White spots on oregano - How to treat? Pics inside

13 years ago

Hi, all! I'm a newbie indoor gardener, and I recently purchased an oregano plant and potted it for my windowsill herb garden. I noticed, however, lots of white spots appearing on the leaves. I also see a few dark spots as well. I didn't immediately see pests, but I just shook the plant over a white piece of paper and notice a tiny thin, pale bug. After doing some searching, I gather it might be leafhopper damage, but I'm really not sure.

Any ideas? And if it is a pest, what kind of insecticide can I use that will be safe for edible plants? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd hate to have to toss it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Oregano pics

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Comments (7)

sylviatexas1
13 years ago
Spritzing the leaves well with soapy water usually washes off critters.

Be sure to drench the undersides of the leaves & the stems as well.

& if the bugs re-appear, take the plants out, wash them thoroughly, including roots, & re-pot them, & throw away the soil & the pot the plants came in.

I wish you the best.
michellethemit
13 years ago
Imo you have a thrips problem. Look for teeny tiny worm-like insect larvae that are about 1 to 2 mm long and 0.5 mm wide. If you blow gently on them they'll run around the leaves. Get a magnifying glass if it'll help you look for these things.

Treatment? I hear Spinosad (pesticide) works wonders. You can try soap sprays, beneficial soil nematodes or pirate bugs as well.

Oh, and isolate your plant! The adult thrips can fly and cause the same problems in nearby plants. A quick Band-aid solution is to just cover the plant with a clear plastic bag while you treat it.
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lyssalea
Original Author
13 years ago
Hmm... Thank you both for your responses. Just did a once over of the plant with a magnifying glass, and for the life of me, I could not find any bugs beyond the one I discovered and squished yesterday, but that may well have been a thrip.

I have a bar of castile soap and a bottle of neem oil. Think I could add a few flakes of soap and a quarter teaspoon of neem oil to my little 12-oz spray bottle and use that? I gather neem is safe for vegetables and other edibles, but I'd love for someone more experienced to confirm, lol.

Thanks again! I moved the oregano as far away from the other plants as I could (hard to do in a small apartment), but I think I'll probably use a plastic bag, too.
sylviatexas1
13 years ago
I never have used neem oil;
soap will wash them off.

Since I don't know what Spinosad is, I'd find out what's in it before I used it on something I planned to eat.
austinaz
13 years ago
You let the flowers bloom- doesn't that mean your plant will die soon anyways? I thought oregano died after blooming?
lyssalea
Original Author
13 years ago
Sorry, austinaz. The album I linked you to included two pics of a flowering kalanchoe plant and two pics of oregano (the last two in the album). Sorry for the confusion!
austinaz
13 years ago
It's fine, I should of noticed the difference from Oregano and kalanchoe!