Killing the pests or my plants? Mealys and Scale

[Arenalbotanicalgarden]

I've recently had a nightmare here with scale on cycads. An old man went to a bar, gave them a coffee can to dump cig butts in, loaded it with moonshine and made a " tincture" ???
It whips the scale immediately. I haven't tried it on whitefly (tomatos) yet. I worry about the nicotine.

[northernorchids]

Originally Posted by Discus

I've also had a long running battle with scale - malathion is about the only thing that works, particularly for the sneaky ones that work their way riiiight down into the leaf axils (particularly on things like Tolumnias). It's also quite hard to remove scale from cacti (some of which also have it ) through all the spines, so spraying it is :/

Never thought to look for scale on cacti. Only have one plant but it is near the orchids, will have to ck it out. Maybe it is a carrier and I've never treated it.

[Masdyman]

Citrus trees/plants are also magnets for scale and I battle to keep them clean. For sure if I kept Citrus with/near my orchid collection they would spread on to my orchids, so pick your orchid partners wisely!

[Eyebabe]

Originally Posted by Daethen

If you want to truly be in control, I recommend malathion. I had scale on about 50 plants and I mixed up a big plastic bin full of malathion. I dipped every plant, pot and all for a few minutes in it and repeated a week or so later. Scale is gone completely.

I have used malathion and will use it again I'm sure.

However, I had better luck with Orthenex.
I think Orthenex is systemic as well and has a fungicide combined with the insecticide.

Sometimes it takes a few products, alternating them to really get a good effect.

Most of my plants that got scale this past summer were near the screened windows that vent open in the greenhouse.

My plants outside did not exhibit scale until I brought them in...imo there may have been some bigger predatory bugs that kept it under control (of course absent in the greenhouse due to the screen )

Two years ago, when I had a fairly substantial scale problem on my indoor orchid collection, I used rubbing alcohol. I put it in a spray bottle and uprooted each plant dousing it and wiping it. My big mistake was not protecting the root systems from the alcohol. All the plants were cured from scale but severely dehydrated. I treated about 100 plants and about 7 died from the treatment.
It is alot of work as opposed to spraying...but effective nonetheless.

[Eyebabe]

Originally Posted by Arenalbotanicalgarden

I've recently had a nightmare here with scale on cycads. An old man went to a bar, gave them a coffee can to dump cig butts in, loaded it with moonshine and made a " tincture" ???
It whips the scale immediately. I haven't tried it on whitefly (tomatos) yet. I worry about the nicotine.

I would be worried about infecting all my plants with Tobacco Mosaic virus...not that confident the "moonshine" would kill the virus in the butts.

Furthermore, concentrated nicotine is absorbed through our skin and kills humans too

[Leafmite]

The only plant I own that gets a scale infeastation is my bay laurel. The citrus, orchids, jasmines and everything else are left vitually untouched, year after year, but a few years ago, I lost a four foot bay to scale. I check the replacement weekly every winter, removing any I find with alcohol. It is a great companion for other plants as it is THE scale magnent.
leafmite

[Bud]

This is my tried and tested mix:

10 drops dish soap(any kind)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract(in the grocery isle with vanilla and almond extract=I chose the McKormick brand)
2 cups tepid water(from the sink but not scalding hot)

put it inside a sprayer...and douse the plant leaves including the creases and roots
make more mix for a basin and soak the pot to kill the eggs

repeat weekly...until the bugs are all gone

I spray this to flies and mosquitos and they all drop dead on contact with the mix

its not poisonous to humans, pets and plants...I dont know but its only insects and bugs that gets killed

[bullsie]

Originally Posted by Bud

This is my tried and tested mix:

10 drops dish soap(any kind)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract(in the grocery isle with vanilla and almond extract=I chose the McKormick brand)
2 cups tepid water(from the sink but not scalding hot)

put it inside a sprayer...and douse the plant leaves
its not poisonous to humans, pets and plants...I dont know but its only insects and bugs that gets killed

I'm going to be using this recipe this year in conjunction with Merit 75. All my orchids are in my home (all 300+) and I have to be very careful of what I use not just for my family but for my dogs and cats.

The Merit 75 is wonderful and I use it as a drench. Once a week for four weeks I water my plants (not spraying it) with it. All scale and mealys are gone - they can't hide with a drench as the plant has taken it up into every part of it. The spray mentioned above (I like this one Bud) I will use at the same time as spider mites or thrips (can't remember which) are not bothered by Merit 75.

In four weeks I will have no more pests till I summer my plants outside again.

[northernorchids]

Originally Posted by bullsie

I'm going to be using this recipe this year in conjunction with Merit 75. All my orchids are in my home (all 300+) and I have to be very careful of what I use not just for my family but for my dogs and cats.

The Merit 75 is wonderful and I use it as a drench. Once a week for four weeks I water my plants (not spraying it) with it. All scale and mealys are gone - they can't hide with a drench as the plant has taken it up into every part of it. The spray mentioned above (I like this one Bud) I will use at the same time as spider mites or thrips (can't remember which) are not bothered by Merit 75.

In four weeks I will have no more pests till I summer my plants outside again.

When you say "drench" do you mean you just water with it or do you submerge the plants in a bucket full of it? Merit 75 looks like it has the same systemic in it that Bayer has.
Also I haven't been able to find Malathion. I've looked at Walmart, Home Depot and our farm supply store.

[bullsie]

Yep! Just water your plants with it. I believe it is 1/8th teaspoon to a gallon of water. Water like you normally do, just once a week make up this solution.

And yes, it does have the same ingredient if I remember correctly, but I believe at a bit higher concentration and you will be using more 'liquid' as you will be watering with it.

No smell and no mess over its use. Very easy. And the nice thing is, you don't have to worry about critters hiding in plant 'nooks and crannies' or cracks and crevises in the pots with eggs hidden out. Everyone who hatches will have to 'bite' into that plant and when it does it takes in the Merit. And of course, there is some retention of Merit in the plant after the drenching period is over.

Very easy and convenient way to kill the pests - at three weeks scale flake off like snow but takes a fourth week to finish off the mealys.

Only catch is it is expensive, but you get alot! I've had my bottle for several years now. If you have other orchid growers around you, you may wish to try going together on a bottle and then sharing it.

I'll apply to my orchids in the fall when I bring them in from outside and won't see bugs again till next fall when I bring them inside from summering outdoors.