Bacterial canker
Bacterial canker is a fungus particularly common on cherries and plums. The disease weakens the plant and can cause extensive die back.
Black spot
Black spot is a common problem on roses. Prevention is better than the cure so it’s important to know the symptoms and methods to control it.
Blight
Blight causes discolouration of the leaves, turning them brown from the edges inwards. The fungus will also affect potato tubers and tomatoes.
Blossom end rot
Blossom end rot is a common problem of tomatoes, peppers and aubergines grown in a greenhouse caused by erratic watering or dryness at the root.
Botrytis
Botrytis is a plant disease often found on indoor cyclamen and outdoor flowers such as dahlia and chrysanthemum kept in very humid conditions.
Bud blast
Bud blast is a fungus disease spread by rhododendron leaf hopper which lay their eggs on the flower buds of these plants.
Cuckoo spit
Cuckoo spit is a mass of frothy bubbles on stems of plants, in particular chrysanthemum, geum and solidago.
Downy mildew
Downy mildew thrives in moist damp conditions and loves young plants. The upper leaf surfaces develop yellowy discoloured patches.
Earwigs
Earwigs eat the developing buds of chrysanthemums and dahlias. These bugs cause damage to plants as they eat the young leaves and flowers.
Frost damage
Temperatures below zero will always affect tender plants, and sometimes hardy ones when grown in containers.
Fruit splitting
Fruit splitting is a problem of the tomato plant taking up too much water quickly and splitting the outer skin after inadequate watering.
Grey mould
Grey mould is an extremely common fungus and grows on many plants. Its greyish fuzzy fungal growth develops over infected areas.
Honey fungus
Honey fungus affects the roots, trunks and stems of plants. A creamy white sheet of fungus grows between bark and the plant tissue beneath it.
Iron deficiency
Iron can be locked up in soil so roots of raspberries, azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and other ericaceous plants cannot absorb any reserves.
Leaf spot
Leaf spots can be of various colours – grey, brown or black. The spots are in fact dead leaf tissue caused by fungus which spreads the disease.
Magnesium deficiency
Pale yellow areas develop especially on foliage of fruit and vegetables. Tomatoes and rhododendrons are especially prone to show symptoms.
Nitrogen deficiency
Nitrogen is a major nutrient that determines plant growth and green leaves. It is easily lost through winter rains so balanced feeding is needed.
Oedema
Oedema occurs when plants take up more water than required for transpiration of the leaves. Often occurs in plants grown under glass.
Peach leaf curl
Peach leaf curl is a crippling fungal disease of peaches, nectarines, almonds and apricots that distorts leaves and causes premature leaf fall.
Plant die back
Shoots may die back for any number of reasons including water-logging at roots, frost damage, disease problems or general lack of plant nutrients.
Potash deficiency
Potash deficiency is only a problem on tired soils that are deprived of organic matter or remain unfed for some time.
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew, just as the name suggests, is a white powdery fungus which grows mostly on the upper surface of leaves.
Rose suckers
Rose suckers are thin sappy light green stems coming from the root stock. Usually has different leaf patterning and colour from the named variety.
Rust
Rust spores need a moist environment in which to prosper. The fungus develops mostly on leaves but also on stems.
Sick leaf
Leaf not growing normally? To track the causes and alleviate the symptoms you will need to be more specific.
Smuts
Smuts can be identified by small dark spots on stems. Larger dark swellings again on stems often accompanied by leaf distortion.
Tomato leaf mould
Tomato leaf mould symptoms include extensive discolouration with leaves or fruits turning brown and bleached white spots on plant petals.
Virus
Virus is normally seen as spotting of the leaf, growth distortion or yellowing or mosaic patterning of leaves.
