So this plant has only been inside my apartment since the day my friend brought it over from the grocery store about 2 months ago. It was the only plant in my house and I had it set by the screened window near my desk the whole time. About 5 days ago, I found a very very sick bird of paradise that was practically rotting outside and brought it inside and hosed it off and kept it literally 2 rooms away from my Swiss Cheese plant. I didn't notice any bugs on it or anything like that and still don't see any on it but now my Swiss Cheese has these red bugs on it and also what appears to be little white like worm or eggs on the bottom of the leaves now. Can anyone give me any idea of what they are, whats going on, as in where did these come from and could it have been the bird of paradise I brought inside even tho it was kept 2 rooms away from my Swiss Cheese plant? I do not have a green thumb AT ALL, so I don't even know how to begin to get rid of them and how do I prevent this ever happening again? Any advice is appreciated ! Thank you so much! I have also added a picture of the bird of paradise just in case taking a look at it might help determine if it looks infested and I just don't see it or something. Thanks again!
by AutumnHeathersBetter
1 Comment
Heyo – I’d need to ask a lot more about what could be going on with your Monstera physically, although it does look like most of the spotting and little nicks might just be wear and tear from your plant growing / aging (sometimes referred to as mechanical damage). I will say though, from the pictures of insects you’ve shared it looks like you might have a combination of a few stray aphids on one leaf and what seems to resemble scale on another.
Both insects are super easy to treat and won’t take kindly to an uncomfortable spot, you could probably get away with just taking your plant into the shower and blasting any bugs away with the shower head. If you wanna get some preventative chemicals, neem oil is always a great place to start but it doesn’t look like you’ve got a real bad infestation!
All in all, we’ve seen much worse over here at Willow and I think with a bit of care your plant’s going to be just fine! Happy to give you some more Monstera advice if you need any further help.
– Brocc