My Camera Helped me to Avoid Disaster
With the help of my camera, I discovered an early infestation of scale on my Encyclia Tampense today. The infested plant was growing on a large Oak branch and propped against a cluster of small Palm trees in my pocket garden. Positioned in front of the Encyclia and elevated on metal plant stands were 2 of my largest Cattleyas. The scale was not obvious to the naked eye, but as I was reviewing orchid photos on my my computer I noticed some pale irregular spots on the Encyclia's narrow leaves and decided this required an immediate investigation. Underneath the leaves I found 3 or 4 small patches of immature scale. Panic began to set in as I frantically began checking the leaves of other nearby Chids and this led to the discovery of a few tiny infestations on a nearby Catt.
Wasting no time, I began treating the affected plants by first dabbing all the visible critters with alcohol and then spraying the entire plant and potting media with a solution of Neem Oil, Ivory dish soap, Alcohol, and water. One of the 2 Cattleyas that had been growing in the same area showed no signs of infestation but I treated it anyway...just to be safe. I'm sure to be repeating treatments for many weeks to come.
I really hate Scale. If left undetected it can rapidly destroy or debilitate a plant in no time at all. Thank goodness my camera helped me to make an early discovery. I've included the photo that led me to the Scale discovery and another of the plants that were treated and hopefully saved.
Last edited by Junebug; 08-15-2011 at 11:47 PM..
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. Like Tindo said, it's amazing how you notice things like this in pics that you don't see otherwise.
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