White spikes under water spinach leaves

Question

My water spinach plants are covered with these spikes. They are hard when I poke at them with a knife. They are mostly on the underside of leaves but sometimes also break to the topside. The leaves are still green.

Does anyone know what kind of fungus/pest that my poor plants have? I tried removing infected leaves and spraying pure castile soap but the spikes continued to grow afterwards.

There was a similar question in the last few months, but I cannot find it. — Polypipe Wrangler, Jun 09 '20 at 06:46
Perhaps try spraying some Neem Oil for a natural way of warding off pests and see if new growth is affected. — heisian, Sep 07 '20 at 17:23

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 09 '22 at 15:23

3

They are glandular trichomes that are a known trait for the Convolvulaceae. Stictocardia are known for them in particular. Give them time and they will dry and shrink and look like little dark hairs.

Upland Ipomoea aquatica forms are typically harvested before the glands develop, which occur on older established leaves.

They can occur on a number of Ipomoea species and their allies.

answered Feb 09 '22 at 15:23

Isanara

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1

The image shared by the user is of the cotyledons of an upland form of Ipomoea aquatica and the associated glands. The Y or V shaped cotyledons in the image are typical of the genus. – Isanara Feb 10 '22 at 17:40

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 08 '20 at 21:12

I think it might be Galls. Galls is a plant's reaction to an irritant, usually some type of mites. Sort of like how an oyster will create a pearl around a grain of sand irritating it.

Since you are having an ongoing problem with new leaves becoming affected, then the irritant is likely still on your plants. Since mites are usually the cause of galls, you can try one of the natural, organic miticides on the market. I have never used any commercial miticides, so I can't recommend any of them.

I had this problem with a Ficus Benjamina. I used my 'Big Gun' spray on it and the problem stopped. If you would like to try my 'Big Gun' spray, mix a few drops of Dawn dish liquid, about a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol and distilled water in a spray bottle. I use this spray mixture to get rid of spider mites.

** As with using any spray on a plant for the first time, spray test leaf, wait 48 hours and check for any adverse reaction on the test leaf. **

heisian · Answer 3 · 2020-09-07T17:20:52.110

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I have the exact same issue. I believe the poster above is right - they are cosmetic galls due to external irritation. Not all of my water spinach have them. I can scrape the spikes off with my finger nail. Some of my stems have them as well.

These are growing in my aquaponics system. It seems only some of my water spinach are affected. I have lettuce growing in there as well with no issues.

It’s possible some tiny insects/mites are causing lesions to the leaves and these spikes grow as a response. It is definitely not fungus. The majority of my leaves are OK - I haven’t been able to identify a pattern of what becomes affected yet.

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edited Sep 07 '20 at 17:20

answered Sep 07 '20 at 17:15

heisian

121
3

I destroyed two of my batches because of them and still don't know what they are :-( The third time I sprayed copper fungicide before they appear and my water spinach has been doing fine although they seem to grow slower. – minhle_r7 Sep 09 '20 at 14:30
yes I think destroying the crop is a little extreme.. try Neem Oil, it is a natural plant-derived product. Mix lightly with water and spray just a bit. Neem oil kept fungus from growing on my pea plants, although I doubt it is fungus that is affecting our plants. – heisian Sep 10 '20 at 16:25

White spikes under water spinach leaves

3 Answers3