Diseases
Lettuce drop
Identify Lettuce drop: symptoms, possible causes, prevention, and practical actions for 2 affected plants. Wilting leaves
Editorial diagnosis
Diagnosis overview
Lettuce rot is common during prolonged wet weather, dense planting, and poor airflow. It often starts at the stem base or lower leaves.
In gardens, Lettuce drop can occur on plants including Cichorium endivia, Romaine lettuce. In the available profiles, it is linked mainly with Salads.
Its importance depends on how quickly it spreads and whether seedlings, shoot tips, flowers, or fruit are affected. Conditions that favour it include Wet weather or prolonged leaf wetness, Dense planting and poor airflow, Susceptible cultivars. It becomes serious when the stem base is affected; the plant is usually not recoverable.
Compare upper and lower leaf surfaces, the boundary between healthy and damaged tissue, and spread after wet weather. Coatings, spores, or progressive rot support a disease diagnosis.
A common mistake is to identify a disease from one spot alone; weather, spread, and pathogen structures also need to fit.
At a glance
Plants
2
Category
Salads
Typical signs
- Wilting leaves
- Watery basal rot
- Soft stem base
- Rotten smell
Possible confusion
- Growing problem: Growing problems are usually linked to water, light, temperature, or soil and do not show pathogen growth, pustules, or progressive infection patterns.
- Nutrient deficiency: Deficiency patterns are often more regular and follow leaf age or veins. Diseases more often show spots, coatings, rot, wilting, or pathogen structures.
Immediate actions
- Remove affected plant parts
- Improve airflow
- Avoid overhead watering
- Keep tools clean
- Remove heavily infected plant residues
Prevention
- Use suitable spacing
- Follow crop rotation
- Choose robust cultivars
- Keep leaves dry
- Support soil structure and plant vigour