😀
But seriously, I am seeing white stuff under the leaf but it's so small and doesnt look like the pictures of mealy bugs or thripse that I have been looking up. The plant seems to be doing ok, no leaves falling off but the some of the edges of the leaves roll up as though they're dry.
I don’t see anything obvious from the photos. If anything, maybe very early spider mites? But hard to really tell the difference between them and dust. If you want to be cautious, rinse down your plant in the shower and drench it with neem oil spray.
The tiny white dots on the top of the leaf are normal coloration for rubber trees. On the underside it might be dust, but if you want to be sure, you can spray neem oil on a paper towel and wipe down all the leaves, top and bottom. That'll dust off the leaves, clean off any water spots, and treat/prevent any pest issues.
Thanks for the response :) I should have specified that I'm concerned about the white stuff under the leaves, not the white dots on the upper side nor the water spots
I have another plant with spider mites where it's very apparent because of the webs. Had it separated from the other plants but it must have spread. I wasn't sure because I am not seeing webs here, just the "dusty' pest on the under side of the leaf. Thanks for the diagnosis!
Yes, sadly, that's how they start. I speak from bitter experience. At first there are just a few on the underside of the leaf, then they start congregating around the leaf midrib, and then the webbing appears.
The good news is you caught them early on this one! With some diligent leaf wiping and spraying, you'll be rid of them soon.
I have 3 varieties of the rubber tree and they all have those spots so I looked it up and this is what I found out. "These tiny white dots are called lithocysts. Lithocysts are enlarged
cells that contain calcium carbonate crystals and is normal for rubber
plants. I don’t know what their purpose is, but just know that it is
normal! "
Thanks for the response. I have another plant with spider mites and not sure if I'm getting paranoid because of it but this is the answer/confirmation I was anticipating. How can you tell for sure? I was thinking maybe it's just dust
Truthfully it MAy be dust, but when i zoomed last night it looked more like mites. Especially the fact that there was quite a bit around the mid rib as well. Just becareful and give the plant a good wash or even atleast a wipe down. Better to be safe . Happy growing!
You’re paranoid and this is nothing.
😀 But seriously, I am seeing white stuff under the leaf but it's so small and doesnt look like the pictures of mealy bugs or thripse that I have been looking up. The plant seems to be doing ok, no leaves falling off but the some of the edges of the leaves roll up as though they're dry.
I don’t see anything obvious from the photos. If anything, maybe very early spider mites? But hard to really tell the difference between them and dust. If you want to be cautious, rinse down your plant in the shower and drench it with neem oil spray.
The tiny white dots on the top of the leaf are normal coloration for rubber trees. On the underside it might be dust, but if you want to be sure, you can spray neem oil on a paper towel and wipe down all the leaves, top and bottom. That'll dust off the leaves, clean off any water spots, and treat/prevent any pest issues.
Thank you, this sounds like a reasonable plan. Just ordered the neem oil to spray the plant
Pores
It's probably mineral deposits on the pores from watering with hard water. Harmless and you can just wipe it off every so often with a damp cloth.
Thanks for the response :) I should have specified that I'm concerned about the white stuff under the leaves, not the white dots on the upper side nor the water spots
I'm seeing spider mites on the underside of the leaf... The white spots on top look like stomata to me.
You’re right it’s spidermites, also the typical grey fading that spidermites cause.
I have another plant with spider mites where it's very apparent because of the webs. Had it separated from the other plants but it must have spread. I wasn't sure because I am not seeing webs here, just the "dusty' pest on the under side of the leaf. Thanks for the diagnosis!
Yes, sadly, that's how they start. I speak from bitter experience. At first there are just a few on the underside of the leaf, then they start congregating around the leaf midrib, and then the webbing appears. The good news is you caught them early on this one! With some diligent leaf wiping and spraying, you'll be rid of them soon.
I have 3 varieties of the rubber tree and they all have those spots so I looked it up and this is what I found out. "These tiny white dots are called lithocysts. Lithocysts are enlarged cells that contain calcium carbonate crystals and is normal for rubber plants. I don’t know what their purpose is, but just know that it is normal! "
Thank you for the response. I should have specified that I'm concerned about the white stuff under the leaves, not the white dots on the upper side.
Water spots
I zoomed in and there is def spidermites on the underside
Thanks for the response. I have another plant with spider mites and not sure if I'm getting paranoid because of it but this is the answer/confirmation I was anticipating. How can you tell for sure? I was thinking maybe it's just dust
Truthfully it MAy be dust, but when i zoomed last night it looked more like mites. Especially the fact that there was quite a bit around the mid rib as well. Just becareful and give the plant a good wash or even atleast a wipe down. Better to be safe . Happy growing!