Leaf Whiting

[Rex]

Hi everyone. I have a small problem with some of my young plants. There are white lines/spots on their leaves. No webbing or visible insects have been found. Do you guys think I should take preventive measures and quarantine them? I don't want to if I don't have to . Thanks in advance guys!









Blah! I give up! I'm sorry guys, I couldn't get the thumbnails working so I had to post the pictures up like this.

[Alan_L]

I wish the photos were larger -- can't really see anything.

Did you recently move them into the sunlight? (Could be sunburn)
Did you recently fertilize them with a liquid fertilizer? (Could be fertilizer burn)
What species/variety is it? Some bamboos look like that naturally.

Just some ideas.

[Rex]

Gimme a second Alan_L. Photobucket is giving me trouble. The pictures are larger than that, but I just can't get the thumbnails working.

[Rex]

Alright, I fixed the pics. You can actually see something now .

☼ I think we can rule out sunburn.

☼ I have never fertilized these plants before, but they are in Miracle Gro Moisture Control potting soil.

☼ It's edulis.

[Alan_L]

Ah, the part I thought was the whitening you mentioned was actually just a shiny spot on the leaves it seems.

[stevelau1911]

It might be from lack of drainage and overwatering especially considering you have small containers, but Rex, when did you start this batch?
here are some common problems.

Browning of older leaves


White spots, either from too much nitrogen or too much water. This plant in particular got a couple handfuls of grass fertilizer.


I really doubt this will stop my plants from growing. Even if it does have bugs, the single digits this upcoming winter will get rid of that.

[Rex]

Hi Steve. I think your second picture shows a plant with the same kind of problem, but I can't differentiate the whitening from the glare and the water. If possible, could you take another close-up picture? That would be very helpful.
So you think the problem might be excess water? That makes sense because they're in moisture control soil. But rest assured, the plants get very decent drainage so we can rule the drainage problem out. Maybe it's just that the soil is holding too much water?

My main concern is whether this thing is contagious or not. If it is, I have a big problem .

[stevelau1911]

sure, heres a close up. It used to look very similar to yours before I started treating the problem. Now I only have it on a couple plants so the spots have become less widespread and contained.
I believe this could be some type of bug that attacks young leaves before they unfold completely when the leaves are vulnerable. I've initially used insect spray which seemed to get rid of it, but it comes back again. Now I've started using liquid silicate on it to harden off the leaves so they are less vulnerable. I use ironite too to make them greener & healthier. It seems to be working. Its better to immunize the plants from this insect than try to kill them off.
On my moso in the ground, the leaves have gone from a feathery light green to a much thicker dark green and noticably denser leaf. Now they look and feel almost like giant Bissetii leaves, and no longer curl up as much when it gets really sunny.

If you have what I had, yes it can be contagious, but it can also be treated.
heres a close up

[bepah]

I had a similar look on some palms I got from a friend who lives in San Francisco whre is never got warm. It turned out to be thrips. If the white areas go through the leaf (top and bottom) and eventually turn broen, that's what it may be. If it is, quarantine should be considered, along with treatment.

Luckily, thrips do not usually mean a death sentence. It was hard to tell from the photos.

Good luck!

[Rex]

Thanks for the reply bepah. Thrips are some sort of insect right? Wouldn't I be able to see them on the plants if that were the problem?

Yes, the white areas can be seen on both the top and the bottom of the leaves !

[needmore]

I've seen and ignored this on my potted & in-ground bamboo for years, I have been assuming that it is sucking insects or watering related.

[Rex]

Hi needmore. Since you have ignored this condition for years, I think it's safe to assume it's not lethal to the plant (whew ). There's something I'm wondering about though ~ does it get worse as time progresses?

[bepah]

Thanks for the reply bepah. Thrips are some sort of insect right? Wouldn't I be able to see them on the plants if that were the problem?

Yes, the white areas can be seen on both the top and the bottom of the leaves !

It is tough to see them unless under a microscope.....

I am not an organic gardener so I will leave it to you to determine the best solution.

Check this link.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips

Thanks,

John