What is the white powdery growth?

If you notice a white, powdery growth on your plant, this is a typical sign of a fungal infection known as powdery mildew. Powdery Mildew is a very common and easily recognisable fungal disease.

Symptoms

Look out for a dusting of white powder on or under your plant's leaves - at first glance this may seem like normal harmless dust or dirt buildup, but one way to tell whether it's a fungal infection is that, unlike dust, Powdery Mildew will quickly come back after it has been brushed away.

• The leaves of your plant start to dry up

• Leaves may become withered or disfigured

• Yellowing of the leaves may also occur

Common causes

This type of fungus can affect almost any type of plant and, unusually for fungi (which often thrives in damp, humid environments), this type of mildew actually prefers dry conditions - specifically warm and dry.

What to think about

It is important to treat it before it gets out of hand as it can be fatal to weaker plants. It can appear on the underside of leaves at first, but you may not start to notice it until it spreads elsewhere. In fact, it can spread just about everywhere on the plant - the top of the leaf, the stem, on buds and flowers and even on fruits - so it's important to try and catch it early in order to help prevent the infection from spreading.