What is this? At first glance I thought it was just dust (I haven’t polished my plants leaves in a while) but I want to make sure it isn’t anything I should be worried about. Checked my other plants in the sill and none have anything like this on the undersides of their leaves. The wisps make me think spider mites???
Definitely spider mites. Any white small “dust” looking things like that, along with webs in the middle of the leaves are spider mites. I’m not sure why crotons are prone to these, these are the only plants I have known personally with spider mites. I had my first rumble with them as well on my croton just like this. I would take it out of the pot, wash any excess dirt on the roots, and dip the entire plant(just a few dips) in a mixture of soap of wayer(look up which type of soap to use) and then repot with all new soil. To keep them away I would recommend creating a mixture of soap and water in a spray bottle to mist the plant every few days. Hope this helped!
2 likes Thank you so much! Should I let the plant dry out before repotting/wipe off the soapy water? I’m worried about the chemicals messing with the leaves. Also, I’ve heard Neem Oil is also good for this (which I have), would you recommend that being a part of the misting routine?
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Neem oil is good. Spray once a week until they are gone. I don’t recommend repotting unless you have a massive infestation you can’t control. Repotting puts additional stress on the plant. Good luck. 🍀 🪴
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