Visible pests or suspicious leaf spots on your ghost plant should be addressed early. Use the signs below to identify the problem and choose the right treatment.
White, cottony fluff tucked into leaf joints and along stems, sometimes with sticky residue.
The fix
1
Test isopropyl alcohol of 70% or less on a small part of the plant first and wait 1–2 days to check for leaf damage.
2
Then dab each one with a cotton swab dipped in it.
3
If you use a neem product made for houseplants, follow its label.
More about this
Test the spray on one leaf and wait two days before treating the whole plant, and skip any plant the label warns against. Check weekly: they hide.
Other possible causes
Not a match? Compare the signs below to find the one you have.
Scale
Small, brown, limpet-like bumps stuck to stems and the undersides of leaves, often with sticky honeydew.
The fix
1
Scrape them off gently with a fingernail or old toothbrush, then treat with a neem or horticultural-oil product made for houseplants, as its label directs, and keep checking.
2
Test the spray on one leaf and wait two days before treating the whole plant, and skip any plant the label warns against.
Fine webbing in the leaf joints, tiny moving dots, and a stippled, dusty look to the leaves.
The fix
1
Dab the leaves and stems clean with a damp cloth rather than rubbing them, give the plant good airflow, and treat with an insecticidal soap or neem product made for houseplants, repeating as its label directs until they are gone.
2
Test the spray on one leaf and wait two days before treating the whole plant, and skip any plant the label warns against.
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