Help! What's the white dust on my collards?

[knitter4democracy]

It's on the leaves, both front and back (worse on the back), and when I cut some for dinner tonight, the dust aerosolized like a powder. Is it bad? I've got them soaking in water with Fit right now, but I don't want to cook them up if it's bad.

If it's not, how do I get rid of it? I haven't gotten to my collards (trying to take over my front bed, actually) to put up yet this fall, and I don't want to have to get rid of all of them without us eating them.

[Venceremos]

1. Try this link

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1393/EPP-7666web.pdf

It's a pdf from OK State. It has various diseases of leafy crucifer vegetables, including pictures.

[knitter4democracy]

2. I can't see where they say if it's safe to eat or not.

Is it?

[Venceremos]

3. I don't know

I searched the pdf and it doesn't say - which disease do you think it is?

[knitter4democracy]

6. The white fungus, maybe.

Maybe powdery mildew? I'm really not sure. Do you think they'd know at the extension office?

[Blue Gardener]

4. Powdery Mildew?

I had it on my cucumbers and zinnias.

[knitter4democracy]

5. It does look a lot like what's on the cukes.

It's all over, though, and not in patches. Is it bad to eat?

[Gormy Cuss]

7. I would also say that it's powdery mildew.

We've had it on our greens and if we don't catch it early on, we just yank the plant and call it done. I don't know if there's any harm done by eating leaves with mildew, but it's unappealing to us. Once the leaves are infected it seems that the mildew stays for good. We do eat the fruit of infected plants all the time.


Try to wash off the plants with a hose and see if that gets rid of the mildew. There are low toxicity home remedies for it like a baking soda spray. I've used it on leaves of plants where the that isn't the edible part -- don't know if it would add an off flavor to leafy greens.
http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/qt/PowderyMildew.htm

[knitter4democracy]

8. Aw, crap. I should just pull it all out, then.

Dang. Still, with my asthma, I don't want to take a chance.

[roody]

9. Is it aphids?