Pest identification
What's eating my purple stripe garlic?
Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci)
Signs: Silvery streaks and blotching on leaves; tips brown off in heavy infestations
Control: Spinosad sprays at first sign; remove weeds that harbour thrips; use reflective mulch to disorient adults
Allium leaf miner (Phytomyza gymnostoma)
Signs: Rows of white puncture marks on leaves; larvae tunnel into stems causing wilting
Control: Install fine mesh netting before adult fly peaks (early spring and autumn); destroy affected plant material
Bulb mites (Rhizoglyphus echinopus)
Signs: Soft, corky rot in stored bulbs; reduced vigour in the following season's crop
Control: Hot-water treat seed garlic; store cured bulbs in cool, dry, well-ventilated conditions; practise 3–4 year crop rotation
Keep purple stripe garlic pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Purple Stripe Garlic pests — FAQ
What is eating my purple stripe garlic?
Purple Stripe garlic shares allium pest pressure with other hardneck types. Onion thrips cause the most widespread damage via leaf stippling, while allium leaf miner tunnels stems. Bulb mites rot stored bulbs. Deer and rabbits rarely bother garlic due to its strong sulfur compounds. Row covers and rotation are your best defence.
How do I get rid of onion thrips (thrips tabaci) on purple stripe garlic?
Silvery streaks and blotching on leaves; tips brown off in heavy infestations Spinosad sprays at first sign; remove weeds that harbour thrips; use reflective mulch to disorient adults
How do I get rid of allium leaf miner (phytomyza gymnostoma) on purple stripe garlic?
Rows of white puncture marks on leaves; larvae tunnel into stems causing wilting Install fine mesh netting before adult fly peaks (early spring and autumn); destroy affected plant material
How do I get rid of bulb mites (rhizoglyphus echinopus) on purple stripe garlic?
Soft, corky rot in stored bulbs; reduced vigour in the following season's crop Hot-water treat seed garlic; store cured bulbs in cool, dry, well-ventilated conditions; practise 3–4 year crop rotation