Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi guys I have just got home from a hoilday for a week to find that my zucchini plants are looking real average seem like the have a white powder all over them I also have lost one of my jades which I'm just hoping was from the cold weather in Brisbane ATM (the tank does have a 1500w heater as well) I have checked the water and it seems all fine as well any help would be great

It sounds like powdery mildew, although perhaps someone spilt some flour on it, or maybe it is something else entirely!
A photo would be very useful!

If it is powdery mildew, then you can try spraying with Potassium bicarbonate, or in my experience, just plain water is just about as effective. The oft repeated cause is that it is due to high humidity/dampness, but in my and my horticulturist wife's experience, it usually occurs on leaves that are dry. Wetting the leaves reasonably often stops it forming... but dont wet them too much, as that may cause other problems.

If the leaves are badly affected, the best thing to do it remove them entirely, as they wont recover, but try not to sprinkle the clean leaves with fungal spores.

Don't think Ive ever grown zucchini, pumpkin, squash, melon etc ever without getting powdery mildew.. ever.

Id like to see someone grow it without getting it. Now thats a challenge.

Anyways, its not really been a problem, just remove leaves or let it go. Hasn't effected harvests in my experience. Just looks ugly.

It tends to be worse late in the season, if it gets out of hand I just pull the plant, as there wont be a lot more produce from it.

Our last pumpkin season just gone was the most epic we've ever had to date, by last count I think I was up around 140 butternuts. I probably lost 20% of those to fruit fly and rats. Not a bad yield from one seedling. It had mildew for its entire existence but maybe it may have done better if I had treated it like you say Gordan. I was happy with the results though.

Yeah I've trying to upload a pic taken off my phone but says it to large then when I shrink it a warning comes up with not enough pixels lol I'll try it on my computer later