What's eating my bacopa 'snowtopia'?

Bacopa 'Snowtopia' is most troubled by aphids and whitefly, which colonise the soft shoot tips. Outdoors in containers, slugs and snails can shred foliage overnight. Red spider mite strikes in hot, dry spells. Act early — dense trailing stems make infestations hard to spot until populations are large.

Clusters of small soft insects on new growth; sticky honeydew residue; distorted or stunted shoot tips. Blast off with a strong water jet; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil spray every 5–7 days until clear. Encourage ladybirds and lacewings.

Tiny white-winged insects that flutter when foliage is disturbed; yellowing leaves with sticky deposits and sooty mould. Use yellow sticky traps to monitor; spray with insecticidal soap or pyrethrin early morning. Repeat weekly for 3–4 weeks.

Fine pale mottling on leaves; bronze or silver cast to foliage; fine webbing on stems in severe cases. Increase humidity around plants; spray undersides of leaves with water regularly. Use acaricide or neem oil if mites persist.

Irregular ragged holes in leaves and stems, most noticeable after damp nights; silvery slime trails. Use copper tape around pots; apply iron-phosphate slug pellets around containers. Hand-pick at dusk.