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This is Lucy. I have had her for 3 years. (my first plant) I am still… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta-Community

rosaxv

This is Lucy. I have had her for 3 years. (my first plant) I am still fairly new at being a plant mom. For awhile now, I’ve noticed these sugary, sticky things on the underside of her leaves. A lot of what i’m reading says spider mites but I’ve also read it could be due to tap water? I see tiny specs but they don’t move and almost resemble sugar. I also see tiny hair-like things but I don’t know if it’s webbing or if it’s pet hair? I have 3 dogs and a cat. I have 18 plants I believe? Right next to her and don’t see anything on any of my other plants. If it is spider mites, what should I do? any advice is appreciated.

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8 Kommentare

  1. plantgeek

    if they're sticky, you have aphids. the sticky stuff is called "honeydew", the aphids suck the sap out of the leaves and it leaves residue. neem oil everywhere, use a systemic insecticide to stop them from eating it.

    2 Likes
    • rosaxv

      Thank you!! I did get this from Google: “Take a tiny bit of the sticky residue between your fingers. Natural Ctenanthe sap secretions dry into rigid, crystalline, granular structures that feel exactly like real sugar or coarse salt. Spider mite debris feels soft, dusty, and web-like rather than crystalline.” - - Nothing feels soft.. this is so hard 😭

      1 Like
    • plantgeek

      honeydew dries into solid crystals. definitely aphids

      0 Likes
    • rosaxv

      So you don’t think it’s just from the plant itself? - I will get some neem oil. Do I need to repot it too? Should I jet wash the whole thing? I am so scared now 😭

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    • rosaxv

      “These specific plants are famous for creating these tiny, clear-to-white, sugar-like crystals along the undersides of their leaves. To determine exactly what you are dealing with, look for these key differences: 1. Natural Plant Secretions (Guttation) What it looks like: Tiny, hard, individual salt or sugar crystals scattered across the leaf back, especially near the veins. Why it happens: These plants naturally pump out excess minerals, salts, and sugars through specialized pores to balance themselves. It is completely harmless. How to tell: If the crystals are completely dry, feel like sand or salt, (can be somewhat sticky) and you see absolutely no fine webbing or moving bugs, it is just natural secretion. You can simply wipe them away with a damp cloth.” I’m scared that I do the wrong thing and it stresses her out and kills her.

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  2. Hijo del Planto

    A good trick for identifying spider mites is to breathe hot air on them and see if they start moving. They can’t take the heat, so they’ll get out of the kitchen.

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    • rosaxv

      I don’t see anything on it at all except for these lil crystals 😭 which i’m reading that this plant has a natural thing with doing that.

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  3. Phil

    I had a calathea that did this to the max. I would take it to the shower. Give it a nice long rinse about once a week. Avoid getting water in the soil. It cleans the white crystals and an added bonus is that it gets rid of spider mites. A few showers and spiders mites should be gone.

    1 Like