My boss has a plant she wants me to do something with. I already picked out all the dead stuff, wiped it down and watered it, but it has a white hairy looking fungus or mold or something growing on it. We thought it was maybe just plaster and stuff since they are doing a lot of refurbishing work in our building and we weren't looking that closely, but this isn't wiping off. Any suggestions on how to get rid of it CHEAPLY? The easier the better since I am not a plant person! I think the plant is a "Nepthytis" at least that is what it looks like in the pictures from one of the nursery websites in our area.
Mslorraine2010-05-20T12:51:50Z
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I have had the same situation on my green beans (planted them while it was still under 50 degrees outside). I picked off all the infected leaves that you can stand to remove (keep few if all leaves are infected so the plant can breathe) and made a cheap natural fungicide and sprayed it on the plants. Until the plants seem cured, try to water the plant without wetting the foliage (helps contain infection).
Recipe for the fungicide (cheap and easy): 4 teaspoons of baking soda (fights off the fungus) 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (makes the mix stick to the plants) 1 gallon of water Mix everything and put in a spray bottle and apply to the entire plant (stem and foliage).
If the mold is in the soil, then it is best to keep scraping it off along with loose soil that is nearby. You will need to do this repeatedly, but you should see a gradual reduction in it. Mold is not harmful to the plant as long as you let the top half inch of soil dry out between waterings.
If the white stuff is on the leaves and looks like bits of cotton, then it is probably a mealybug infestation. If so, mix a solution of 5 parts water and 1 part rubbing alcohol and add a squirt of liquid soap. Then spray all of the leaves and stems until they are dripping wet.
Email me for a free copy of my article on identifying and treating indoor plant pests.
Stick it in the shower or under the sink sprayer and vigorously spray it with heavy spray - if that doesn't work try a spray made with 1 qt. water, 1 T Dawn dish soap and 1 T cooking oil. usually work on anything and very safe.