Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Plant Species >> House Plants

Identifying White Fungus vs. Mealybugs on Indoor Plants

A high‑desert gardener battled a recurring white fungus on winter indoor plants. Bleach helped temporarily. The expert asked for a description to distinguish:

Powdery mold: Dust‑like coating over leaves.
Mealybugs: Cottony tufts, especially on leaf undersides and stem joints.

Treatment differs: Lysol spray for mold; alcohol spray for mealybugs.

House Plants: Hibiscus White Pest Complex: Atomic Grow Organic Health Approach; Reddish-Purple Powder on Multiple Plants: Sooty Mold from Insects; White Oval Specks on Bushes: Scale Insects, Not Fungus; Southern Blight in Vegetable Gardens: White Rubbery Soil Fungus; Thick White Fungus Around Ferns and Roses: Nuisance or Threat?; Bright White Fungus in Soil: What It Is and How to Manage It; Solving Soil Mold and Fungus Gnats: The Overwatering Connection; Scale and Mealybugs: The Sticky Residue on Your Houseplants; White Stuff on Leaves: Mealybugs, Not Fungus; Treating White Fungus or Mealybugs on Large Cacti

Garden Articles

Fungus on Indoor Hibiscus Flowers: Prevention in Sunroom

Mystery White Balls on Pepper Plants: Get an Identification First

White Fluffy Spots on Plants: Powdery Mildew and Drainage Fix

Identifying White Spots on Angel Wing Begonia

Tiny White Bugs in Houseplant Soil? Fungus Gnat Larvae—Fix by Drying Out and Alcohol Watering

Cold Weather White Leaves on Dianthus and Pentas Wilt

Powdery Mildew on David Viburnum: Identification and Control

Plants

Scale Insects Masquerading as Fungus on Lilac

Impatiens Stem Rot: Rhizoctonia Crown Rot

White Fungus in Raised Beds: Symptom of Soil Compaction, Not the Cause

Aphids on Sundews: Identification and Safe Treatment

Fungus Gnat Larvae Devastation: Azamax, Orthene, and Cultural Fixes

Treating Powdery Mildew on Pentas

White Fungus on Bonsai Soil: Calcium Deposits or Mold?