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Fuzzy white spots
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Fuzzy white spots


Help! My dracaena has a huge patch of fuzzy white growth on it. It can be wiped off pretty easy and I saw some floating in the air. It’s concentrated in one place on the plant and I can see smaller spots on other leaves. This is my first indoor plant that’s not a succulent so I’m new to caring for it.
I live where the weather is pretty dry, mild winters and summers. She gets indirect sunlight all day with a little direct sunlight in the evenings.
Any idea what this is and what I should do?

by Dangerous-Pen-257

20 Comments

  2. therabyss

    Those are mealy bugs, physical removal with diluted alcohol or insecticidal soap and a q-tip or microfiber cloth is ideal. This is a pretty large infestation so your plant may not make it. Make sure to separate it from the rest of home plants so it doesn’t spread. I’d spray it with Jack’s dead bug or neem oil afterwards and use bonide systemic pesticide in the soil.

  3. realgalahad

    Mealybugs. Isolate from other plants first and spray it down with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Wipe off the concentrated spots with cotton dipped in isopropyl alcohol. Give it a good shower after treating. This has to be done for multiple weeks as long as you keep seeing mealybugs. Since the infestation looks a bit advanced, I’d also look into insecticidal soap and adding systemic granules to the top layer of soil.

  4. straylight_2022

    Zoom in really close and you will see the fuzzy growth are actually insects.

    They can be very difficult to get rid of and spread easily. That infestation looks like it has been going for quite some time. The plant is likely a goner.

  5. huckleberryfresh928

    For this type of dracaena?! Oof! I have this 1, if it were in this condition, it would find the landfill Monday.

  9. Affectionate_Tax6286

    Get it out of your house in a bag those are mealy bugs and they will spread to every plant you have put that thing in a trash bag and spray the hell out of it with bug spray if you wanna keep it! But I’d say it’s gonna be a rough Rd.

  12. vix666en

    If I were you I would toss it! Mealy bugs are no joke

  13. guiom2959

    It happened to me quite a few times.
    So… put in a bathtub if you have, put some plastic film around the pot so that no water enter into the pot then, shower these things off!!! Give it a good long shower, so that mostly will disappear. Then, use a mix of water and alcohol and or black soap and spray on the leaves everywhere. On the surface of the soil too. Let it a few minutes and rince. Give it a try.
    It can work. I did it 2/3 times.

  14. Patient-Ride7089

    That appears to be a severe mealybug infestation. I would recommend treating the plant with a solution of 70% alcohol and soapy water, ensuring thorough coverage, and allowing it to sit for at least 10 minutes. Subsequently, I would submerge the entire plant underwater in a bathtub for 20 minutes to eradicate the mealybugs. Having experienced a similar issue previously, I resorted to this method after losing most of my plants, and it successfully salvaged some of the remaining ones.

  15. depraved_onion

    NEEM OIL! Its the only thing that worked for me. Seriously use it

  17. Deanne-Dennis

    Mealy Bugs use 70% Isopropyl Alcohol on a Cotton Ball & Wipe it all over refresh, repeat & quarantine.

  18. TrickImplement5351

    Probably you should burn your house.

    Otherwise, GARBAGE (don’t compost this mofo) and a super thorough check of any other plants

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