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Old August 21, 2012   #17
venturabananas
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Ventura, CA
Posts: 142
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Let me preface this by saying that I probably did things all wrong, in that I didn't start spraying before seeing any fungal problems, but instead waited until it was pretty far along. And note that I'm not absolutely positive what the fungus is, but am pretty sure it's gray mold (Botrytis).

Anyway, I started with Daconil. It did nothing that I could detect, which makes sense given its mode of action -- it is a preventative that binds to the molecules on the plant that the mold spores bind to, if I understand correctly.

Tried Serenade. Useless. Did absolutely nothing. But is was great for controlling powdery mildew on my cucumbers and some other plants.

Tried Actinovate. Didn't do anything that I could detect, despite claiming effectiveness against gray mold.

Tried bleach (b54red's recipe: 1 cup per gallon). Well, it did slow down the fungus, but it also nearly killed the plants. I know it works for him, but that concentration seemed too much for my plants, in my climate. (I had a control group that I didn't spray with bleach, so I'm sure the bleach spray was the problem.)

I have used more copper than I ever wanted to. The stuff works. It is the only thing I tried that had lasting obvious effects. It still has required weekly or bi-weekly application, but it has kept the plants alive all season.

Anyway that's been my experience. I'd love to find a regimen that involves less copper and less spraying. But I am happy that I got fruit off all my plants before any succumbed to the dreaded fungal diseases that plague my, cool, humid, coastal environment.
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