What pests attack bok choy?

Cabbage moth, Cabbage root fly, Cabbage white caterpillars, Diamondback moth, Flea beetles

What diseases affect bok choy?

Bacterial soft rot, Clubroot, White mould (Sclerotinia)

Bok Choy pests and diseases: how to recognise them

Q: Which bok choy problems need quick action?

Cabbage moth: Young caterpillars feed in groups on the undersides of leaves and skeletonise them; they feed at night. Bacterial soft rot: Slimy ooze and a strong, foul smell from the rotting tissue. Clubroot: Roots massively swollen and distorted into clubs, with few fine roots left. White mould (Sclerotinia): Masses of fluffy white, cotton-like mould on the affected parts, especially in cool, damp weather.

Brassica rapa

The pests, diseases and disorders recorded for bok choy in our library, each with a photo and its first symptom. Every page has the full list of symptoms, organic and chemical treatment and prevention.

At a glance

Problems in total	8
Pests	5
Diseases	3
Need quick action	4

How to grow bok choy · All pests and diseases

Pests

Cabbage mothYoung caterpillars feed in groups on the undersides of leaves and skeletonise them; they feed at night.Photo: picture taken by Olaf Leillinger, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Cabbage root flyWhite, legless maggots up to 9 mm long feed on the roots and stem base; the tunnels let rots in.Also called: cabbage maggot, cabbage flyPhoto: James K. Lindsey, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cabbage white caterpillarsLarge white — yellow-and-black caterpillars with obvious hairs, feeding in groups mostly on the outer leaves; clusters of yellow, skittle-shaped eggs.Also called: large white, cabbage butterflyPhoto: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Diamondback mothSmall green caterpillars, up to about 1 cm, tapered at both ends; when touched they wriggle violently or drop and hang on a silk thread.Photo: Please report references to olei@despammed.com ., CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Flea beetlesTiny beetles, 2–3 mm, black or metallic green or blue, some with a yellow stripe, that jump away when the plant is disturbed.Photo: Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth!, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Diseases

Which bok choy problems need quick action?

These spread or do lasting harm fast; check the plants and start treatment the day you see them.

Cabbage moth: Older caterpillars bore into the hearts of cabbages, so damage shows when the head is cut.
Bacterial soft rot: Whole roots, tubers, bulbs, heads or fruit can collapse within a few days, often leaving only the skin — in the garden and in storage.
Clubroot: Growth and yield are badly reduced, and severely affected plants may die.
White mould (Sclerotinia): Later, hard black seed-like bodies (sclerotia) 0.5–1 cm across in the mould and inside hollow stems.

Plants with many of the same problems

Which plants each problem affects: sources

The links between these problems and the plant were checked against these pages.