My syngonium seems to have some kind of pest problem. What's odd is that I can see symptoms... but no pests! I've been inspecting the leaves for months now but I haven't seen even the tiniest creature moving on the leaves. New leaves often emerge slightly deformed in shape; otherwise-healthy looking leaves have a string of dull, spotty patches along their spines; and the worst-off leaves are very pale/wilty and have dark brown spots, and browned scalloped edges where pieces of leaf are missing. Please see the attached photos showing the whole plant, the mottly spots along one spine, and some particularly bad leaves I cut off. (Sorry - my camera doesn't do close-ups well.) Does anyone know what this pest might be, and how to get rid of it - spray or systemic treatment?
how's the soil? when was the last time you repotted it? do you have any pets that might be chewing the leaves? kind of looks like you've got a 'not enough water being taken up' issue along with damage being done to the leaves by someone chewing them. by someone, i mean something other than a bug infestation. unless you've got slugs. the mottled bit you mention on the stems could be the trails they leave (and they're 'mottled' looking because they've partially dried out). on second look, the damage to the leaves looks like tooth damage - cat or dog sized. the brownish spots on the leaves could be result of not enough watering or there could be a bacterial/fungal infection going.
Hi Joclyn, Thank you for the ideas! I don't have any pets and it's a (very) indoor plant, so there are no slugs at work. I recently repotted after a couple of years of no new soil, and I think I probably don't moisten the moss as much as I should. Perhaps it was missing nutrients and water. The toothy damage and the dark spots are mysterious, unless it is something bacterial or fungal as you suggest. I will look into this!
