Problems
Ants
Ants do not damage plants directly but sometimes steal freshly sowed seed from garden beds and seed boxes.
Bamboo
To stop bamboo spreading uncontrollably, plant bamboo pieces for your screen or hedge in a trench lined on either side with sheet metal or hardboard.
Brown Patch
Brown patch is a fungal disease of lawns which enters through the root system.
Cabbage Moth Cabbage Butterfly
There are many types of caterpillars which are usually the larval (caterpillar
of a grub) stage of moths such as cabbage moth (Plutella xylostella)and small
…
Carrot Rust Fly
The larvae of carrot rust fly burrow into the roots of carrots and parsnips, and weaken related plants like parsley and celery.
Caterpillars
There are many types of caterpillars which are usually the larval (caterpillar or grub) stage of moths and butterflies such as cabbage moth, cabbage white butterfly, potato moth or tomato moth.
Cut Worms
They usually attack seedlings but can also affect soft fruits like strawberries.
Cutworms are more likely to be active after periods of rain. …
Damping Off
Damping off is a term that describes the death of young seedlings or plants that’s caused by a soil fungus. It can also affect lawns.
Downy Mildew
Downy mildew is a fungal disease that causes spots or patches on the top surface of leaves, often with corresponding furry tufts beneath the leaves.
Early Blight
Early blight is a fungal disease that affects tomatoes, potatoes adn their relatives.
Flat Broad Leaf Weeds
Marshmallow, dandelion, cat’s ear, lamb’s tongue, chickweed, plantain, fleabane and dock are some of the common broadleaf weeds found in lawns and home gardens.
Gorse
Gorse is a spiny, weedy shrub that produces masses of yellow pea flowers for months on end.
Grass grubs
Grass grubs are C-shaped larvae that eat the roots of grasses and other plants in the warmer months.
Green Vegetable Bug
The green vegetable bug is bright green in colour and about 1.5cm long in adulthood.
Leaf rollers
Leaf rollers are caterpillars that wrap leaves around themselves and eat the leaves from the safety of this protective shelter.
Lemon verrucosis
Lemon verrucosis causes rough warty lesions on the outer skin of the fruit.
Moss, Algae, Lichen
Algae and moss are usually problems in shaded, over-wet or badly drained and compacted sections of the lawn and garden.
Onehunga Weed
Bindii is an annual weed which looks like a small ferny rosette about 20cm in diameter
Peach Leaf Curl
Leaf Curl is a fungal disease which overwinters in the crevices of the tree bark and around the buds
Pear & Cherry Slug
The female fly lays eggs into the leaves of pears, cherries, apples, … They
then pupate in the soil until the adult flies emerge to begin a new cycle. …
Porina Caterpillar
Porina caterpillars eat lawn grasses. They’re at their most damaging in autumn and early winter.
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungus which spreads a white or ash-grey film over the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves
Rose Black Spot
Leaf spots are easily seen and may be serious on roses, which is very commonly attacked by black spot.
Scale Insects
There are two main groups of scale insects, both of which spend most of their lives as immobile adults under a coating, sucking the sap from stalks, leaves and stems.
Snails and Slugs
Slugs and snails are members of a large group which counts molluscs as its members
Sooty Mould
Sooty moulds are fungi which cover plant leaves, stems and twigs in a black sticky substance.
Thistles
Thistles grow as a rosette of leaves close to the ground from which grow tall stems carrying the flowers.
Thrips
There are 7,400 species of thrips in the world and quite a few are serious pests of plants.
Two Spotted Mite
Tiny pinkish-red mites cluster on the underside of leaves often producing fine webbing.
Corn Ear Worm
Corn ear worm attacks a variety of vegetables including corn, bean, capsicum, pea, potato, squash and tomato plants
Powdery Mildew on Vegetables
Powdery mildew is a fungus which spreads a white or ash-grey film over the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves
Iron Deficiency
Iron deficiency is a plant disorder which can sometimes be confused with manganese deficiency.
Passionfruit Fungal Spots
This is a serious fungous disease, which affects leaves, stems and fruit