Powdery mildew starts out looking like a few white/grey spots on your plant's leaves but within a few days it can cover the entire leaf and then work its way through the rest of the plant pretty quickly.
It actually isn't usually deadly to the plant but it will make it pretty under the weather for the rest of the year plus it's going to put the plant under stress making it susceptible to other diseases and misfortunes (like forgetting to water).
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Use a super-easy mixture of 4 cups of water with 1/2 Tablespoon of vinegar and spray the leaves once a week if you notice powdery mildew or know your plant is prone to it.
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This can be used as a preventative and measure before you see the disease or as a way to stop it from progressing if you already do have it.