Fiddle leave fig - White bumps on stem

[ahblur7]

Hi..

Would anyone happen to know why the fiddle leave fig has white bumps on its stem? There are some under the leaves as well.

I tried wiping them down with soap for a couple of times but it doesn't seem to work.

I also wonder why the stem is dark brown when I see others are a pretty green!

I must be doing something wrong. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[Marck]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

That looks like it might be scale or mealybugs, but the picture is not clear. Could you go in close with your camera and take a tight, in-focus macro shot?

 

[ahblur7]

Hi Marck.. Thank you very much for your help. I took another photo. As best as I could because my photography skills are terrible.. Is it possible that even if there are bugs, new leaves will still grow?

 

[Marck]

I'm still not quite certain what I'm looking at, but I think an insect infestation is likely.
Get a sharpened pencil and go in to the crevice and probe those white spots. If they are insects their carapaces will be crushed and the insides will come out like goo. If this is the case, scrape away as many as possible in the way described and then spray the plant with an insecticidal soap. Repeat this procedure as necessary. If the white spots are not insects but can still be removed with the pencil, do so.

 

[ahblur7]

Appreciate that you are trying to figure it out! I will try out what you have suggested. Hopefully there wouldn't be any goo.. Thank you once again!