What's eating my salad burnet?

Salad Burnet is exceptionally pest-resistant and largely trouble-free. Its main threats are aphids on new growth and slugs targeting young plants or seedlings. Rabbits will readily eat burnet if given access — the rosette growth habit makes it easy for them to graze. Powdery mildew can affect foliage in dry spells but is not a pest.

Clusters of insects on new shoot tips; sticky honeydew causing sooty mould; slight leaf curl Spray with insecticidal soap or water; encourage beneficial predators; avoid excess feeding that produces lush, aphid-prone growth

Holes in young leaves and seedlings chewed to ground level; slime trails visible Use iron phosphate pellets; protect seedlings with a grit mulch; hand-pick at night

Entire rosettes grazed flat, especially in spring; repeated grazing prevents re-establishment Fit wire mesh guards around individual plants; use rabbit-proof perimeter fencing for beds