Most Common Leek Pests & Diseases

You need support to get rid of leek pests and diseases in your garden?

Make sure to check out all the simple but yet effective ways to control leek plant diseases and pests in this article!

Table of Contents

Leek Pests

Pest	How to control it
Leek moth	Moths are a major issue when growing leeks. You can get rid of moths by using insecticidal soap or spraying neem oil onto the leaves of your plants.
Caterpillar	Caterpillars are also quite common on leek plants. Thus, make sure to find tips on how to control caterpillars.
Looper	Similar to caterpillars, loopers may also do great damage to leek plants. Hence, make sure to also inform yourself about how to get rid of loopers in your garden.
Bugs	There are also several bugs that will be present near leek plants. You can get rid of those bugs by using diatomite, insecticidal soap or neem oil.
Leaf miners	Leaf miners may also try to feed on leek plants. You can control leaf miners by using insecticidal soap or other pesticides.
Thrips	Thrips may also be present when growing leeks. Hence, also make sure to get information on how to get rid of thrips on garden plants.
Maggots	Although rare, maggots may also try to feed on leek plants. Thus, also get some information on how to control maggots in your garden.
Slugs	Slugs and snails may also take a bite of leeks. Hence, make sure to also inform yourself on how to get rid of snails and slugs.

Disease	How to control it
Plant rust	Rust may become an issue when growing leeks. Thus, make sure to inform yourself on how to get rid of rust on garden plants.
Mold	Mold is quite common on leeks if you don’t assure good air circulation. Hence, make sure to also get detailed information on how to get rid of plant mold.
Damping-off	You can prevent the damping-off of your seedlings by improving germination conditions and making sure that you water the seeds less often.
Leaf spot	Leaf spot may also become an issue while growing leek. Hence, make sure to also get some information on how to get rid of leaf spot on your plants.
Blight	Blight may be another problem you may have to deal with when growing leeks. Therefore, make sure to also inform yourself on how to control blight.
Pink root	Pink root may also occur on leek plants. You can control pink root by improving soil conditions, watering leeks less often and you may also want to try some pesticides.
Downy mildew	Downy mildew may be another issue when growing leeks at home. You can control downy mildew by using fungicides from the garden center.
White rot	White rot may lead to the decay of leek plants. However, there is no easy treatment for it and you should rather get rid of infested plants as soon as possible to avoid the spread of diseases in your garden.
Purple blotch	Since purple blotch is a fungal disease, you can get rid of it by using a suitable fungicide from the garden center.

Now that you know how to treat leek pests and diseases, you may also want to have a look at my growing leek FAQ section and my leek grower’s guide on how to grow leeks from seed to harvest step-by-step.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leek

Own experience.