they are mites.. not spiders.. aka spider mites...

is that a pond plant ... the name of which is escaping me ...

ken

Those are the cast-off skins of spider mites. Pretty messy housekeepers, aren't they? It is an indication that this plant has a bad infestation, a very bad one.

Safest and sometimes most effective means of controlling spider mites is by taking the plant to the sink and giving it a thorough shower...upper and lower surfaces of the leaves using the spray attachment. You might want to cover the potting soil with a layer of foil or plastic wrap.

I think that this might be one of the many Alocasia, but without a better image, I really wouldn't want to guess. Once we know what kind of plant it is, we can be in a better position to suggest other measures of control.

this drove me crazy last night.. its a short drive..

it looks like taro .. but as noted.. its not a great pic for ID ... jsut something about those matte pearly leaves ...

see link ..

but it doesnt matter what it is.. its SMites ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

thank you for your email

i do NOT open attached files from strangers ....

please post your second picture here ...

thx

ken

Have the leaf edges always been curly like that? If there's a bulb, it should have a reserve of stored energy, but that's hard to determine from this one pic. If it's a fairly large bulb, it may be easiest to rid the mites by changing the soil and removing the existing leaves. I would probably try to keep it under control for now, as suggested, by showering/wiping the leaves until days are longer, temps are higher.

It's common for plants to get SM's while inside for winter. Insufficient light, low humidity, cold breezes, lack of predators can make plants weak... susceptible and vulnerable to attack explosions.

If there's some doubt about the identity, I would suggest Colocasia esculenta. It's indicated as Alocasia in the thread title. Although I don't doubt that it's an Alocasia, it may be difficult to investigate the ID (if in question) while in distress and possibly distorted from the pest attack.

Ken, were you thinking of a Sagittaria/arrowhead?

Hopefully a better pic for identification

Alocasia macrorrhiza perhaps.

tj

Nothing to add to the ID part, but I would not remove all of the leaves as I suggested above, just put the plant in the shower and rinse/rub the webbing from the leaves. They will be on the top and bottoms of leaves. If you lay/tilt the plant sideways, they will go down the drain instead of into the soil. It might take 2 people to handle this big beautiful plant!

If it's too cumbersome to take it to a shower, you could remove the webbing and mites by wiping the leaves gently with a damp cloth or cotton ball. If you do that often enough, you'll get the upper hand. When it's warm enough to go outside to be rained on in the shade, that would help a lot also.

Removing the dead leaf to the left would be a good idea, and any others not visible in the pic. At the base of the plant, any stumps left from previously removed leaves should be able to be removed by gently tugging/peeling them away/downward. Keeping the plant and soil surface free of debris is also helpful for pest control.