I’m a novice plant mom. I have 3 plants in my patio. Today while I was watering my plants I saw something strange in my hibiscus plant. I saw white cotton like substance behind a leaf and tiny green bugs on flowers. Can anybody help me understand what these are and how can I get rid of these and keep my plants healthy?
For more info about weather, I live in California and the weather here is getting warmer in the days and are still cold at nights.
by Illustrious-Ant7809
28 Comments
I have never seen this before, but for some reason it makes me really uncomfortable!
I don’t know about the fluffy stuff but the bugs look like aphids. Making a solution of water and dish soap and spraying them will kill them
I think the white things are mealy bugs? Although I’ve never seen this much fluff before! Lowkey looks like cotton candy and my intrusive thoughts would try to lick it
That’s gotta be mold. I’m by no stretch an expert, but that’s the first place my brain went.
No idea what those little bugs could be.
I would trim off any leaves with the fuzzy stuff, remove as many bugs as you can, and treat the rest with diluted hydrogen peroxide. Definitely repot with brand new soil and wash the container/pot beforehand. You can also spray the pot and roots with hydrogen peroxide to be on the safe side.
I can definitely see the bugs on the leaf but I also feel like a cat walked under it and it somehow pulled out a clump of its hair 😅
Burn it
It’s white fly eggs. I’m in SoCal and get these on my salvias. Spraying soapy water does the trick, or if it’s just a few leaves, pluck them off (and burn them).
WHAT THE FUCK?
Do the Mealybugs produce that fluffy stuff?
Edit- I agree with others, second bug is aphids
The fluff is breaking my brain right now…what in the world is that? 🤯
Holy!
This article might be useful…
[https://hydrangeasblue.com/2018/03/28/giant-whiteflies-leave-long-white-fur-on-hibiscus-leaves/](https://hydrangeasblue.com/2018/03/28/giant-whiteflies-leave-long-white-fur-on-hibiscus-leaves/)
Ladybugs eat all those bugs! Would be a good idea to catch a few, release them on your plants and let them help you out.
The bugs on the leaf is mealy bugs, the white hair is also from the mealy bugs, this is probably the worst infestation I’ve ever seen. Yes they can produce that much “fluff” although they don’t normally produce that much lol. This may be a plant you want to toss being that you are new to plant momming. However, if you do not want to do that, you can use an iso alcohol spray with 2 parts water 1 part iso, and spray twice daily once all mealybugs are dead, repot the plant in fresh soil after fully cleansing the roots. It’s a lot of work, but it’s possible. The bugs you see on the flower are a totally different pest called aphids, you can also use the iso spray for them. Going forward to avoid this happening, you may want to keep your plants indoors as outdoor plants will almost always get pests.
Oh, let me get my flamethrower for ya
Your dog has a funny looking leaf attached to it! Not sure if you noticed.
I hate it thanks
I absolutely hate this post 😅😂
OMG WTF IS THAT
The first one looks like woolly aphids. The second one is regular aphids.
This makes me itch. 😭
I have grown hibiscus for more than 20 years and never seen anything like this. I mean the furry stuff. The bugs are aphids, common pest with hibiscus, and can be treated with insecticidal soap.
Babe I think your plant grows muppets.
what kind of plant is it ? Looks like a silk on the back
They are just aphids. Idk what the mold looking stuff is. May be just mold.
The aphids you can spray off with water or diluted dish soap. Or best yet buy some lady bugs 🙂
I shouted “what in gods name?!” I was not ready for the 2nd photo 🤣 I’m so sorry, I hope it’s nothing too detrimental to the plant
Ever watched”Girl with all the Gifts”? It reminds me of that, but in the movie it’s mycelium. I say burn it with fire. There was also an episode of the old school “Twilight Zone “ with a meteor… still, fire!🔥 the fuzz is beyond creepy 😱
I thought it was dog hair 🤣💀