All My Plants Became Diseased With Mold

Question

How do I keep this from happening? My balcony has recently been screened with willow to waist height. It was previously just glass. I was growing tomatoes, some herbs, lupines, beans, etc. They began to suffer from what I think is white mold, although even after spraying (only inedibles) it didn’t go away. The mold either killed or affected everything. It’s now in the willow wood stems around my balcony. . . a white residue. What should I treat this with in order that when warmer weather returns that the mold will not just spread from the willow stems back to the plants? Is there a natural chemical I can use to stop/prevent the mold?

Answer 1

White mold is caused by the soil borne fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Also called stem rot, many vegetable crops are susceptible to this fungus. It requires an abundance of moisture to grow. Therefore, keeping the area as dry as possible and growing plants in well-draining soil is important for prevention of this disease. Once it affects plants, more often than not, treatment is not effective.

If the white residue is more powdery in nature, then this would be powdery mildew, which is also caused from a fungus and attributed to moist conditions. Neem oil can help and is safe to use. Here is more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/powdery-mildew-homemade-and-organic-remedies.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/neem-oil-uses.htm