small white crystals on stem

Hi guys,

A friend of mine has noticed these



Never seen them and I thought they might be egs of some kind but he says they "shatter" like a crystal when crushed.

Any ideas??

Cheers

Anyone?

One possible theory I've heard is salt build up.

Any help appreciated

If the crystals are at the base of the stem, it could be salts leaching out of the soil. To confirm this, soak a chunk of concrete in Water & Mrs. Stewarts bluing compound {fouund in the aisle nearby laundry powder, bleach etc}.. then plant the chunk of concrete in the soil. If there are salts in the soil, they will leach to the top of the concrete. This is called efflorescence. If it looks the same as the stuff on your stem, then there you have it.

or he could just flush.....