Yep, you got it. I would say Powdery Mildew. Remove all the flowers and spray with neem oil and soap. I bought the neem oil at Lowes and followed the directions. It will take care of any that might be developing on the leaves.

Thank you so much for your reply! I’ll buy neem oil. What ratio do you recommend?

1tsp per quart and 1/4 tsp of liquid dish soap. This is from The Violet Barns website so I trust them! Neem is non toxic to humans and pets as it is natural so no need to wear gloves or other precautions.

Also, Powdery Mildew can occur because the environment is too humid, ... and there's not enough air-flow.

Try running a small portable fan (on low) near the plants to help with air-flow.

Thank you guys! Any brand in particular you recommend I buy? I had read about Lysol but it sounds so harsh.

I recently moved across the country with all my houseplants and thought this could have contributed to it. But I also noticed mold in some of my other plants’ soil, something that never happened to me before. I have two air purifiers. Do you think they could help?

I have had major powdery mildew problems and have sprayed Spectracide Immunox on the leaves after pinching off all the flowers, but not necessarily taking off the buds. It doesn't seem to harm the buds, and the plants would be fine for a while, but the PM always came back. Finally I purchased 2 small floor fans and run them on low, one on either side of the my sun room facing the plant racks - about 3-4 feet away from the racks (see below, although you can't see the fans in this photo). I find the Vornado fan is the quietest. Since then I've had no more powdery mildew problems. I don't know that air purifiers will do the trick, unless they create good air flow. By the way, the white thing between the two plant stands is a humidifier, which I no longer use.

Thank you guys for your helpful comments. I’ll watch the video and see if I have any questions.

Judy, I got the Vornado for that purpose, too. Thought a whole-room air circulator was better than a direct fan on the plants. (Plus, no place to set a fan close to plants in my living room.) It's several feet away from the plants and seems to serve its purpose. BTW, your plant room looks perfect with all those windows, and so beautiful!

Stacey, does Violet Barn say what the soap is for? Does it keep the Neem in suspension better?

Thanks Dviolet. I would have preferred to install a ceiling fan, but the electrical in the room is not configured for it. What kind of whole room air circulator do you have? I'm interested. In any event, keeping the air moving has definitely been the best solution for me to prevent PM.

The soap is supposed to help emulsify. It didn't, so I simply heated the concoction in a glass jar in the microwave. Then let ig cool and poured into the plastic sprayer.

A gardener told me the neem mix should last for a few days. The leaves of the AVs I have treated are fine.

My outdoor roses have thrips. I will spray the stems and foliage with the leftover neem emulsion. Someone here asked. It sounds like a great idea.

By the way, neem smells like automotive oil. So spray outdoors and wear gloves. Joanne

Thanks, everyone. I’ve ordered the neem and it should come tomorrow. I was also wondering if I should repot before or after applying the neem oil. Or with the violets out of their pots? Would the roots get damaged?

Glad to hear your plants are doing well! Agreed on improving air circulation. It could be a simple improvement too like opening windows... making sure to direct water into the soil only and avoid getting the plant wet. If you use neem, mix it up just before you use it. Its efficacy breaks down fast and it's better to spend that extra minute prepping it immediately before :)

Thank you so much, Alisa! Is neem your preferred method?

After. Few days. Don't remove from pot.

Thank you! I’ll spray when the neem arrives tomorrow and will wait a week or so to repot.

Yes it is :) How are your plants?

Thanks, Alisa! The neem took a while to arrive and I was busy this week so haven’t used it yet. However, the three violets are looking good to me and I haven’t seen any more of the white dust after I removed those flowers. Now I’m not sure if I should wait to see it again or just go ahead and spray them as a precaution. I’d prefer to wait but don’t want it to be too late. What do you think?