The ends are brown and there are little white spots on the leaves?

Question

In my office I have two indoor plants they look similar to plams they long stems and the leaves are big which have long thin ones on them.
In mt office during the day it gets quite cold with the air con and hot at nite, could this have somthing to do with the problem.
They get waterd when thr soil is dry as this is what the seller said should be done.
When you touch the spots you can feel them, there very small and hard.
Is there anything I can you?
Thanyou for your help.
And sorry I dont know what they are called and even less the latin name for them.

The plants are my bosses and im not able to take them home, and yes they do get alot of light.
The plant which is worse has more light then the other.

Answer 1

Only because of my job, I always think BUG Thoughts, so I am guessing that the hard raised spots are an insect called SCALE. They are kind of like Barnacles for plants. Because of their hard shell they are a tough bug to get rid of.
If it is scale, then do two things.
First put a systemic pesticide in the potting soil on a Friday night,and water it in. Friday, so no one has to smell the pesticide for the week end, by Monday the smell should have cleared.
Second, Get rubbing Alcohol and spray the whole plant, 24 hours later use horticultural oil spray on the plant.
The Alcohol will soften the outer shell of the scale and then the Hort. Oil can penetrate the shell and kill the insect.
But before you play with pesticide, just put one leaf that is infested in a baggie and take it to a reputable garden center for a visual identification of the problem, O.K.? that is really step #1

Answer 2

Sounds like scale. If they are really tiny, hard and white, it is scale. This is a very common problem on indoor plants that are suffering from either a lack of something or too much of something!!

Scratch some of the bumps off and mush it between your fingers. If it is sticky, then they are alive, if not then they are dead. The hard part is a protective covering the insect produces, it helps protect them against something that wants to eat them and protects them against pesticides!

The best Way to get these under control is to get some horticultural oil and spray it on the plants. This will suffocate the scale. You could also get a product with imidacloprid (a systemic insecticide), this is applied to the soil, the plant takes it up through the roots, when the scale feed on the plant they die. I would try the oil first, since that is cheaper and easier to get (and should work really well).

Answer 3

SCALE INSECTS

Scale insects suck the fluids from your plants' leaves and stems, robbing them of essential nutrients. Leaves wither and yellow and may drop from the plant. Indoors, scale insects thrive in the warm, dry environment and may produce up to six new generations on houseplants each year.

Spay your plant with white oil for the next two weeks then keep an eye on the plant in case they return.
If you don't get rid of the scale the plant will suffer or may even die. Scale insects are very common on indoor plants. Here are some site to look at.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/ornamentals/scaleinsects.html
http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/aulacaspis.html

Answer 4

Also brown hard spots- scale.

I fight it once a year or so... but i simply use a fingernail to pick/scratch off the 'scales' wipe on tissue, and doublecheck under leaves etc... throw away tissue wash hands- no expense no smell. Scales are not dangerous or harmful to people. They're plant 'blood' suckers.

Double check a week or so latter for the kids or any you missed and they'll be fine!

I have to do this every year or so with my lilies... which sound like the plants you have!

Answer 5

it really is universal. We tell our sufferers to bleach for 2-3 nights, then wait 3-4 nights for the blotchiness to vanish. Repeat as necessary. it may take longer, even with the undeniable fact that it is going to oftentimes settle. in my opinion, I want the decrease concentration of CP, as i think it provides a lot less of this patchiness. Cheers.

Answer 6

THE AIR IS TOO DRY....YOU NEED TO GET A LITTLE MISTING BOTTLE AND GIVE THE PLANT A NICE MIST COUPLE TIMES A DAY IN ADDITION TO WATERING WHEN NEEDED

Answer 7

try taking them home were the climeite is more controled. are they getting enought light. it sounds like you anwsered your own question

Answer 8

Roll it up and smoke it!