Every year a fungus of some kind kills my hollyhocks, gourds and pumpkin plants. What's causing this?

Question

All are located in my fenced in backyard and last year the same fungus infected my large lilac bush in the front yard. HELP!

Answer 1

HI, All the plants that you named are really susceptible to several fungus. There is powder mildew, Grey mold, downy mildew etc.
If you use sulfur early on in the growing season and about 1/2 way through the season it will help cut down on all the different types of fungus.
There are other important steps to take also:
CLEAN all infected leaves during the growing season.
cut them off and trash bag them. Never put them into your compost pile.
Water early as possible in the day and if poss able DO NOT let the water hit the leaves. Try a soaker hose.
For the lilac out front usually they only get powdery mildew, you can take one of the fertilizer spray bottles that attach to the end of you garden hose. Fill it with a 50%backing soda50% water mix and spray the lilac. Baking soda does a great job knocking down powdery mildew!