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A warning about that 'rare' plant you bought online
Last week, I got a plant in the mail from a seller on a big plant swap site. It was labeled as a 'rare variegated philodendron' and cost $75. Within three days, I saw tiny white bugs moving on the stems. I put it in quarantine, but it was too late. Now my whole indoor collection has spider mites. Has anyone else had this happen with plants shipped from Florida lately?
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ruby_murphy1d ago
Feel awful for you, that's a total nightmare. Just wanted to mention, spider mites are usually almost too small to see as individual bugs moving around. Those tiny white bugs on the stems sound more like mealybugs or maybe even thrips. The treatment is different, so a correct ID is key before you start spraying everything. I've had both hitchhike in on new plants, and it's always from skipping a proper quarantine period. A solid two weeks alone with some preventative treatment is my non-negotiable rule now.
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thea_chen1d ago
My fiddle leaf fig had those same white dots last year and I just wiped them off with a damp cloth every few days. They never came back, so maybe it's not always a full scale invasion like @ruby_murphy describes. I get the quarantine idea, but two whole weeks of preventative spraying seems like a lot of work for a problem I might not even have.
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