I’m sure you would agree… controlling powdery mildew on roses is not always easy. You can do everything right, and this problem will still be there. When weather conditions will be favorable, a host of fungal diseases get ready to move in.
When dealing with fast-spreading fungal diseases like powdery mildew, it is important to take action fast, and you need not have to reach for big guns. A milk solution is one effective suggested remedy for powdery mildew control on roses. But is milk good for roses?

Gardeners are always taking measures to provide the best care to roses in their gardens. If you have plenty of roses in your garden, you know how difficult it can be to control powdery mildew on them.
What Is Powdery Mildew?
Powdery mildew is basically a group of diseases that show up in the form of a white powdery coating on stems, leaves, and even flowers.
However, it is not a plant killer but weakens them and even diminishes the effect of photosynthesis. Such things can lead to poor yield, which means your roses may not last the season.
Powdery Mildew is spread by spores carried by the wind onto leaves. The powdery coating favors humid weather rather than wet conditions.
These spores are formed in high-humidity conditions and even disperse when humidity diminishes. There are a number of garden sanitation practices and fungal disease-resistant variants that can help you get good control of powdery mildew.
Read: Using Hydrogen Peroxide For Powdery Mildew and Root Rot
Using Milk As A Fungicide
Milk has become the latest technique for fighting powdery mildew. Actually, it is not a secret and has been used in treating diseases for many years.
It’s been recently tried as a possible additive to boost the dispersing and inserting of various other pesticides.
There are several studies conducted where milk ended up being tested against the transmission connected with tobacco mosaic along with viruses.
Recently, milk has been getting plenty of good press as a potential anti-fungal spray, especially against powdery mildew on roses, cucumbers, and squash.
How Milk Works As A Fungicide?
For the past few years, researchers have been rigorously experimenting with spraying a diluted milk solution on a range of plants, mainly roses, and cucumbers. They have seen plenty of success in continuing their experiment.
Home gardeners are now getting along with the research, but only a few have successfully implemented the procedure, which does not give any definitive results.
As far as knowing the calculation behind what makes milk a good alternative is concerned, it appears that certain proteins found in real milk offer an antiseptic effect when exposed to sunlight.
So, in order to see effective results, it is recommended to apply the solution in bright sunlight.
How To Use A Milk Spray For Powdery Mildew On Roses?
The milk spray solution used by home gardeners is made with the following:
- 1 part milk
- 2 parts water
The dilution is then sprayed on the stems, leaves, and flowers of the plant every 10-14 days. Even if you don’t see any fungal growth yet, using the solution regularly will ensure prevention.
Have you tried using milk to control powdery mildew on your roses?
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