help please

[numskidagr8]

Hey all, I have some indoor plants and they are doing really well but I have noticed my biggest one has got sum funny faint lines up sum of da leaves! Squigilly lines! Is it possible for sum sort of bug to live inside the leaves or lay eggs and cause this problem, if so how do i fix it?
I may be able to get pics soon!

All help appreciated!

 

[Bagzgroove]

Yeah, I think we're gonna need some pics for this one. . . It could be just a normal charactistic of a particular pheno type. . . I don't know of any pests that would cause that. . . like I said, pics would be best. .

Bagz

 

[numskidagr8]

ok... I could't get find my camera so I got one of my m8's came round. I call him the expert since he has been growing for years and he said the problem was leaf minors! The only problem is he neda told me how to get rid of them Does n e 1 have n e experience with them? cheerz

 

[Bagzgroove]

No, but I did some looking around. . I'll post what I found, and add to it. Maybe someone here also has had some experience with leaf miners.

Leafminers are usually the larvae of flies, moths, or beetles that feed or "mine" between the upper and lower epidermal leaf surfaces. The larvae tunnel through the leaf creating a narrow, whitish colored serpentine (winding) mine or blotch (blister) type mine. The tunnel is clear, except for the trail of black fecal material left behind as larvae feed. Female flies puncture or "stipple" leaves with their ovipositors to lay eggs in the leaf tissue or to feed on sap. Many ornamental plants are attacked by leafminers, but azalea, bougainvillaea, ixora, hollies, chrysanthemum, lantana, oak, and boxwood are some of the preferred hosts.

Leafminer damage is very obvious, but healthy plants should be able to tolerate considerable injury before losing vigor or yield. However, during heavy infestations, plants appear bleached or faded and their aesthetic value is reduced. In some cases, the leaves turn yellow and drop, due in part to the entry of pathogenic fungi and bacteria into old mines.

Bagz

More info:

Soap and water is an effective control measure for leaf miners. Simply wash the plants thoroughly with a solution of two tablespoons of soap dissolved in a gallon of water. Rinse the soap off thoroughly, and you will need to repeat, once a week, till there gone.

There is oganic pesticides that are made from naturally occuring plant substances.
Ryania, which is found in the roots of a tropical shrub, is most effective against chewing insects, worms, and larvae, which it incapacitates, rather than kills.
Rotenone is a general-purpose insecticide with little residual effect; that is, it breaks down soon after application, and is therefore one of the safest insecticides. Two or three dustings during the seedling stages afford protection against most insects and bugs.

 

[numskidagr8]

You are a legend Bagz! Cheerz very much!

numski