What's eating my elephant garlic?

Elephant garlic faces the same threats as other alliums: onion thrips rasp foliage silver, leek moth caterpillars tunnel into bulbs, and allium leaf miner bores stems. Deer and rabbits usually leave it alone due to its strong scent. Inspect regularly and rotate plots annually to break pest cycles.

Silver-streaked, distorted leaves; tiny black frass specks visible on foliage. Remove heavily infested leaves; spray with insecticidal soap or spinosad. Encourage lacewings and predatory mites. Avoid overhead watering that displaces natural predators.

Larvae mine into leaves and tunnel into developing bulbs, causing rotting and die-back. Cover crops with fine insect mesh from planting. Remove and destroy affected plants. Use Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) sprays on young caterpillars.

Rows of white feeding punctures on leaves; maggots tunnel stems and bulbs, allowing rot fungi entry. Use fine mesh netting as a physical barrier during adult fly windows (spring and autumn). Destroy infected plant material promptly; do not compost.