“I thought it was just dust on the leaves”: why the white cotton tucked into your orchid’s leaf axils should never be wiped off
That innocent-looking white tuft nestled in your orchid’s leaf axils isn’t household dust—it’s a colony of mealybugs hiding under a waxy protective coating. A quick wipe with a damp cloth only rearranges the problem, leaving eggs and nymphs to continue feeding on your plant’s sap. Discover why this common mistake fails and the proven multi-step approach that actually works.