Growing a chrysanthemum indoors because every time I grow them outdoors, I don't water them enough and they die. Recently, I noticed these little blotches of white sparkly(!?) spots over many of the lower leaves of the plant! It's not sticky. Are these thirps? Or something else entirely?
Plant gets water every day, has plenty indirect light most of the day through the window and lots of afternoon sunlight. I haven't fertilized it in a while and it's still growing some new leaves/sprouts.
Thanks!
by cloudbluecheese
4 Comments
Umm as you haven’t got pics of pests I can’t say 100% but I think so. Anytime plant leaves get that silvery vibe its thrips. Fighting my own infestation (9 out of 22 plants). Look at the underside of leaves for moving black dots or the little black poops they leave. Insecticide and systemic granules should be used gently as they can irritate plants.
Neem oil under leaves every 3 days
Spray with a good insecticide (every 4-5 weeks)
Systemic preventative in the water every 6-8 weeks
Blue Sticky trap in pot to catch adults that lay eggs
ANY bugs you see wipe off/remove. Isolate plant from any others. PERSIST!
It is a chore but it keeps thrips away long-term.
PS any new plants you buy isolate for 4 weeks before introducing them to other plants.
Think of them like fleas on animals or the nits we used to get.
Second pic definitely thrips damage. If you need convincing look closely at the dirt as it’s sometimes easier to spot them there. Indoor mums are very susceptible. Learned the hard way. Good luck!
I think it looks like thrips too 🙁 this video has everything you would need to know about eradicating them! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwD9NKFTIhc&ab_channel=Sloan%E2%80%99sCommonGround](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwD9NKFTIhc&ab_channel=Sloan%E2%80%99sCommonGround) I know they seem terrible but they really aren’t as scary as they first seem
Definitely looks like some kind of insect damage, but it’s hard to say for sure. You are going to have to get your eyes on it and really look closely for any insects.
Thrips leave behind distinct droppings – it almost looks like black tar spots. They’ll likely be on the underside of the leaves.
Also watering once a day is a lot – just water the plant when it tells you it needs it. When it starts to droop slightly, then you know it needs water.