Problems with onions
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 onions.
Common problems with onions
The problems recorded on onions, the most common first.
10 problems
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Downy mildew
Yellow, angular patches on top of leaves with grey-purple fuzz underneath. -
Leaf miners
Pale, winding tunnels or blotches inside the leaves. -
Onion fly
Onion leaves yellow and collapse; maggots have eaten into the bulb. -
Onion white rot
Onion and garlic leaves yellow and die; the bulb base is covered in white fluff and black specks. -
Rust
Orange, brown or black powdery pustules on leaves, which yellow and fall. -
Thrips
Silvery, flecked patches on leaves and petals, dotted with tiny black specks. -
Grey mould (botrytis)
Fuzzy grey mould on fruit, flowers and damaged leaves, rotting them in cool, damp weather. -
Birds
Torn, stripped brassica leaves, pecked fruit, and seeds or seedlings pulled from the soil. -
Bolting (running to seed)
A tall flower stalk from the centre of a leafy crop. The leaves turn bitter and tough. -
Fusarium wilt
Leaves yellow and wilt, often on one side first; inside the stem is stained brown.
