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food as medicine

milk - the other antifungal

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posted 16 years ago

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I need to file this away in the permanent part of my brain! i wonder if a back pack sprayer would clog with milk?

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s667732.htm

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"One cannot help an involuntary process. The point is not to disturb it. - Dr. Michel Odent

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Location: Inland Central Florida, USA

posted 16 years ago

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Hum.

That is interesting. I actually trialed milk against powdery mildew a couple years back. I did not find the milk to be very effective against the powdery mildew on pumpkins, squash or zucchini.

In my research I came across some info that the milk would be more effective against downy mildew because it changes the pH on the leaves which disrupts the downy mildew. However, powdery mildew tends to attack plants suffering potassium deficiency so milk might not be effective there. Sea weed extract might be more help for spraying to prevent powdery mildew.

I've also been told that worm tea is a great spray to prevent powdery mildew.

For me though, in the past few years I'm starting to figure that on the squash, zucchini, pumpkins and other plants in that family, I just kinda ignore the powdery mildew as something inevitable in my climate on those plants and I still usually get plenty of yield even with the sick plants.

TCLynx

Jordan Lowery

pollinator

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Location: zone 7

posted 16 years ago

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good link, i have found by personal experiments that fresh raw milk works best. only problem is most have a hard time finding raw milk.

The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. - Masanobu Fukuoka

Leah Sattler

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posted 16 years ago

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soil wrote:
good link, i have found by personal experiments that fresh raw milk works best. only problem is most have a hard time finding raw milk.

cool! so it worked for you! I don't suppose it would work somewhere or some year when it was an awful problem but maybe for those borderline times/places.

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Location: Inland Central Florida, USA

posted 16 years ago

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Well I can say I didn't use raw milk in my experiments (I don't think you can get raw milk here unless you are squirting it out of a creature on your own property.)

Also, I'm in Humid central Florida where fungal problems are rather normal.

TCLynx

Jordan Lowery

pollinator

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Location: zone 7

posted 16 years ago

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leah it does work pretty good, but i still prefer to use preventatives like earthworm castings tea and the likes. building healthy foliar life helps fight off anything that might try and attack the plants imo. in rare occasions the milk is needed.

TCLynx yea haha its real hard to get fresh milk, luckily we have a friend with a cow locally.

The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. - Masanobu Fukuoka

Jennifer Smith

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Location: Zone 5

posted 16 years ago

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I tryed fresh goats milk in Lower Alabama and it didn't seem to work.

Leah Sattler

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posted 16 years ago

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darn. I suppose Alabama is just as humid as OK and Iwe would be just as prone to growing fungal problems on foliage. I have only had a few occasions to use it....except for peach trees, but then I have all but given up on peaches.

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rose macaskie

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posted 16 years ago

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thanks i have midew on my vines. Cool, i just have to give them potassium and maybe fertiliser and a milk spray.
paul wheaton i woudl have thought you would have to rinse out the spout of your sprayer after spraying milk or you would block it up with milk. rose .

Jocelyn Campbell

steward

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Location: Everett, WA (Western Washington State / Cascadia / Pacific NW)

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posted 16 years ago

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Wow, how now brown cow!?

I wonder how milk compares to chamomile tea (which I brought up in another thread)?

Maybe mixing the chamomile with TCLynx and soil's idea for compost tea? Not as likely to clog any way.

Ironically, I heard that simply spraying with water helps wash off the powdery mildew. Seems you'd want to dry it out, but I guess washing off the stuff helps.

Wish I could remember that baking soda recipe, too. That worked for me here in the damp Pacific NW, but I'm just not sure how the bicarbonate affects soil microorganisms and ph...

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Jordan Lowery

pollinator

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Location: zone 7

posted 16 years ago

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i use the chamomile method too. it would fall under my last post as
"but i still prefer to use preventatives like earthworm castings tea and the likes"

its also a good source of soluble nutrients for the plants.

there is one other method that works pretty good. rock powders. simply dust them on infected spots. wait a little bit then wash it off. cant really say what role is at play, im guessing the mineral rich dusts are not favorable to the PM, as well as the plant getting an extra boost to help itself.

The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. - Masanobu Fukuoka

Jennifer Smith

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Location: Zone 5

posted 16 years ago

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I see it now,

not
"earthworm castings tea and the likes"

but
"earthworm castings, tea, and the likes,"

I had misread it also.

Jordan Lowery

pollinator

Posts: 1528

Location: zone 7

posted 16 years ago

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im sorry i should have been more clear.

The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. - Masanobu Fukuoka

Jennifer Smith

Posts: 720

Location: Zone 5

posted 16 years ago

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No apology necessary, I am easily confused.

paul wheaton

author and steward

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Location: missoula, montana (zone 4)

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posted 16 years ago

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I saw something at WSU that said that in their dairies they were looking at replacing bleach, as a disinfectant, with lactic acid. Apparently, they were having really good success.

you say "tin pot dictator" like it is a bad thing!

Leah Sattler

Posts: 2603

posted 16 years ago

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thats cool! I have thought about using vinegar as a teat dip and wash for the goats. I wonder if it would have similiar reasoning behind it?

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"One cannot help an involuntary process. The point is not to disturb it. - Dr. Michel Odent

Sarah Pope

Presenter

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Location: Tampa, Florida

posted 13 years ago