What's eating my marcgravia rectiflora?

Marcgravia rectiflora, a rare tropical climber grown primarily for collectors, faces the usual indoor pest pressures: spider mites on delicate young leaves and mealybugs sheltering where the shingling stems meet the mount or plank. Inspect weekly, especially at growth tips and under leaves, as early populations are much easier to manage.

Pale stippling and very fine webbing on young leaves; severely affected leaves shrivel at the tips. Keep humidity high (this plant prefers humid conditions anyway); spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap every 7 days.

White cottony masses in leaf axils or along stem nodes; honeydew deposits attract sooty mould. Swab with isopropyl alcohol; follow with systemic neem soil drench in severe cases and repeat foliar sprays every 10 days.

Hard or soft brown bumps on stems; plant looks stunted with yellowing leaves. Scrape off manually and apply horticultural oil spray; repeat in 2-week intervals to catch crawler stage.