Several of my indoor house plants have a white fluffy/stringy/flaky stuff spreading (pic included), what is it/what do I do?

This is a house plant in central Florida, has never been kept outside and has been healthy and growing for 2+ years. Recently this white stuff started spreading over a few leaves and stems. It's also spreading over another plant that was kept nearby.

I've moved my other plants away from these two: so, what is it, can I treat it? Or do I pitch the plants and start over?

Posted Jun 9, 2012, 1:21 AM UTC

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breadnbuttah•14 yr. ago

You have mealy bugs.

pytechdOP•14 yr. ago

Thanks. Looking at stuff online it definitely looks like them!

turtlebeargirl•14 yr. ago

Wooly aphids.

nerdyrose•14 yr. ago

Mealy bugs! To get rid of them just take a q-tip and dip it in either hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol. Swipe that over the areas the mealy bugs are infesting, switching q-tips every few swabs (or when you don't have any more liquid left on the tip). You may want to do this over a period of a few days to not stress your plant out, but make sure to keep an eye on it after you've treated the whole plant-the mealy bugs will come back for a few weeks still. I've used this method to rid my houseplant of mealy bugs a few months ago.

yskoty•14 yr. ago

You have an aphid infestation.

You CAN get rid of them; here are some tips on how to do so.

The key to getting rid of an aphid infestation is patience. Good luck.