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Sunday, July 1, 2012

What are Those White Fuzzies on My Plants?



White fuzzies on bell pepper.
Q. I have one coreopsis among many that also is showing the white fuzzy on the stem. In addition there are black specks on the leaves. Same thing, two different stages, or two different problems? The coreopsis in general is sickly, and I see that something is eating the leaves. Planted around the edge of the watering basin (5' in diameter) of an old peach tree. Watered by filling the tree basin twice a week. I have not sprayed with anything.

A. Those are the egg casings of a couple different critters .  One can be one of the Sharp Shooters (not the ones that vector Oleander Leaf Scorch/or on grapes Pierce's Disease - Same bacterium different stains but all carried by the Glassy Wing-, Smoke Tree-, and Emerald- Sharp Shooters)  . . .
These Sharp Shooters are kind of cool when if standing under a tree with the sun on the other side of the tree i.e. back lighted you can see the raining of fluid from the Sharp Shooters . . Sometimes if you stand under a tree you can feel the moisture raining down . . Just try and remember it's bug pee . . Another critter with similar egg cluster is a close relative that passes through our lives nearly non-detected except for the egg casing . .
White fuzzies on Coreopsis

They tend to show up on just a few plant stems and a few more plants on their petioles .  . Most think it's a fungal infection . . The Sharp Shooter impact to plants is negligible so in this case the education value far outweighs any possible impact to plants . .

-Terry Mikel

3 comments:

  1. Interesting. I've never seen that here, or I did, thought it was mealy bugs, and squished. In the neighborhood this week I noticed Oleanders completely recovered and thriving once more, so whatever the state released appears to have worked.

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  2. I just planted some bell peppers in Arizona, and I have the same thing. Glad to hear its not a fungal infection.

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  3. I see this on everything in my garden here in Las Vegas. Basil, parsley, bell peppers, cilantro, etc...

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