Pest & Disease Guide
Identify what is eating your garden and fix it organically. Every guide covers spotting the problem early, preventing it, and a step-by-step control plan that starts gentle.
Pests
AphidsAphids are small sap-sucking insects that cluster on soft new growth and the undersides of leaves. Affects 61 plants in our library.
Fruit flyQueensland fruit fly is the major fruit fly across the east coast and is one of the most destructive pests for home growers of tomatoes, capsicum, stone fruit and citrus. Affects 43 plants in our library.
BirdsBirds strip ripening fruit, peck seedlings and pull out newly sown seed across most Australian gardens. Affects 27 plants in our library.
SlugsSlugs are soft-bodied molluscs that feed at night and shelter in damp, dark spots by day. Affects 18 plants in our library.
ScaleScale are sap-sucking insects that hide under a waxy or shell-like cover stuck fast to stems and leaves. Affects 16 plants in our library.
Cabbage mothCabbage white butterflies and cabbage moths lay eggs on brassicas, and their green caterpillars chew leaves to lace. Affects 15 plants in our library.
SnailsSnails are shelled molluscs that feed at night on seedlings, leafy greens and ripening strawberries. Affects 11 plants in our library.
Flea beetleFlea beetles are tiny jumping beetles that pepper leaves with small round holes. Affects 9 plants in our library.
Spider miteTwo-spotted spider mites are tiny sap-sucking mites that thrive in hot, dry conditions and explode in numbers under glass or against warm walls. Affects 8 plants in our library.
Leaf minerLeaf miners are the larvae of small flies or moths that tunnel between the upper and lower leaf surfaces. Affects 7 plants in our library.
WhiteflyWhiteflies are tiny white sap-sucking insects that rise in a cloud when disturbed. Affects 7 plants in our library.
ThripsThrips are slender sap-sucking insects barely a couple of millimetres long that rasp at leaves, flowers and fruit. Affects 6 plants in our library.
28-spotted ladybirdThe 28-spotted ladybird is the rare plant-eating ladybird, unlike its helpful spotted cousins. Affects 5 plants in our library.
Bean flyBean fly is a serious pest of beans in warmer parts of Australia, especially the subtropics and tropics. Affects 4 plants in our library.
MealybugMealybugs are soft sap-sucking insects coated in white waxy fluff that gather in leaf joints and on roots. Affects 4 plants in our library.
Codling mothCodling moth is the classic pest of apples and pears in cooler regions, and the grub in the apple. Affects 3 plants in our library.
Bronze orange bugBronze orange bugs, often called stink bugs, are sap-sucking shield bugs that attack citrus. Affects 3 plants in our library.
CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the larvae of moths and butterflies and include loopers, armyworm, corn earworm and cluster caterpillars. Affects 1 plants in our library.
PossumsBrushtail and ringtail possums browse new growth, fruit and vegetables overnight and are a constant frustration in suburban gardens. Affects 1 plants in our library.
Pumpkin beetlePumpkin beetles are yellow-orange beetles that attack pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers and melons. Affects 1 plants in our library.
EarwigsEarwigs are pincer-tailed insects that feed at night on seedlings, soft fruit and flowers, while also eating aphids and other pests. Affects 1 plants in our library.
GrasshoppersGrasshoppers and locusts chew through leaves, stems and fruit and can arrive in destructive swarms after wet springs in inland and rural areas.
CutwormCutworms are fat moth caterpillars that hide in the soil by day and feed at night, chewing through seedling stems at ground level.
RatsRats and mice gnaw fruit, dig up seed, strip corn and citrus and tunnel through garden beds.
NematodesRoot-knot nematodes are microscopic soil worms that invade roots and form galls, blocking the plant's water and nutrient uptake.
Diseases & disorders
Powdery mildewPowdery mildew is a fungal disease that coats leaves in a white powdery film, common on cucurbits, peas and many other crops. Affects 39 plants in our library.
Downy mildewDowny mildew is a fungal-like disease that strikes in cool wet weather, hitting brassicas, lettuce, onions, grapes and cucurbits. Affects 34 plants in our library.
RustRust is a fungal disease that shows as orange, brown or yellow pustules on leaves and stems, common on beans, leeks, garlic and silverbeet. Affects 18 plants in our library.
Root rotRoot rot covers a group of soil fungi, including Phytophthora and Pythium, that rot roots in wet, poorly drained soil. Affects 15 plants in our library.
ClubrootClubroot is a soil disease that swells and distorts brassica roots into clubbed lumps, choking the plant's water uptake. Affects 14 plants in our library.
AnthracnoseAnthracnose is a fungal disease that causes dark sunken spots on leaves, stems and fruit, common on beans, cucurbits, tomatoes and mangoes. Affects 14 plants in our library.
Leaf spotLeaf spot covers several fungal and bacterial diseases that mark leaves with spots and blotches, common on silverbeet, tomatoes, capsicum and many greens. Affects 13 plants in our library.
Fusarium wiltFusarium wilt is a soil fungus that blocks a plant's water-carrying vessels, causing one-sided wilting and yellowing that ends in collapse. Affects 9 plants in our library.
BotrytisBotrytis, or grey mould, is a fungal disease that coats flowers, fruit and stems in a fuzzy grey growth. Affects 9 plants in our library.
Black rotBlack rot is a bacterial disease of brassicas that turns leaf edges yellow and blackens the veins. Affects 6 plants in our library.
Blossom end rotBlossom end rot is a calcium and watering disorder, not a pathogen, so it cannot spread from plant to plant. Affects 5 plants in our library.
Damping offDamping off is a soil fungus that rots seeds and seedlings at or below the soil line, toppling them just after they emerge. Affects 5 plants in our library.
Mosaic virusMosaic viruses mottle leaves with light and dark patches and distort growth on cucurbits, tomatoes, beans and capsicum. Affects 2 plants in our library.
Bacterial spotBacterial spot is a bacterial disease of tomatoes and capsicum that peppers leaves and fruit with small dark spots. Affects 1 plants in our library.
Sooty mouldSooty mould is a black fungus that grows on the sticky honeydew dropped by aphids, scale, whitefly and mealybugs. Affects 1 plants in our library.
Know before it strikes. The free Planting Season app shows the pests to watch for on each plant you grow, by region.