🥬 Cabbage How hard it is to control: ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Cabbage aphid

The aphid Brevicoryne brassicae forms grey-green, waxy-coated colonies in the heart of the plant and on leaf undersides. It sucks sap and, along the way, transmits brassica viruses.

Symptom photos

Cabbage aphid — Close-up of a mealy cabbage aphid colony — waxy coating and a winged adult — Close-up of a mealy cabbage aphid colony — waxy coating and a winged adult Photo: Sanjay Acharya, licence CC BY-SA 4.0

Cabbage aphid — Heavy infestation on kale — dense colony covered in white wax — Heavy infestation on kale — dense colony covered in white wax Photo: Schlaghecken Josef, licence CC BY-SA 4.0

Cabbage aphid — Early colonisation — a small aphid colony at the base of a broccoli leaf vein — Early colonisation — a small aphid colony at the base of a broccoli leaf vein Photo: Schlaghecken Josef, licence CC BY-SA 4.0

Symptoms

Dense, grey-green colonies covered in a white waxy bloom
Colonies concentrated in the heart of the plant and under the leaves
Leaves curling and puckering
Pale flecking and mottling of the blade where the aphids feed
Sticky honeydew followed by black sooty mold

What it does to the crop

Growth checked and heads deformed
Heads contaminated with aphids that are hard to wash out
Transmission of brassica mosaic viruses
Reduced market quality of the crop

What encourages it

Warm, dry weather in July and August
Too much nitrogen and lush, soft leaves
Other brassicas and brassica weeds nearby
No beneficial insects around the crop

Prevention

Check leaf undersides regularly from June
Sow nectar plants for ladybirds and hoverflies
Cover young plants with fleece
Remove brassica weeds from around the bed
Keep nitrogen feeding moderate

⚠️ Before you reach for a spray

This atlas is informational and still growing — different diseases can look almost identical. Confirm the diagnosis and read the product label before applying any plant protection product. If you are unsure, ask your local extension or advisory service.

Keep the disease atlas with you in the garden

In the app you can identify a disease from photos, work out the spray dose for your own bed and log the treatment in your task calendar. Free, no sign-up, works offline.

Open the atlas in the app →

📅 When to Sow Cabbage? →