It’s winter. And in winter, the glorious house plants you had over the summer suddenly start looking well–not so glorious anymore, right? But how do you know what’s okay and what’s trouble?
Remember this hibiscus from a couple of weeks ago? It was loaded with pink flowers. Now? Nothing. Even the leaves look flat and dull.
All of that is okay because it’s December. It’s the darkest, coldest time of year. What you want to watch for is what they call “stippling” on the leaves. That would indicate the presence of a sucking insect, most likely spider mites, which are so tiny they’re almost impossible to see. Aphids can also cause this.
Honeydew, or a sap-like substance, also usually indicates insects. It can mean scale (a brown coated creature) or aphids as well.
But just this general “malaise” means my very tropical hibiscus has the winter blues. Who doesn’t occasionally get that–especially if you’re a tropical plant?
Gardendaze 