Tiny Holes in Radish Leaves — Flea Beetles
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GardenSays
Best match: Flea beetles. Manageable if you act.
- Best match
- Flea beetles
- Severity
- Minor
- Causes checked
- 1
Based on small holes in leaves on the lower leaves with moist soil, the closest match is flea beetles. Confirm it against the actual plant: Many small, round, shot-hole-like holes across the leaf, worst on young spring seedlings.
- This is a symptom-pattern match from your written description, not a lab diagnosis. If the plant is collapsing over days (not weeks), treat it as the worst plausible cause until ruled out.
Do this this week
- 1.Confirm it first: Many small, round, shot-hole-like holes across the leaf, worst on young spring seedlings.
- 2.Row cover from planting until seedlings are established; flea beetles are worst on small plants and matter less once radishes size up.
- 3.Collapsing fast (days, not weeks)? Photograph it and check with your county extension before treating
Calculated result · 2 verified sources · Checked 2026-07-17 · How we decide
Why
What to do: Row cover from planting until seedlings are established; flea beetles are worst on small plants and matter less once radishes size up.
- A symptom tree ranks causes by how well your conditions match each cause's known pattern — the distinguishing signs are how you confirm it on the actual plant, not a lab result.
- Most leaf problems trace to water, weather, or common leaf-spot fungi; true plant-killers are rarer but worth ruling out first.
When this doesn't apply
- If the plant is collapsing fast (days, not weeks), treat it as the most severe possibility on the list until proven otherwise.
- Multiple symptoms at once usually means the top cause here plus plain stress — fix watering first, then re-check.
How this was calculated
- 1. SymptomSource guidance
Radish: small holes in leaves — 1 known cause evaluated (extension-sourced)
- 2. Your conditionsCalculated result
Location on plant: lower; soil: moist. Causes whose known pattern matches these conditions rank higher — this narrows the list, it doesn't identify anything.
- 3. 1. Flea beetlesmatch score 1Calculated result
Distinguishing signs: Many small, round, shot-hole-like holes across the leaf, worst on young spring seedlings.
Data sources
- University of Minnesota Extension — Flea beetles — Crucifer flea beetles feed on radishes and other crucifers, causing small, round, irregular holes in foliage. A bigger problem early in spring when radishes are young. (checked 2026-07-17)
- University of Minnesota Extension — Cabbage and onion maggots — Root maggots feed on the roots of several crucifer plants including radishes; infested plants appear discolored, wilted or stunted, and damage can kill young plants. (checked 2026-07-17)
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