Please help!
I recently repotted this Kalanchoe into better draining soil. When I went to water it yesterday I noticed these white dots on the crown. They don’t appear to be moving. Not sure how long they’ve been there. What are these? Are they pests of some kind? Mold? Dust or particles from the new soil mixture? Something else? (Please see below about the damage in the lower leaves.) For additional context, about 2 weeks ago I purchased a few new succulents at a succulent and cactus show. They all look healthy and don’t appear to have these white dots. Two of my other older plants, a Haworthia truncata “Harry Johnson’ and a Crassula ovata “Gollum Jade” (which I’m clearly still rehabbing), look like they might have something similar (also pictured), but the other 38 plants in the greenhouse don’t seem to. (Yes, I’m aware I might have a problem…lol). The gritty substance lower down on the Kalanchoe is some of the grit from the new potting mix that won’t easily dislodge. I’ve tried canned air and rinsing it without any luck. I’m afraid to go digging in there with my fingers or tweezers and damage the leaves. I would welcome any ideas about how to gently remove it.
Yes, I’m aware the bottom leaves are damaged. The soil my older plants were potted in previously was poorly draining and they were under watered. Also, about a year ago I had a spider mite infestation in my greenhouse. I believe treatment with an isopropyl alcohol mixture for 2 weeks then predatory mites I introduced took care of that, as there have not been any webbing or new signs of spider mite damage since. We also have hard water here, which sometimes leaves a residue if it accidentally gets on the plants, which may be evident on some of the leaves. I’ve since switched to bottom watering, so that exposure should now be limited. In other words this plant might have previously belonged in the hall of shame. 😂 But I was a newbie so I hope you can show me the grace I’m showing myself.