And I also spotted it on basil plants at a big box store on Long Island. Just this past April I spotted it on every single potted basil plant in my (local to Boston) Whole Foods’ produce section. In years past I have seen BDM in my own community garden, appearing in the hot and humid months, so later in summer. Harvest what you can and rip up the plants and bag them so you don’t spread the disease. Once your basil gets BDM, you’re pretty much out of luck. BDM appears as dark grey water-soaked marks on basil leaves, and it slowly spreads over the whole plant and onto others, thanks to rain and overhead watering. You likely have seen it but didn’t realize what it was. For this reason, gardeners should always buy basil plants from a local source or start their own plants from disease-free seeds.īasil downy mildew is host specific and will not affect any other plants, so there’s no need to worry about it spreading to other vegetables, flowers or herbs.Basil Downy Mildew, or BDM for short, is a disease that is steadily impacting both commercial growers and home gardeners. In these areas, new infections often start when infected plants are brought in from southern regions or infected seeds are purchased and grown. Basil downy mildew does not overwinter in cold northern climates. Follow all label instructions carefully. Basil downy mildew does not live in the soil, so there’s no need to take any measures to sterilize the soil or drench it with a fungicide this does nothing to control the pathogen. Potassium bicarbonate fungicides and those based on Bacillus subtilis are effective when applied to upper and lower leaf surfaces early in the season and on a frequent basis.
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