• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

"Sawdust" on some plants

W

wordwiz

It's not sawdust, but that is what it looks like. Sort of white or very light tan in color, about the size of a pinhead. It's on all the plants that have purplish or dark leaves, not on the ones that are mostly green. It doesn't seem to be inhibiting them or anything and I can somewhat knock it off. But what is it, what causes it? More importantly, should I be concerned?

Mike
 
i have had bug eggs on leaves and fungus on dirt that sound like that (is a picture possible?) so i would spray with neem (assuming the plants aren't too young) and if it doesn't go away i say odds are good it's not harmful? unless it's something new and harmful i guess...
is it only on a particular part of the plant or is it kind of uniform?... i'll be honest i'm a little boggled that it's only on some of the plants, maybe you should isolate them for the time being.
 
It's on all the plants tht have purplish leaves but not on the other plants. There is more on the leaves than anyplace else and it seems to be on the soil under those plants also. I'll try to get a couple of photos once the sun comes up.

Mike
 
I am interested to see what they look like Mike..
 
are you just getting over a bug problem? cuz it looks like dead bugs... when i was battling aphids this is exactly what the corpses looked like, they were all kinda stuck to the plant cuz of the soap (then eventually pyrethrin...) but fell off easily. but then again it's so weird that it's only on some of the plants...
 
Looks like it is time for some soapy water! I knew I should have boiled some tomato plants and saved the juice.

Mike
 
wordwiz said:
Here is a very close-up picture, taken last week. Last night, I stirred the top of the soil up just a bit plus sort of shook the plants a bit and today there is far less stuff on the leaves. It seems to fall off fairly easily.
Click to expand...


Did you notice any flying insects around before you noticed the white stuff on the plants? Usually if you shake the plant a little, bunches of white flies will hover around...if it's white flies, and it would be odd to see the nymphs but no adults.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/T/I-HO-TVAP-AD.010.html

http://www.succulents.co.za/succulent-plant-pests/white-fly.php
 
Pam said:
Did you notice any flying insects around before you noticed the white stuff on the plants? Usually if you shake the plant a little, bunches of white flies will hover around...if it's white flies, and it would be odd to see the nymphs but no adults.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/T/I-HO-TVAP-AD.010.html

http://www.succulents.co.za/succulent-plant-pests/white-fly.php
Click to expand...

Pam,

Nothing moves unless I shake the plant and then the stuff falls off. Also, if I take a wet Q-tip and just barely wipe the leaf, it (they?) comes off and doesn't move.

Mike
 
wordwiz said:
Pam,

Nothing moves unless I shake the plant and then the stuff falls off. Also, if I take a wet Q-tip and just barely wipe the leaf, it (they?) comes off and doesn't move.

Mike
Click to expand...


Huh.

Any leaf damage?

Anything above the plants that could have deposited the white fluffies?

And no sign of mealy bugs either, correct?
 
you don't have any asbestos in your house do you Mike?
 
did you use any preventative measures against bugs like neem? cuz to me it looks and sounds like bugs that died and got stuck to the plant. other then that i think maybe you have a new strain of plant that gets dandruff.
 
The plants are in the same room as my table saw and other tools. I haven't down any sawing since the plants have been there but there is still some saw dust in the room, just not close or in a beaten path. There is no ventilation into the room - it's heated by natural convection. Plus, the lights have been almost touching the plants making it nigh impossible for dust or something to settle on them. And since the first bout with aphids I keep a handy bottle of insecticide nearby though I've only used it about twice in the last six weeks.

Except for the plants being extremely bushy for their height they seem to be fine.

Mike
 
An update:

Unless white flies are as tough as sand, this ain't what is on my plants. I managed to get a sample of it on a finger and it did not crumble or squash. I can't see it being airborne, as the plants are covered with lights so no way could stuff settle on the leaves.

Until someone comes up with a better idea, I'm going with the idea it is ghost poop.

Mike
 
Mike...do you have a microscope or some really rad kind of magnification ability?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top