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White fluffy stuff on my mint plant

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Hi, I was wondering if someone could help me with my mint plant, which I've been keeping indoors but has been looking unwell recently. It's developed a weird white-grey fluffy substance on the leaves. Pics attached of the whole plant and a close up of three leaves in different stages of fluffiness.

Also, I'm pretty sure I should be trimming off the flowers, is that right?

My parsley (bottom) looks better than my mint but it's also gotten a bit white and speckly.

Any suggestions appreciated!

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Comments (9)

season55
6 years ago
It could be powdery mildew or mold. Here is a old post with useful comments.

Yes, cut the flowers off!
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
Indoor herbs almost always end up weak and diseased. Indoors they get insufficient light and there is no weather or predators to keep down pests. Do you have anywhere outside you could put them?

Do the pots have drainage holes?
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This is an instance where a picture would certainly help. So would knowing if these plants are outside or inside, and even what kind of plants they are. Some possibilites would be (just guessing without more information):mealybugs or wooly aphids, cottony cushion scale.
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They look elongated but better resolution is needed to be sure. There's a bug in the upper left hand corner of the picture in the middle of the more sparse patch. It looks similar to a meadow spittlebug but that's not like any spittle I've seen. Eggs maybe? Try to get a macro or micro picture zoomed all the way in if you have the capability.
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One of the beauties of isopropyl alcohol spraying is that you can often see the bugs killed immediately, and know if you have missed any. There are some plants bothered by mealy bugs which are not suitable for spraying; African violets are a notable example. You can, however, dab the bugs on such plants with alcohol to remove them. kimmsr: you might have been thinking about methanol which can be quite hazardous to both the plant and the one spraying; isopropyl sprays are a quite well established, and known effective solution for many plants. In my own experience I have had reasonable success spraying off some aphids with water, but have not found that water sprays are effective at removing mealy bugs or scale. I would be interested to see research which documents the effectiveness of water sprays on scale and mealy bugs because it would help enlighten me on what technique is used. Even the most forceful sprays I can muster would not remove these pests. What are the references referred to at Michigan State and UC? Renais
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Andrew Liddell
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try putting them outside for a bit. It's nothing to do with light then? I could move them somewhere else inside with more light but if that's not the problem then I guess outside is the way to go. We don't really have a garden, but I'll find somewhere.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
6 years ago
Powdery mildew. The primary problem is as floral says....it's growing inside. Herbs love the sunlight, breezes, rainfall, and humidity found outside. Your plants are seriously unhappy.

Mind you, herbs can be made to languish on a sunny windowsill for a season, but they need excellent light, a high quality, porous potting mix, and attention to nutrition.
Andrew Liddell
Original Author
6 years ago
ok, thanks rhizo! i've put it outside for now, hopefully that'll help!
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
As I said, "indoors they get insufficient light". If you have nowhere outside at least put them in as bright a spot as possible.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
6 years ago
Don't introduce the plants to full sun right away. Allow for several days of acclimation or they will be fried to a crisp. Also, the PM looks serious and sunlight won't fix it.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
Even 'full' sun is pretty weak here at this time of year and I wouldn't worry too much about acclimatisation. I also believe that the PM would clear up outside because it prefers dry conditions, low light and poor air circulation. Especially if you trim off some of the worst affected stems.

I am wondering whether you got these plants from the veg section of a supermarket rather than a garden centre? If so they are grown fast and sappy for consumption in the kitchen rather than more robustly for planting in the garden and they don't usually last long.
Andrew Liddell
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I've cut off all the affected parts of the plant, given it a wash and put it outside for now. I'll see how it gets on. Yes, I think this was probably a supermarket plant but I've had it for a year or so and gotten some good use from it. Hopefully it'll revive itself outside. Thanks for all the suggestions!

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