Brassica downy mildew

[Suaz]

Hello Charles,

My purple sprouting broccoli, growing under mesh-covered hoops, have succumbed to mildew (yellow splotches on leaves, with powdery white spots on the underside). Would the spores survive on the mesh itself? It had previously been covering some older infected plants growing nearby. Or perhaps the spores were carried in the wind from the nearby plants which I hadn’t pulled out because they were still cropping?

I’ve cut off the worst-affected leaves and replaced the mesh with anti-bird netting but I’m wondering what the best course of action would be in this case. Are infected leaves safe to add to the compost heap? Is the mesh safe to reuse on brassicas? Should I leave the plants to grow on or should I pull them up and destroy?

[Author]

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