Question
I have an aspen sheffelara, to  what seems to me to be a regular large leaf
sheffelara but have developed sticky areas on leaves with  white secretions.
Seems to be transferable to ficas and other large leaf house plants. These
are indoor office plants in a green house setting meaning there is plenty of
indirect lighting. Otherwise these plants are hardy and very healthy. Can
anyone tell me what they have and treatment?  

Answer
Hi Jim,
   It sounds like the plants have an insect infestation. The sticky stuff on the leaves is 'Honeydew'. Honeydew is a thick, clear, sticky liquid that is produced by insects as waste. Honeydew can be found on leaves and surfaces under and around the infested plant.

Carefully check the undersides of the leaves to confirm an insect presence and to try to see what kind of insects you have. From the white secretions you mentioned my guess would be you have Mealy bugs.
Mealybugs are soft-bodied, oval shaped, scale like insects with many legs. Mealybugs are covered by a sticky, white, cottony looking substance that extends out from it's body like short filaments. Mealybugs can be a problem to get rid of because the cottony substance often protects the insect from pesticides. The best way to get rid of Mealybugs is to pick them off with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. Be sure to check all little crevices, folds and grooves on both the leaves and stems. Also check the pot and the area immediate surrounding the pot (such as a window sill) as well as the plant for eggs.

If you do not want to pick off the Mealy bugs by hand, if there are too many of them or there are different insects instead of Mealy bugs then the best way to get rid of the infestation is to use a systemic insecticide.
A systemic insecticide is a insecticide that works by getting absorbed into the plant and distributed throughout all parts the plant. When an insect feeds on the plant it is poisoned. Systemic insecticides are especially good for severe infestations or reoccurring insect problems. There are two forms of systemic insecticides, one is a granule that gets mixed into the soil and is taken up into the plant by the roots. This form of systemic takes time to take effect, often 5-10 days. The other form is spray systemics. This form of systemic is sprayed onto the plant's leaves and is absorbed into the plant. This form works like a spray insecticide, killing insects on contact, then works as a systemic for lasting control.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
          Thanks
              Tracy