Small White Spots On Hyacinth Vine Leaves

Question

I garden in zone 7 in a challenging microclimate, on a windy terrace in large, self-watering containers. They are on wheels so I can move them out of the wind when necessary, so they don’t get full sun. There are spots on all my hyacinth vine leaves and it doesn’t appear to be powdery mildew, though I’m not certain. Despite watering from the bottom, I have a fungus gnat problem that I’ve been treating with food-grade diatomaceous earth and I have recently seen whitefly, though only one so far. I would be grateful to find out what this is and if there is a home remedy I can apply. I only garden organically. Thank you in advance!

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Answer 1

Two of the photos look like pest damage from feeding. The middle one looks like egg sacs and debris left from the pests. Check the underside of the leaves for aphids or scale. It also could be residue from spider mites, though they are usually too small to see. If there are webs along any of the leaves, then its spider mites. Neem oil should take care of any of those pests. These articles should help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/hyacinth-bean/hyacinth-beans-in-pots.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/most-common-garden-pests.htm

Fungus gnats are usually the result of overly wet soils. The self watering may be keeping them too moist. If you can let the soil dry out more between watering, that will help.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/fungus-gnats.htm

White flies are tricky to control because they fly. Sticky traps may help. Neem oil can help, too.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/whitefly-control.htm