cinnamon extract to fight scales

[orchids44]

I realize that many folks are using rubbing alcohol, dish soap and cinnamon extract to treat scales. Is the cinnamon the ground type in the spice section of the grocery store? I cannot find cinnamon extract anywhere. Sorry for such a silly question

[flhiker]

cinnamon extract is very hot. remember cinnamon toothpicks. I think they are using ground cinnamon. the extract is in the medical isle called cinnamon oil, they use to use it for tooth pain.

[Carpe Diem]

I found my Cinnamon extract in the aisle with the spices, in the vicinity of the Vanilla extract.

[iammadeofdreams]

Does cinnamon essential oil work, or is it too strong? If it's not properly diluted it can cause burning on sensitive skin, so I don't know what it could do to plants.

[NYCorchidman]

No, not powdered cinnamon but the extract (the liquid form) is what is intended in that recipe.
A word of warning though.
Do not use that stuff on the flowers as doing so will ruin the bloom in like two days!
I had a thrip "attack" on my blooming orchids last spring. I found this recipe of cinnamon extract, dish soap, water thing and sprayed all over including the flowers (where thrips were living). Well, in about two days or so, flowers started to turn brown and looked really ugly. A few more days later flowers dropped.
and what's worse, I still had thrips. lol
what a waste of my long waited blooms and money buying the extract!
That was my experience and I never intend to use it again on my plants.

[Leafmite]

I grow a cinnamomum zeylanicum tree. Scale absolutely love it. I understand the extract is from cassia but I can't see that these two types of cinnamon could be that different. I use Isopropyl alcohol to remove scale from the leaves of my plants but I have read where horticultural oil is very effective (smothers them) and will likely invest in it for next winter. I ended up removing all the scale with cotton balls and alcohol and using a granular systemic to get rid of the scale this time. A few of my plants (not the cinnamon, thankfully) dropped all of their leaves in reaction to the systemic. I haven't used anything but alcohol on the orchids.

[AnonYMouse]

Before we get into the debate once again, let me provide the what and where: Cinnamon-Extract-1-fl-oz

[ChaseGhost]

Does the cinnamon actually do anything to the scale? I thought it was just a fungicide, And that the alcohol did the killing. I just make my own extract I use to spray down my terrarium when mold pops up, Works great! Ive also mixed it with water, castile soap and neem oil for scale worked really well! Ray's site has some really good info on this subject!!! First Rays' Home Remedies

[tucker85]

Whatever you decide to use on the scale, the first step is to remove the actual scale. For soft scale you can wipe it off with a paper towel or cotton ball that's wet with water, soap & water or alcohol. For hard scale I use a soft or medium bristle tooth brush with soap & water or alcohol. With hard scale you only need to dislodge them from the plant and they'll die. With phals check on the underside of the lowest leaf on the plant and also around the base of the plant. For cattleyas, remove the brown papery sheaths that cover the pseudobulb. Scale is often under those.

[Ray]

Cinnamon is a fungicide, not an insecticide. Alcohol will kill soft-bodied insects, but the shell of a hard scale insect protects it. The dish soap may break down protective coatings on some insects, but its efficacy are hard scale is iffy at best.

If you use a soft toothbrush dipped in soapy water, you should be able to dislodge them.