Plant Doctor: Leaf Problems
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Aphids
The most common of all pests and almost every plant from the smallest shrub to the tallest oak tree can be infested. Click here for further details.
Capsid Bugs
Nasty little green things about 6mm long with six long legs and antennae. They love the tips of young shoots and have wide tastes - Roses, Fuchsias, Hydrangeas, Forsythia, Chrysanthemums and even Currant Bushes. Click here for further details.
Caterpillars
Not all of them are particularly harmful - yes they will eat through fruit leaves, stems and even roots but one day the very hungry, creepy crawly before you may become a beautiful butterfly. Click here for further details.
Downy Mildew
Downy Mildew thrives in moist damp conditions and loves young plants. The upper leaf surfaces develop yellowy discoloured patches which can extend across large areas of the leaf. Click here for further details.
Flea Beetle
Certain species of the adult Flea Beetle are fond of Cabbages, Brussels Sprouts, Swede and other brassicas; some like Potatoes; others are equally fond of Wallflowers, Alyssum, Aubretia and Nasturtiums. Click here for further details.
Fungal Leaf Spot
The spots can be of various colours - grey, brown or black (Roses in particular). The spots are in fact dead leaf tissue caused by the fungus which spreads the disease. Click here for further details.
Iron Deficiency
Although a trace element, iron can be locked up in the soil so roots of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and other ericaceous plants cannot absorb any reserves. Raspberries can also show similar signs of deficiency. Click here for further details.
Leaf Hoppers
Yellowish and 2-3mm long. As their name suggests they (the adults) will jump off if their plant home is disturbed. The immature nymphs are creamy white and crawl. Both nymphs and adults feed on the sap of plants. Click here for further details.
Potato Blight
Discolouration of the leaves, turning them brown from the edges inwards. The leaves can dry and curl although in moist conditions a white fungal growth can occur around the edges. Click here for further details.
Powdery Mildew
Just as the name suggests, a white powdery fungus which grows mostly on the upper surface of leaves. It will occasionally spread to the underside and other parts of the plant. Click here for further details.
Red Spider Mite
Perhaps the smallest of the common sap feeding insects. Leaves first develop a pale mottling but as the infestation progresses so the leaves become increasingly yellowish white. Click here for further details.
Rose Blackspot
The spots can be of various colours - grey, brown or black (Roses in particular). Click here for further details.
Rust
The spores need a moist environment in which to prosper. The fungus develops mostly on leaves but also on stems. In appearance they can develop either as patches or as pustules (like septic spots). Click here for further details.
Slugs and Snails
There’s no need to tell you what they look like. And the silvery trails will tell you where they came from and where they went on to after lunching. Click here for further details.
Thrips
Thrips (sometimes called Thunder Flies) are yellow-black, very thin and about 2mm long. Yet another sap feeding insect but one with a difference. This one will happily feed on the surface of a leaf. Click here for further details.
Vine Weevil
Vine Weevils are particularly rampant in containers but at least they are somewhat restricted to the plants in the container. But they are spreading to borders and beds where dealing with them is far more difficult. Click here for further details.
Whitefly
These little pests set up home and live out their lives on the underside of leaves. As adults they are about 2mm long with white wings, which give them their name. Click here for further details.
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