Please help! My pilea has these white spots on the bottom of almost all of its leaves, I panicked and assumed it was mealy bugs, but the pattern on the leaves is very specific on every single leaf, and when Iāve wiped off the white bits, they donāt move, they just feel like salt or sand, something like that. Does anyone know what it is/how to deal with it? Thank you so muchš
Commenting to stay in the loop. Same thing happened to my first one and I lost it! Second one is doing great so far but need to know just in case. Good luck!
2 Likes
Totally normal! Stomata from mineral buildup. I googled once I noticed them on mine, apparently itās pretty common!
10 Likes
Mineral buildup. Thank you for writing these two words, as I forgot about them in the middle of my āis this a bug, or is it pearlite dust that touched Neem and squished in my fingers exactly like a bug.ā š¤š¤
4 Likes Thank you!
1 Like Hahaha my paranoid brain goes to ābug!ā right away tooā¦ I just inspected fluff on an alocasia leaf for like five minutes with my phone flashlight set to max.
0 Likes
Excess water in the plants can cause the same pattern. Too high humidity, overwatering or drafts/cooler temperatures around the plant can cause edema/oedema where the plant pushes out excess water. They can look like water bubbles that burst leaving brown dots/pock marks, raised scar tissue or look like white crystals being pushed out. Itās common in pilea. But, itās still a sign the plant has more water than it needs and canāt release during normal transpiration. High humidity makes it difficult for the plants to transpire. Cooler temperatures or drafts slows the growth (and slows evaporation of water in the soil) and the plant uses less water which leads to edema. Check if the soil is staying wet longer, if the plant is near drafty doors/windows or if the humidity levels are too high.
4 Likes Thanks so much, this is very helpfulš
1 Like
I have the same thing happening and itās from watering issues. Iām getting mine back on track and hopefully these scars and marks will stop on any new growth coming in.
3 Likes
looks like mineral build up. definitely is if you have very hard or softened water and have been using the tap to water your pilea
2 Likes Thank you!
0 Likes