In article ,
"DC." not@home writes:
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| I have a small variety of tropical plants (Thai limes, lemon grass,
| ginger/galangal, pandanus etc.) that i grow for my kitchen. I put them out
| every summer & they thrive but when i bring them in for autumn & winter,
| they suffer. I've just had to strip back the pandanus because it seems to be
| dying, lots of brown leaves & white tiny fluffy cotton wool like things with
| white mite like creatures multiplying where the leaves grow out from the
| stem. Can someone please tell me what these white fluffy things are & a cure
| for it. It's impossible to clean & wipe off as the leaves grow directly off
| the stem & this is where it conregates. Maybe some solution can be poured
| down the spaces between the leaves & stem to kill the mites?

Sounds like mealybug, and you may well have red spider mite. Spray
the plants hard (soak them, especially in the crevices for mealybug
and under the leaves for RSM) with a soft soap solution or a washing
up liquid solution with a squirt of meths in it. Do that as often
as the symptoms appear - and look up red spider mite on the net.
You may find that scrubbing gently with a soft toothbrush wet with
the solution helps with mealybug.

I use Savona (a proprietary soft soap), but it isn't critical.

| Also advice on general plant care during the winter months. The best i've
| done so far is to warp a large clear plastic bag over each plant, creating a
| micro-climate inside but this is always susceptible to all sorts of fungal
| growth. I've placed the plants next to the kitchen window but it seems still
| too cold for them & anywhere else in the house it seems not too happy
| because of the lack of sunlight & humidity. Any suggestions? we do not have
| a green house or conservatory. The kitchen is the warmest room in the house
| although not humid enough it seems.

For citrus and similar plants, that is precisely wrong. They don't
mind a bit of cold, and should be kept somewhere light and cool,
with plenty of ventilation to avoid fungal problems. They DON'T
need high humidity, and don't like it, especially when cool or
dark. Even the true humid tropical plants won't like being in a
plastic bag.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.