Cabbage: Pests & Diseases
Cabbage is a dependable, cool-season brassica for gardens and allotments, producing tight heads or loose leaves from spring into winter. Healthy plants need firm, fertile soil and steady moisture, but they attract a familiar range of brassica pests and can suffer badly where club root is established.
Common pests
Cabbage white caterpillars from large and small white butterflies chew ragged holes and can foul heads with droppings. Cabbage moth caterpillars, mealy cabbage aphid and cabbage whitefly also colonise leaves, especially in sheltered plots. Cabbage root fly maggots feed at the roots, causing young plants to wilt. Flea beetles make shot-holes in seedlings, while pigeons can strip exposed plants quickly.
Common diseases
Club root is the most troublesome soil-borne disease, causing swollen, distorted roots, stunting and wilting, particularly in wet acidic ground. Downy mildew produces pale patches and greyish growth beneath leaves. White blister causes raised white pustules, while powdery mildew coats foliage later in the season. Ringspot makes dark target-like marks, and black rot can yellow leaf edges and blacken veins.
Prevention
Rotate cabbage and all other brassicas onto fresh ground for several years. Test acidic soil, add lime where needed, and improve drainage to reduce club root risk. Choose club-root-resistant varieties where the disease is known. Space plants generously for airflow, plant firmly, clear crop debris promptly and clean tools between beds. Fine insect-proof netting or mesh from planting is the single most effective preventive measure.
Non-chemical control
Check under leaves twice weekly and rub off butterfly eggs before they hatch; hand-pick caterpillars and dispose of them away from the crop. Keep fine mesh securely pegged down to exclude butterflies, pigeons, whitefly and cabbage root fly. Fit brassica collars around stems at planting. Encourage birds, hoverflies and parasitic wasps with mixed flowering plants, and water wilting young plants while roots recover.
What to look for
From transplanting onwards, inspect seedlings for flea-beetle shot-holes, root-fly wilting and pigeon damage. Between late spring and autumn, lift netting regularly to look for eggs, caterpillars, aphid colonies and whitefly. Check roots of any stunted plant for club root, and examine leaves after damp weather for mildew or ringspot.
Tips
Harvest firm heads before they split, cutting just above the lowest leaves. Do not compost club-rooted roots or heavily diseased foliage at home. A well-firmed plant with netting in place usually needs far less intervention than an unprotected crop.
Cabbage pests & diseases: frequently asked questions
What are the common pests of cabbage?
Cabbage white caterpillars from large and small white butterflies chew ragged holes and can foul heads with droppings.
What diseases affect cabbage?
Club root is the most troublesome soil-borne disease, causing swollen, distorted roots, stunting and wilting, particularly in wet acidic ground.
How do I prevent pests and diseases on cabbage?
Rotate cabbage and all other brassicas onto fresh ground for several years.
General guidance for UK home gardens, focused on prevention and non-chemical control. The RHS or a local garden centre can help with tricky cases. Page updated 19 Sep 2026.