posted
I am very new to gardening and my mum bought me a Osteospermum Helen Dimond in a pot from the garden centre. It didnt thrive very well outside or in winter, but now it is in our conservatory and blossoming well with 4 big flowers and new leaves, but it has a lot of dead leaves too which I try to take off (i'm not the best at remembering to water!)
Anyway my question : It has this strange white powdery substance on most of it's leaves. I was wondering what this is, and if it is harmful to the plant or to humans/pets?
Any care tips would be greatly received, like if I should put it out in the garden or leave it potted inside?
Many thanks in advance, Helen
Plants: 2 | From: Leicester | Registered: Mar 2004
| Seeded: 80.229.24.216
posted
It sounds like it has developed powdery mildew, a common problem with many plants. You can spray it with a fungicide spray, but it probably won't kill it all. You will probably have to remove all of the infected leaves (that may be all of them!) and spray with fungicide to prevent it from coming back. It shouldn't take too long for new leaves to grow, but in the meantime it will look rather pitiful! Powdery mildew usually doesn't kill the plant, but it makes it look unsightly. Good air circulation is critical for preventing it also.
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