Most Common Rutabaga Pests & Diseases

You want to know how to control rutabaga pests and plant diseases in your garden or on your balcony?

Make sure to check out all the simple but yet effective ways to get rid of rutabaga pests and diseases in this article!

Rutabaga Pests

Pest	How to control it
Caterpillars	Caterpillars are quite common when growing rutabaga. Fortunately, there are easy ways how to get rid of caterpillars in your garden.
Loopers	Loopers may try to feed on turnips as well. Hence, also make sure to find some information on how to control loopers.
Cutworms	Cutworms may also be present when growing turnips. Thus, also get some tips on how to control cutworms in your garden.
Flea beetles	Flea beetles may also do great damage to rutabagas. You can get rid of flea beetles using insecticidal soap or pesticides from the garden center.
Nematodes	Nematodes may also become a problem when growing rutabaga. You can control nematodes using pesticides or you can also try to deter them using neem oil.
Aphids	Aphids may also harm the growth of rutabaga plants. Hence, also make sure to inform yourself on how to control aphids in your garden.
Wireworms	Wireworms are also often present when growing rutabaga. You can get rid of them using pesticides from the garden center.
Maggots	Maggots may also try to feed on turnips. Hence, make sure to get some tips on how to get rid of maggots.
Whiteflies	Whiteflies are also pretty common on rutabaga plants. Thus, also get some useful tips and tricks on how to control whiteflies in your garden.
Cabbage fly	Cabbage flies may also feed on rutabagas. You can get rid of them using insecticidal soap or pesticides.
Snails and slugs	Slugs and snails also often feed on rutabaga plants. Hence, also inform yourself on how to get rid of snails and slugs.

Rutabaga Diseases

Disease	How to control it
Plant mold	Mold is quite common on rutabaga plants if you don’t care for them properly. Fortunately, there are easy ways to control plant mold.
Rust	Rust may also become an issue on turnip plants. Hence, also make sure to inform yourself on how to deal with plant rust.
Leaf spot	Leaf spot is another common problem when it comes to growing rutabaga at home. Thus, also get some information on how to get rid of leaf spot.
White spot	White spot may also occur on rutabaga plants. You can get rid of it using liquid copper.
Bacterial blight	Blight may also be present when growing rutabagas at home. Hence, also get some information on how to get rid of blight on your plants.
Anthracnose	Anthracnose may also do great damage to turnips. You can get rid of it using fungicides from the garden center.
Damping-off	You can prevent the damping-off of rutabagas by improving germination conditions as best as possible, including lighting and soil conditions.
Clubroot	Clubroot often occurs if you water plants too often. Hence, slow down your watering schedule and also add some fertilizer to the soil.
Black rot	Black rot may destroy your entire rutabaga yield. Thus, as soon as you spot black rot, make sure to remove infested plants to avoid the spread of black rot in your garden.
Downy mildew	Downy mildew is a pretty common plant disease and also often present when growing turnips. You can get rid of downy mildew using fungicides from the garden center.

Rutabaga Pests & Diseases – Summary List

Pests	Diseases
Aphids	Rust
Loopers	Mold
Caterpillars	Blight
Slugs & snails	Black rot
Flea beetles	Damping-off
Whiteflies	Anthracnose
Cutworms	Clubroot
Nematodes	Downy mildew
Wireworms	Leaf spot
Maggots	White spot
Cabbage flies

How to deal with Rutabaga Pests & Diseases?

Now that you know how to control rutabaga diseases and pests in an easy but yet effective manner, you may also have a look at my turnip grower’s guide and my growing turnip FAQ section to get even more information regarding how to grow rutabaga at home in the best possible manner.

Sources

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

Own experience.