Q.White spots on my elephant ear, what are they?
I noticed these spots appeared only a few days after watering. Half of my leaves have them and the other half dont. The spots are raised and wipe off easily. They have kind of a bar soap texture (if that makes sense.) They are only on the bottom side if the leaves.please help!
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Although I cannot see the picture very clearly, it appears to look like young scale insects. These are tricky, since they encase themselves in a shell. This prevents many pesticides from working.
The best thing to do from here is to scrape off the patches as often as you see them. There are definitely eggs so you will see them for quite awhile. Once or twice a week, spray with a product called "Force of Nature Miticide" by Foxfarm. (I don't usually recommend products, but in this case, I know that this is one of the few very effective treatments for scale)
After repeating this for a few weeks, there will be no sign of the pest, and the plant will start a very vigorous growth spurt.
This article will give you more information on the care of these plants: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/elephant-ear/growing-elephant-ear-plants.htm
