Errr...scale is back.

[Phal grower]

So I've been battling scale for awhile now. They kinda come and go and just when I think I got em....you know. I've even gotten rid of one plant that was a scale magnet. I've been holding off on the toxic stuff as a last resort so just a question. Is insecticidal soap at all effective for scale. I don't know if it would work on established adults but how about on young and eggs?

[RJSquirrel]

we all like to think we are being environmentally friendly. fact is just by our existence we are not. what little bit of chemical you might use isnt going to make a bit of difference in anything but your own collection. so if you want to watch scale eat at it your plants while you be friendly to the same bugs you want to kill, then why bother to treat it at all?...

Been fighting scale for a long time then you havent been fighting anything but treating it.

[tucker85]

I use insecticidal soap all the time. It seems to work well for me. If there's just a few scale I will use it with a Q-tip and if there are many I like to use a soft bristle toothbrush. I treat the infected area and then I spray the entire plant, especially under the leaves. Always treat the plant again in one week and then again in another week for a total of three treatments. That helps kill any newly hatching eggs. Horticultural oil is another non-toxic treatment I occasionally use. Don't get the oil on anything because it's very hard to remove and it will stain some things like concrete. The one I use is called Organicide.

[POLKA]

Well, If I may add my two cents
I have been struggling with scale -- both the hard, brown SanJose scale, and that white cottony boisduval (sp???) scale.

I tip the pot to discard any loose media from the pot, or knock it out of the pot (depending on how bad the infestation is) and spray the plant to dripping with 1 cup 409 kitchen spray cleaner (regular sort), 1 cup rubbing alcohol, and 2 cups water in a quart spray bottle. I use this on all bugs, btw. If this is my first time, I use the toothbrush/q-tips, if this is a follow up, I usually don't unless I see things I either missed, or obviously newbies showing up. I spray every three days for two weeks.

Really bad investations and I want to save the plant for whatever reason, I dip the whole plant each time for those two weeks, and then let dry off for about a week to 10 days, and then pot up.

Not really alot of work, but need for diligence.

That's what I do, and If I would stay away from the orchid society, I would not be re-infecting my collection -- oh well, ............<sigh>

Take care
Rex
aka Polka
may all your orchids bloom like crazy

[Phal grower]

Squirrel, It's not so much about being environmentally friendly I just want to be friendly to my personal environment. My plants are inside so thats my biggest reason for going lite on the chemicals. I certainly don't want to go easy on the little freeloaders. Tucker, I'm glad to hear you've had success with insecticidal soap and think I'll give that a try for now.

[Bud]

I have scale infestation on my large Grammatophylum but only on the two old largest leaves...the rest of the other leaves dont get them...it is isolated...
I spray with a mix of:
10 drops dish soap
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract
2 cups tepid water
(Imake some more to soak the pot and roots for 5 min)...repeat it the next week
the next day when it is all dry: I soak a cotton swab with the brown listerine and use a soft old toothbrush and a butter knife to scrape the bugs...
repeat it the next week....
its gone but after three months the scales comes back...
so I continue the regimen until I finally do away with it for good...
oh it is only on those two leaves that this happens
the other leaves the bugs dont even like to eat
maybe it is coated with the anti bug spray so it doesnt want to eat those leaves
only the infected leaves they want to come back to

I dont know where they hide for 3 months...or do I get the scales from my ceiling vents or if I open my door...bu those scales only comes back on those exact two leaves and only on my Gramm. plant ....and I have 160 and some orchids

[stefpix]

i would also use imidclorprid / merit systemic. Bayer tree and shrub.

Anyway I found some mites ( a few ) on a Ficus religiosa I grew from seed.

I took it out of the pot, threw away the media, cut all the leaves off, sprayed with water and alcohol, dunked the whole bare rooted plant in a bucket of lukewarm water with dish soap for a few hours (completely submerged), repotted in fresh media and kept it separated.

If I found scale I would do the same after gettting rid of the scales themselves with my nails or some papertowel with rubbing alcohol

I wonder if pests attack weaker plants with no good roots for a reason. I saw video of mycologist that was explaining that fungus attack weak trees and then stronger taller trees come about and the forest grows bigger. It is a sort of natural selection to kill weaker plants so the stronger ones have more access to light and resources.

It is strange to see sometimes only one plant attacked by pests and the nearby ones are totally ok...

[POLKA]

I use imacloprid/merit too.
don't use too strong
bayer complete systemic rose care product at 1/3 to 1/2 strength. Full strength can cause some troubles in new growths, and or new roots. It works well on the brown SanJose scale, but not so well on the white Boisduval (sp??) scale.

Also remember that dead scales do not fall off, and go away. they must be removed. The Eggs and newborns are under the scale -- another reason to remove them the first time while or before spraying in order to kill them. Just removing the adults kills them, the spray is for the crawlers, etc.

Take care
happy killing <grin>

Rex aka POLKA