Help with insect/pest infestation indoor plants

7 years ago

Hi there,

I've noticed that 4 of my indoor houseplants (all different plant types) are affected by this white dusty like stuff on the leaves and what looks to be "bite marks" on the edges of the leaves as if someone's been eating at them. They all live on a plant pole stand in a corner of my bedroom and none of the other plants in my room are affected.

I'm under the impression that the white stuff is a sign of powderly mildew but the bites in the leaves make me think that they also have an insect/pest infestation but I can't seem to figure out which bug could be the culprit (I've tried searching on google but just can't find anything that matches up with my plants' appearance). I've seen a good amount of what looks to be brown/black poop pellets on the surface of the leaves as well but no insects observed anywhere on the leaves (I've checked their undersides) or the stems.

So yea not really sure what to make of it all but hoping to get to bottom of it so I can make sure I treat them correctly & thoroughly for whatever insect may be infesting them along with the powderly mildew.

I've attached pictures of the plants for reference.

Any thoughts/comments/advice would be very much welcomed!

Thanks!!

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Comments (8)

getgoing100_7b_nj
7 years ago
Can you post some more pictures of the "bite marks" and the poop pellets. The powdery substance does look like powdery mildew.
Anna Panyutin
Original Author
7 years ago
hi they were in the previous pictures I posted but here's two more that should hopefully help

the poop is in that second picture and really hard to capture in good focus so sorry it isn't great quality
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tina d
7 years ago
Consider throwing out the plants before it spreads. Wash pots with soap if you keep them.
Anna Panyutin
Original Author
7 years ago
I would prefer to attempt treating the plants first before throwing them out cause I'm quite attached to them. Plus I've read of many success stories of people treating their plants and everything being okay so I have high hopes. I have neem oil for the mildew that I will start just trying to figure out if I may need anything more specific for the insect
getgoing100_7b_nj
7 years ago
Go ahead with the neem treatment
Soak the plants thoroughly including the underside of leaves, stems and the surface of the soil. Hopefully the insect would go away too.
Anna Panyutin
Original Author
7 years ago
I read somewhere about doing neem spray every 7 days, would you recommend this as well?

Thanks so much for the tip, definitely hoping for the best!!
tina d
7 years ago
Definitely nicer to treat and save. Obviously I would be concerned about spreading and thinking about sacrificing the four for the rest.
getgoing100_7b_nj
7 years ago
So the neem oil that you were planning to use, you want to know if it should be sprayed weekly? I would just spray once, watch the progress and not hurry with multiple sprays. You could also spray with soda and dish soap. That could solve both the insect and milder issues.