Why do my sweet pea leaves look as if they are covered in a white powder?

The powder will not brush off tho'.

Why do my sweet pea leaves look as if they are covered in a white powder?
Mine did that last year (its an ever lasting sweet pea). I cut it back hard and this year it was fine. I think it was a type of mildew.








P.S Bet you get lots of answers mentioning drugs!
Reply:Yes, what you have is powdery mildew. Some plants, like Phlox, are more prone to it than others. It is caused by high humidity and poor ventilation, so depending on the growing conditions, it may not be as bad next year.





Here's a cheap way to treat it: Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda to a gallon of water and spray the foliage. Repeat after a rain. Baking soda changes the pH of the leaves, but don't tell anyone I told you this, because the FDA has not approved baking soda for this purpose. I'm not joking!





Oh, and gather up and destroy the dead leaves on the ground so the spores will not re-infect the plants.
Reply:Sounds like powdery mildew to me. It can be treated with a fungicide but is hard to get rid of. I have a lot of the stuff with all the rain this year. Don't compose the cuttings.
Reply:may be fungus
Reply:It sounds like a fungus. Try diluting dish soap and water in a spray bottle and using it like a bug spray. Dont worry it wont hurt the plants. If that doesnt work you can always go to Home Depot or Lowes and ask someone in the garden section.
Reply:Using a Fungicide, and having really good Ventilation, will avoid Powdery and Downy Mildew.
Reply:Could be mil drew
Reply:because you have pwdery mildew...Put water in a squirt bottle with a little dish soap. and spritz them at nite alow to dry before morning.. or they will fry good luck
Reply:Just to keep Alice Happy........ it's Drugs. your plant is on drugs.
Reply:It's mould. Any copper complex fungicide such as Bordeau mixture will kill it.


BTW it's called Brodeau mixture because it was invented to kill mould on grapes growing in the Bordeau region of France.


RoyS
Reply:it sounds as if it might be mildew
Reply:It is a powdery mildew that is common for sweet peas. Here's a link to some more information.
Reply:this is a fungus pick off affected leaves and burn them if the plants are badly affected then destroy the whole plant





grow new plants from fresh seed and avoid the area they were in this year





a lot of plants have been affected this year with the mild damp weather we have been having