Plant care.

Work out what is wrong with a plant and put it right, from slugs and vine weevil to mildew and yellowing leaves. 6 guides.

Guide categories

Common plant problems
Start with the symptom, not the cure. Work out whether it is a pest, a disease, or a watering, feeding or weather problem, then go to the fix.
Controlling slugs and snails organically
Stop trying to wipe them out. Protect vulnerable seedlings, encourage predators, pick at night, and reach for nematodes if you must. No pellets.
Vine weevil
The notched leaves are a nuisance, not the problem. The white grubs eating roots over autumn and winter are what kill plants, especially in pots, so water in nematodes in late summer and pick adults off at night.
Common plant diseases
Spot the big UK diseases fast, then beat them with hygiene, air flow and resistant varieties; amateur fungicides are now minimal, so prevention does the work.
Organic pest control
Work in order: prevent with healthy soil and good growing, exclude with mesh, encourage predators, use a targeted biological control, pick off the rest, and tolerate a little damage.
Companion planting
A handful of companion-planting ideas genuinely work, most of the famous pairings are unproven folklore, and here is how to tell them apart and use the useful ones.