them and see what you think...The photos are all of the one plant...
i must be honest bleach frightens me unless its clearly obvious the plants require it....Baking Soda seems to work in some cases but my photos hopefully will give you an idea....

Regards Ron

[b54red]

Since you have some 5% sodium hypochlorite bleach put a gallon of water in a sprayer and add 6 1/2 oz of bleach to it with a bit of soap. Spray the lower half of that plant pictured because it looks like you have some gray mold but I can't be sure. Make sure to use a fine mist and get the undersides as well as the tops of the leaves and the lower stem and the surface of your potting soil. You should see results within a day or so. Don't be surprised if there are far more leaves affected by it than what you can observe because that is the nature of gray mold. If new growth tips are unaffected but sick leaves start to shrivel up then the mix is probably strong enough but I used to use 7 ounces of that strength bleach to a gallon of water; but I don't want you to have a bad experience so start with the lower amount and it should still do the trick if it is gray mold. If it is something else like a mildew it should still help. If it works and you see the same thing developing higher on the plant spray the whole plant again in a few days and see if it does the trick before using it on any other plants.

It won't take much to spray that one plant so you might want to just mix up a half gallon or even a quart so just adjust the mix to make the smaller amount. Make sure to empty your sprayer and rinse it good immediately after using the bleach spray. You can always use the leftover in the bathroom shower or tub even though you really need a much stronger mix for mildew in the bathroom.

Bill

[murihikukid]

Bill I will try my best....I only have a one litre spray bottle so this is what I have come up with..
one US Fluid ounce = 0.0295735 of a Litre one uS gallon = 3.7854 1litres divide by 4 = 0.94635 of a us gallon = 1 litre.....
6.5 ounces divided by 4 = 1.625ounces of bleach to 0.94635 of a litre....so thats 0.0295736 X 1.625 equals 0.0480569375 of a litre of bleach to One Litre of water??????????
Or perhaps 3 tablespoons of Bleach to a Litre of water...will do it later tonight after I find some safety gear for my eyes etc....Regards Ron