BOTRYTIS (Grey Mould)
A very common disease for many plants and vegetables. Botrytis is first noticeable as brown spots, which are followed by a furry grey mould. The cause of the disease is too much dampness in cool conditions - growing plants in over-fertile conditions also encourages botrytis.

How to Treat Botrytis
Remove the conditions which caused the disease in the first place. Avoid over-watering and ensure that the plant or seedling has plenty of air circulating - if the plant is congested with leafy growth, prune away some of the growth (especially in the centre of the plant) to permit air to circulate. Reduce the amount of fertiliser being applied. 

All infected growth should be removed and burned - do not put it on the compost heap. Where the garden pest botrytis persists, spray with Copper Fungicide (Bordeaux mixture) which is safer for you and garden life than most other chemical sprays available in garden centres.

MILDEW (Powdery and Downy Mildew)
The symptoms are light grey powdery patches on the leaves, shoots and flowers, normally appearing in spring. The flowers will turn a creamy yellow colour and will not develop correctly.

Powdery mildew remains on the surface of the plant; downy mildew will get right into the plant, eventually killing it. The causes of the disease are exactly as for Botrytis - cool and over-damp conditions.

How To Treat Mildew
Treat exactly as for Botrytis above.

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PESTS AND DISEASES CLASSIFIED BY PLANT