Why do my potatoes have scab on them this year?
Our Advice
Common scab is caused by a bacterium called Streptomyces scabies and it is always worse when soil conditions are dry as the tubers form. As well as keeping plants well watered, consider choosing cultivars which show some resistance, such as; 'Accent', 'Arran Pilot', 'Juliette', 'Golden Wonder', 'Pentland Crown' and 'Pentland Javelin'.
Ask Another Gardening Question
Not what you were looking for? If you can't find an answer on the website, you can contact our experts directly and we'll do our best to help.
Learn More About Pests & Diseases
Angle shades moth
Anthracnose
Box blight
Box tree caterpillar
Canker — Bacterial
Canker — Bleeding
Canker — Fungal
Capsids
Centipedes
Chafer grubs
Coral spot
Cutworms
Earthworms
Earwigs
Eelworms (leaf & stem)
Eelworms (soil-borne)
Froghopper
Fuchsia gall mite
Garden Ants
Grey mould
Honey fungus
Leaf cutter bees
Leaf Rolling Caterpillars
Leaf spots — Fungal
Leatherjacket
Lily beetle
Mealy bugs
Mildew — Downy
Mildew — Powdery
Millipedes
Pear midge
Phytophthora root rot
Rose Black spot
Rusts
Sawfly — Berberis
Sawfly — Gooseberry
Scale insects
Sciarid flies
Slugs
Snails
Sooty moulds
Thrips
Vine weevil
Whitefly
Wireworms
Woodlice
Woolly aphid