How to fight powdery mildew and pests

Use horsetail broth against powdery mildew

Horsetail the gardener is not one of his favorite plants. However, the herb does a good job of caring for roses.

In addition to tannins and essential oils, it contains a great deal of silica, which is effective against fungal diseases such as powdery mildew on roses.

The rose petals are sprayed with a broth made from horsetail when an infestation occurs. Box broth for roses is also well suited for prevention.

Prepare horsetail broth yourself

You can easily prepare horsetail broth yourself. To do this you need:

• Plastic jar
• fresh or dried horsetail
• Rainwater or tap water
• Sieve

Put 200 grams of fresh or 15 grams of dried herb in the container and preferably pour rainwater over it. Let the mixture steep for 24 hours.

Then the brew is boiled. It takes about half an hour for the silica to dissolve from the leaves. Then the broth has to cool down and finally diluted 1: 4 with fresh water.

Treat roses with horsetail broth

In the case of acute fungal infestation, spray the leaves with the broth several times a day.

Also for prevention is Field horsetail best for. The silica strengthens the leaves so that fungi and pests cannot even penetrate.

For prevention, treat the roses with horsetail broth once a week.

Biologically fertilize roses with horsetail manure

Horsetail manure is prepared in a similar way to broth, except that the herb is left in the water for a long time and not boiled. The liquid manure is ripe when no more bubbles appear.

The liquid manure is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 5 and poured around the roses once a month. Be careful not to water the leaves and roots directly with the liquid manure.

The plant is strengthened by the minerals. The leaves look healthier and there are usually more flowers.