Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Vegetable > Spinach > Plant wilts
Spinach > Whole plant > Plant wilts
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Root Rot Complex
Pythium spp., Rhizoctonia solani, Aphanomyces cochlioides
- Leaves turn yellow and eventually wilt
- Roots have dark sunken areas and few or no root hairs
- Fluffy, white to grayish brown fungal growth may be present on rotted areas of the root
- More information on Root Rot Complex
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Flea Beetles
Disonycha xanthomelas, Systena blanda, and Phyllotreta spp.
- Heavy feeding may cause wilting
- Adult feeding on leaves creates shallow pits and small, irregular holes giving it a "shot hole" appearance
- Adults are small (1/16 to 1/8 inch long), and vary in color from black, bronze, bluish, or brown to metallic gray, while some species have stripes
- Present throughout the growing season
- More information on Flea Beetles
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Green Peach Aphid and Turnip Aphid
Myzus persicae, Lipaphis erysimi
- Feeding by larger numbers of aphids can cause curling, stunting, and wilting of leaves
- Feeding by small or moderate numbers of aphids usually does not cause visible symptoms;
- Small insects (1/10th inch long), pear-shaped, usually greenish; clustered on underside of leaves
- Active during spring and summer
- More information on Green Peach Aphid and Turnip Aphid
