Question
I have an indoor palm plant that has a white powder like substance on the leaves, stems, etc.  Is this a type of fungus or is it a mite/aphid and if so, how can I remove this and prevent it from happening again?  I water the plant weekly -- but the soil becomes dry quickly.  It is located by a window that gets indirect sunlight.

Answer
Lori,

Spider mites you would see fine webs all over the plant, aphids are black or brown, mealy bugs which also attack palms look like bits of cotton balls in leaf crotches. Look closely at the substance with a large magnifying glass and you should be able to tell if you are looking at insects or something that looks more like a mold or fungus. Fungus looks like dust over the plant. Are you sure it is not sommething that someone didn't spill on your plant?  The first thing I would do is take it to the shower and turn the shower on with the drain tray removed out from under the plant. It is more effective if you have a hand held shower. Give it a good washing then allow it to dry and see if it comes back. If it comes back it may well be a fungus. In that case I would first try spraying it every other day with Lysol type spray over the entire plant for 3 weeks and see if that resolves the problem. I have resolves several fungal problems using Lysol. It is a mild fungicide that you can use indoors. Most other fungicides I reccommend you only use during the summer outdoors or in a very well ventilated uninhabited room.  Good luck.

Darlene