scale infestation

[Smitha]

I have 2 phals which have scale infestation..I tried rubbing their leaves with isopropyl alcohol.It reduces once applied but eventually comes back..One of the plants were super healthy with regular blooming cycles.But now it's reduced to just one shrieveled leaf with the small hard shells on..What should i do with these 2 plants??..Will they come back or should I toss it??

[Leafmite]

Use systemic...bayer rose 3-in-1 or something like that. It is sold at every big box store. Follow the directions for safety. Good luck!

[nutgirl]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Use systemic...bayer rose 3-in-1 or something like that. It is sold at every big box store. Follow the directions for safety. Good luck!

Good advice. This works well. You may have to apply 2-3 times to make sure you get the new ones.

I find that Scale really likes Phals and some varieties more than others. It's generally controllable so don't toss your plant.


Maureen

[orchidsarefun]

thanks for this timely reminder.
I just bought some 3 in 1 systemic granules on Amazon ( for indoor plants ).
I am going to start dosing the outdoor orchids in preparation for bringing them in. I see that they have pillbugs/roly-polys....and earwigs........and millipedes.

[kindrag23]

Bayer works great and keeps the grasshoppers and other bugs at bay. but beware it reeks!

[jeremyinsf]

Can someone (more than one!?) give some suggestions on how this product is actually used on orchids? The label says 2oz per quart of water, be careful of not getting leaves, etc, every six weeks. But that's for roses. Would love to hear feedback about how people actually use it with their orchids. I've not used it at all yet, but am considering it as a preventative.

[kindrag23]

the bayer I just mix 6-7 capfuls in a five gallon sprayer and spray any affected areas, being careful not to get any on the crown. I use it on all my outdoor plants including my finicky gardenia. Just spray late evening and not in direct sun, it also needs to be able to set for about an hour to really set into the plants.

I have used it on my crepe myrtles and fruit trees as well I pruned my largest 10+ ft crepe myrtle up and I had dead grasshoppers falling all over me

[AnonYMouse]

I have used the ready-to-use spray stuff (Bayer 3-in-1) as an absolutely last resort. I sprayed the whole plant, saturated the media. You really should do this outside and in the early AM (before bees are active). At minimum, use protective gloves. Let it dry outside. Should be used on low/no wind days. It did stop the infection (bacterial?) but the plants were too far gone to recover.

I really don't want to use this stuff. There is controversy on whether one of the active ingredients (imidacloprid?) is involved with bee CCD. But that doesn't seem very well understood, yet. (Recalled on faulty memory: statistical data showed European bees disappeared after the ingredient was introduce and recovered somewhat after it was banned.)

I think the granules would be safer all around tho with slower results.

I use rubbing alcohol or cinnamon concoction for adult pest removal (I've yet to have a serious pest case). Clean bare plant, rinse very well, pot in new media.

[kindrag23]

what about the bayer with neem oil all natural organic would that kill the scale?

[AnonYMouse]

Originally Posted by kindrag23

I have used it on my crepe myrtles and fruit trees

I don't think you are suppose to use this stuff on food plants. Its a systemic, it gets in the cells of the plant. Read the label. Definitely not in flower/fruit.

Originally Posted by kindrag23

what about the bayer with neem oil all natural organic would that kill the scale?

Probably. Adult scale is easy to get rid of. You can just scrape them off. Its the eggs. That's why you need to repeat whatever treatment every few days for a few weeks.