Problems with lettuce
Identify what's wrong by where it appears and what you can see.
Where is the problem?
Start by selecting the part of the plant where you see the problem.
Start with the symptom
Or pick from the symptoms most often seen on lettuce.
Common problems with lettuce
The problems recorded on lettuce, the most common first.
15 problems
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Aphids
Small, soft insects clustered on new growth and under leaves, leaving sticky honeydew. -
Grey mould (botrytis)
Fuzzy grey mould on fruit, flowers and damaged leaves, rotting them in cool, damp weather. -
Slugs and snails
Ragged holes in leaves and seedlings gone overnight, with silvery slime trails. -
Bolting (running to seed)
A tall flower stalk from the centre of a leafy crop. The leaves turn bitter and tough. -
Cutworms
Seedlings cut off at soil level overnight, with a fat grey caterpillar curled in the soil nearby. -
Downy mildew
Yellow, angular patches on top of leaves with grey-purple fuzz underneath. -
Heat stress
Afternoon wilting, dropped flowers and stalled fruit in a hot spell, even in moist soil. -
Nitrogen deficiency
Pale, small leaves and slow growth, with the oldest leaves yellowing first. -
Rabbits, deer and other mammals
Plants bitten off cleanly or browsed, with droppings or footprints nearby. -
Underwatering
Crisp, dry leaves and flopping growth in dust-dry soil. The quickest problem to fix. -
Aster yellows
Yellowed, twisted growth, bunched shoots and hairy, bitter roots; spread by leafhoppers. -
Bacterial soft rot and blackleg
Stems black and slimy at the base, or tubers and heads rotting into foul-smelling mush.
