Is this spider mites webbing? What should I do? You should check the plant for spider mites.

A) Situate a piece of white paper under the leaves so it lies flat, then jar or tap the leaves several times with a finger, forceful enough to dislodge mites but not so forceful that you injure the leaves. You should be able to see moving mites against the white background iof they are present.

B) Use a 10X or greater magnifying device to look for mites on the plant. Look first on the underside of leaves where the least amount of light reaches. and near any dark places a light-sensitive mites might consider to be a good hidey-hole.

If you find mites, spritz at 4-day intervals with a 2:1 mix of water and 70% rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol. Be sure to cover the plant entirely with the mist, including the undersides of leaves and leaf axils.

Al

Thanks Al! Did both and fortunately found nothing. What might be that weird webbing tho?

I've heard water & dish soap can also work against them, is that true?

I've heard water & dish soap can also work against them, is that true? Since dish "soaps" are actually dish detergents with a mishmash of phytotoxic ingredients (Dawn as no fewer than 11 chemicals which can be fatal to plants), the greater questions are what is the cost of using them? or how much damage to the plant are you willing to tolerate in order to get rid of something that as of yet is unidentified? Something I wrote about using detergents or household cleaners on plants.

Detergents

The advice to use solutions of dishsoaps/ detergents is short-sighted for a number of reasons. Dawn, Palmolive, Joy, ...... dishsoap, as an example, are each and all a mishmash of chemicals, at least eleven of which are phytotoxic. If the above-ground parts of a plant is sprayed thoroughly with even mild detergent solutions such that all surfaces including leaves are covered, the detergent can easily dissolve the protective coating of cuticular wax on the leaves of the plant. Since these waxes have evolved to 1) prevent leaves from excessive water loss 2) provide a protective barrier to fungal and bacterial pathogens which denies them a pathway by which to enter the plant 3) acts as a sunscreen to protect the plant from harmful UV rays 4) act as a deterrent to some forms of insect herbivory. Some solutions will even dissolve cell membranes, causing death of cells.

If a detergent solution is used as a soil drench or makes its way into the soil as a consequence of over-spray or run-off, the effect on roots is immediate. Because one of the main function of roots is to absorb water and nutrients dissolved in water, they lack the waxy protective coating that benefits leaves. Detergent solution in contact with root cells can quickly dissolve the lipid membrane surrounding cells, killing the cells and inhibiting water/ nutrient uptake. Hair cells growing as appendages off larger roots do the lion’s share of assimilating water and nutrients, and these very delicate cells would be the first casualty of any detergent in the root zone.

There are widely available insecticidal soaps, designed to be used topically and made mixing potassium with only long chain fatty acids, carefully selected and specifically formulated to be safe for mammals & birds, death on most insects they contact, and most important, safe for plants. If you need something "soapy", it would be much better if you selected a product intended for use on plants than one intended for other purposes; and, it doesn't matter how many growers attest to the fact they've used it for a hundred years with no problems. If 50 million people practice an imprudent measure not recognizing it's imprudent, it's still imprudent.

While a water/ dishsoap solution might rid the plant of some insect pest, it can also leave the plant much more vulnerable to the next wave of insect predation, more vulnerable to fungal/ bacterial pathogens, at greater risk from solar damage, and limit the plant's ability to remain appropriately hydrated because of increased evaporative water loss.

Al