What's wrong with my flowers and fruit?

A ripe apple on the tree with a hole eaten by birds

Sometimes the cause is obvious, but damage could also have been inflicted months ago, with the effects only showing now.

Take a look at our visual identification guide as we help you answer the question, 'what's wrong with my plants?', below.

Earwig holes

Ragged holes in petals made by earwigs. Dahlias are susceptible. Trap in a hay-stuffed upturned pot to create an earwig trap.

Codling moth

Tunnels in apples/pears made by the caterpillars of codling moths, as fruit ripens. Set up pheromone traps in May.

More like this

Codling moth apple damage — Pruning off an immature apple that has been tunnelled by a codling moth caterpillar

Rose balling

Rain then hot sun dries outer petals, preventing the rose buds opening. If you spot rose bloom balling, remove the affected buds promptly.

Slug grazing on fruit

Slugs eat holes inside or outside fruit, causing distortion. Watch for slugs at night and set beer traps.

Slug damage to pepper — A ripening chilli pepper with a hole eaten by slugs

Wasp holes

Wasps eat into soft fruits, such as plums, or enlarge bird damage in apples/pears. Enclose the best fruit in muslin bags.

Wasp eating plum fruits — A wasp eating a plum

Disfigured by virus

Distorted, streaked or unopened blooms and leaves, caused by a virus. This includes canna virus (pictured). Spread by sap-suckers. Remove and destroy plant.

Canna virus on flower — A canna flower with petals damaged by canna virus

Rhododendron bud blast

Unopened rhododendron buds go brown. Fungal disease spread by leafhoppers. Pick off buds to reduce the spread.

Apple sawfly

Sawfly maggots tunnel into fruits, causing scarring or fruitlet drop. Spray straight after petal fall, but no later.

Slug grazing on flowers

Uneven holes eaten in blooms during the night. Sometimes trails. Cut off blooms and set up traps.

Slug damage on flowers — Holes in and slug trails on a marigold flower

Fasciation

Fasciation produces distorted stems or flowers and is caused by frost, infection or mutation. Safely ignored, but cut off the stem if you’re bothered by it.

Bird pecking

Berries partly or completely eaten; holes pecked in large fruits. Use cages or netting to keep birds off.

Apple fruit with bitter pit and bird damage — A ripe apple on the tree with a hole eaten by birds

Quick fix solutions

Inspect plants regularly. Picking off infected parts or pests early on can prevent a major infestation
Barriers and deterrents stop further damage. Net soft fruit or put up bird scarers such as a scarecrow
Trap or kill earwigs and slugs or hand-pick by torchlight
Pick and bin damaged fruits or flowers to avoid secondary infections such as mould

Long-term solutions

Prevention is better than a cure, so grow soft fruit in cages, and set traps or deter pests early on
Clear weeds and dead/dying growth as they harbour pests, particularly slugs
Keep fruit of the ground and use snail barriers or copper tape around plants
Stressed plants are more susceptible to disease, so mulch and feed in winter and water when dry