Grape Mildew

In the latest issue of the California Rare Fruit Growers (May/June) I came across a letter to the editor about preventing mildew on grapes.

Offered by Steve.

This is in response to a statement by Rufus Elliott in the Ask the Expert column (Jan/Feb) in which he states that he discarded certain seedless grape varieties because of mildew. I also had a mildew problem with my 'King's Ruby' seedless grapes and wasn't looking forward to a spraying solution either. By accident I discovered a quick, easy solution to the problem. I found that by putting worm castings at the base of the plant, no mildew formed. I haven't seen any mildew in three years. People might want to explore this option with other plants, too. I found it gave the same results on a honeysuckle I have. I hope this information will allow people to more easily grow more varieties.