Effectiveness of using milk and Korean Natural Farming fungicide techniques vs traditional organic fungicides on powdery mildew

The Skinny of It All

• Powdery mildew spores can travel far and wide, carried by the wind to plants hundreds of miles away.
• These fungi create a mat of growth on the plant's surface, blocking photosynthesis.
• They survive winter in various ways: on green leaves, woody plants, or by forming a dark, round, hard resting structure called chasmothecia.
• Powdery mildew thrives in cool, humid nights that boost spore production and warm (70 to 80°F), dry days that help spread the spores.
• The best defense is a good offense: reduce humidity by ensuring proper airflow (through spacing and pruning), avoid overhead watering, and water in the morning to prevent creating an ideal environment for growth and spread of the infection.
• What's its purpose? Fungal infections can be seen as a warning signal indicating an imbalance that needs to be restored. Just like in our bodies, we have good and bad bacteria. When there aren't enough good bacteria, the bad ones grow unchecked, causing diseases. A healthy farm won't have pests and diseases because it will be a balanced ecosystem of symbiotic relationships. However, too much good bacteria can also be harmful, leading to nutrient burn and competition for nutrients.
  • Is it possible that powdery mildew is nature's answer to a call for help due to nutrient depletion? Is it possible its purpose is not to destroy your crops but to provide food to the life struggling to survive within the soil?

Plan of Attack 

• Each row was treated on a weekly rotation.
• There was a 4–6-foot space between each row to reduce cross-contamination.
• The rows were sprayed on different days to prevent cross-contamination (e.g., Row 1 and 3 on the same day, Row 2 and 4 on the same days).
• Used JADAM method  instead of traditional KNF due to pandemic supply chain issues  (however, listed info below about KNF because it's amazing! Also, check out the additional conference worksheet for a bonus detailed list of the ingredients for each solution and when to apply them)

KNF:

• Uses 9 solutions made from household ingredients, applied at three stages of growth: Vegetative, Puberty, and Reproductive.
• IMOs build diversity and microorganisms:
  • IMO 1: Rice mold from the forest.
  • IMO 2: Rice mold mixed with brown sugar.
  • IMO 3: Rice-brown sugar mix blended with water + fermented plant juice and fish aminos.
  • IMO 4: Mixing IMO 3 with soil from the farm.
  • LAB: Created by allowing milk to separate curds from whey; the whey are the LABs.
  • Sea water: Sea salt and water provide minerals for your soil.
  • Fermented Plant Juice: Made from comfrey, sweet potato leaves, or leaf clippings mixed with equal parts brown sugar, left for 5 days, then add alcohol.
  • Brown Rice Vinegar or Banana Vinegar: Acts as a clean-up crew, flipping plant cells from acidic to alkaline, allowing them to take in food.
  • Oriental Herbal Nutrient: A tincture of cinnamon, garlic, ginger, angelica, turmeric, and licorice.
  • Fish Aminos: Fuel for plant growth, made from fish bits and parts fermented in brown sugar cane.
  • Water-soluble calcium phosphate: Bones fermented in vinegar.
  • Water-soluble calcium: Eggshells fermented in vinegar.

Benefits of KNF:

• Promotes soil health and biodiversity.
• Reduces dependency on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
• Enhances plant growth and resilience.
• Cost-effective and sustainable, using locally available materials.
• Solutions have a long shelf life if stored properly.

JADAM:

• Overuse can cause leaf burn, raise pH (alkalinity), starve the plant, or stunt its growth.
• Korean Natural Farming is an eco-friendly agricultural system developed by Hankyu Cho of the Janong Farming Institute. It uses Indigenous Microorganisms and Nutritive Cycles to grow food and raise animals.
  • I am not an expert on KNF /JADAM so grade on the curve. 

 Milk 

• Mix 1 part milk (preferably raw or organic) with 5 parts water.
• Spray the mixture on the plants early in the morning to allow it to dry before nightfall

Curva (Copper Fungicide)  & Stargud (Biofungicide)

• Follow the instructions on the label

Observations and Outcomes

• The untreated beds nearby caused reinfections of powdery mildew.
• Milk requires multiple trips to the store unless you own a cow. It must be applied early morning to dry before nightfall.
• Didn't like using PPE (KNF (JADAM) & Conventional).
• Math is Math’ing – KNF (JADAM) requires a bit more math to ensure your mixtures are correct which can be a bit difficult for small batches
• Conventional Methods: Noticed more plants died during the season than other methods (possibly due to a combination of mildew and squash beetles from a nearby plot) and struggled to produce new leaves once mildew reached 30%. They also produced less fruit than the milk and  KNF (JADAM) methods.
• Milk & conventional methods are the easiest to make.
• Milk: The plants treated with milk remained the healthiest and continued to produce new leaves and healthy fruit until the temperature dropped.
• KNF (JADAM): It could have been more effective if all KNF mixes had been used and if they had been grown in a separate area.
• KNF (JADAM): This method requires more precautions and time, but the solutions don't expire if stored properly.
• Conventional methods are expensive, and the best results were achieved when alternating the two.