I dunno. Mealys are bad enough that I think you're going to need more than soap. Yes, leaving water on fuzzy leaves can make permanent marks on them, especially if the plants are in sun when you get them wet. But, you know, leaving mealybugs on fuzzy leaves is going to kill your plant, and possibly any other plants in the vicinity too (in fact, you should inspect any nearby plants very carefully, I think, because where there's one infestation, there are likely others). So it's kind of a question about whether you want an ugly plant or a dead plant. If it were me, I'd probably be inclined to take a few cuttings and chuck the rest of the plant in the trash: it's not worth fighting mealybugs, to me, just to have a plant that's as easily propagated as Gynura aurantiaca is. (Granted, the cuttings might have mealys too. But if you taken enough cuttings fast enough, you should be able to outrun them.) If you have sentimental attachment to the plant that makes you want to save it, I'd go with some kind of spray containing imidacloprid, follow the label directions (which usually allow for you to spray the plant weekly), and move the plant out of direct sun until the crisis has passed. The safest bet of all is to do both: cuttings and spray. If the spray works, you have multiple plants; if the spray fails, you at least have the cuttings as back-up.

I've had this red edge peperomia over a month, sprayed & quarantined at the start, kept a close eye on it since. But look what I found when I went to snip off a damaged leaf today! Just the one & no other symptoms so far, but still. Where has it been all this time? A full grown adult?!! It's squashed now & I've sprayed with alcohol/insecticidal soap, but I also have an imidacloprid spray I'm tempted to use later. Grrrrr... No real question here, just thought I'd show you.

Pls do not advocate spraying w/ alcohol, especially since you've never done it yourself. Since you've never had mealies, leave it to those who have pls. I'd suggest stick w/ tried & true Q-tip w/ alcohol. It's known to work & be safe. Spraying w/ Alcohol or a mix of same sounds unsafe. I would definitely not spray nearby plants for prevention purposes. Pls stop giving such unsound advice, it's likely to cause damage to plants of newbies who may not know better. Ill-advised, bad practice (sorry to say), it's preferable to be a more careful, deliberate & attentive grower. Jesse, Can't see it well enough to tell. A systemic for little MAYBE 2 spots of something is overkill. Just watch it carefully, reapply alcohol periodically as suggested & move affected plant to another room away from all other plants. If one grows many plants over many yrs. eventually one gets a mealy or 3. Not a big deal if caught early & treated consistently. Good luck.

Looks like grower error - over-watering, perhaps exacerbated by an inappropriate medium, but that's a guess based on the images. The corky/crusty patches on the leaves are likely symptomatic of oedema, a physiological disorder most often related to over-watering and exacerbated by additional cultural factors. SomethingI wrote about oedema: Oedema Oedema is a physiological disorder that can affect all plants. It occurs when the plant takes up more water than it can rid itself of via the process of transpiration. The word itself means 'swelling', which is usually the first symptom, and comes in the form of pale blisters or water-filled bumps on foliage. Under a variety of circumstances/cultural conditions, a plant's internal water pressure (turgidity) can become so high that some leaf cells rupture and leak their contents into inter-cellular spaces in leaf tissue, creating wet or weepy areas. Symptoms vary by plant, but as the malady progresses, areas of the leaf turn yellow, brown, brown with reddish overtones or even black, with older damage appearing as corky/ scaly/ ridged patches, or wart/gall-like bumpy growth. Symptoms are seen more frequently in plants that are fleshy, are usually more pronounced on the underside of leaves, and older/lower leaves are more likely to be affected than younger/upper leaves. Oedema is most common in houseplants during the winter/early spring months, is driven primarily by excessive water retention in the soil, and can be intensified via several additional cultural influences. Cool temperatures, high humidity levels, low light conditions, or partial defoliation can individually or collectively act to intensify the problem, as can anything else that slows transpiration. Nutritional deficiencies of Ca and Mg are also known contributors to the malady. Some things that can help you prevent oedema: * Increase light levels and temperature * Monitor water needs carefully – avoid over-watering. I'd heartily recommend a soil with drainage so sharp (fast) that when you to water to beyond the saturation point you needn't worry about prolonged periods of soil saturation wrecking root health/function. Your soil choice should be a key that unlocks the solutions to many potential problems. * Avoid misting or getting water on foliage. It slows transpiration and increases turgidity. * Water as soon as you get up in the AM. When stomata close in preparation for the dark cycle, turgidity builds. If you water early in the day, it gives the plant an opportunity to remove (for its own needs) some of the excess water in the soil. * Put a fan in the room or otherwise increase air flow/circulation. Avoid over-crowding your plants. Al