Is this normal?
thisisbrittani
Posts: 2
I am a bit of a plant care novice and picked up a gorgeous plant today. It's marked as a Fatsia "Spider's Web" and I love it. Big, gorgeous variegated leaves. But I see it's got this peculiar "stuff" on it, and I'm not sure if this is normal or cause for concern. It's this tiny red "stuff," (I'm really not sure how else to describe it - it's not quite fuzz, and doesn't seem bug-like!) and it's mostly noticeable on the newer growth and along the stem. It's not moving, at least not that I can tell, but when I brush my finger lightly over it, it comes off very easily. The older leaves don't have any of this on them, but as you can see from the photos, some of the new leaves/stems have quite a lot. I've tried googling what this is, to no avail.
Can anyone help me with this?
^ Showing one of the leaves with the red stuff
^ Another leaf with some more on it
^ This larger, mature leaf has none
^ The stem has some, especially the parts that branch to the leaves
^ Showing how it's come off on my finger
^ A full shot of the plant 
Last edited: 15 July 2017 22:42:02
Posts
Hi Wolf3 - I just brought it home and haven't yet officially repotted it. It's in the 6" plastic growing pot it came in, just sitting inside this other pot that I have for the moment.
Perfectly normal on young growth and part of the plant's attraction.
The fatsia needs moving to a large outside container or preferably planted into some prepared ground in a semi shaded spot as soon as possible and kept well watered. It's not a houseplant and won't do well indoors.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.