Problems with your indoor plants? Here’s three commonly found issues…so let’s brainstorm, there’s bound to be a remedy.
Browning leaves:
This is a vexing problem, normally related to watering. Problem is, it’s either too wet or too dry, but they look very similar. Too wet (or not draining freely) almost looks like a water stain on the leaf and tends to have brown tips or the sides of the leaves that are still flexible and bendy, whilst too dry and these brown tips and edges are more likely to be brittle and break.
Solution – make sure your plant is being adequately watered AND can drain freely, sitting up above any saucer with pebbles.
Spots on the leaves:
Do the spots pick off? If they do, they are probably scale insects, which come in a number of forms but tend to look like tiny barnacles.
Solution – use some Eco oil on plants that are tolerant (this excludes ferns and fury leafed plants)
Are the spots impossible to budge? It’s possible you have some sort of fungal or bacterial infection.
Solution - Take a good photo of the damaged leaves, or bring in a sample in a sealed see through bag, and we can ID it for you and recommend a treatment.
White cotton wool-like fluff on my plants:
Indoor plants are prone to attack by an insect called mealy bug. It looks like white fluff, and is normally located in the leaf axis or on the main veins, though can sometimes also be in the soil. Black sooty mould will sometimes also be present ‘growing’ on the sticky secretions these guys leave. They affect the plants vigour as they are literally sucking out the sap from it, and the black mould can affect the plants’ ability to photosynthesise.
Solution – Use a cotton bad to remove as many insects as you can see. Wipe down the foliage with soapy water to remove any sooty mould and spray with Eco oil.