Originally Posted by Babberney

On Fri, 5 Nov 2004 22:08:44 +0000, Newt
wrote:

Hi Keith,
First I'd like to say that your plant appears to be a yucca and not a
dracaena. If the edges of the leaves are serrated and feel rough, then
you have a yucca.
http://tinyurl.com/66f3s
You may be right. The edges are quite sharp and I have the "paper
cuts" from my scale-scraping to prove it. I was basing my ID on the
growth habit and similarities to dracaenas I've seen.

I don't use toxic chemicals like Malathion and don't recommend them.
I'm with you. I'd sooner give up on the plant.
I would suggest that you use a horticultural oil. The timing of the
application is important. From this site:
http://tinyurl.com/3wgu9

"Spring/Summer Treatments. Dormant season applications of oils are not
appropriate for scales on citrus or avocado because these trees do not
enter a winter dormancy; oils are best applied to these trees in spring
or summer. Horticultural oils can also be used in spring or summer
against scale crawlers on deciduous plants. Treatment at this time
requires more spray volume than a dormant treatment because foliage as
well as bark must be thoroughly covered. Spring or summer applications
must be carefully timed to reach crawlers, which are the most
susceptible stage. Use traps made of double-sided sticky tape to
determine when crawlers are hatching. Before crawlers begin to emerge
in spring, tightly encircle several twigs or branches on the infested
tree with transparent tape that is sticky on both sides (this tape is
available at stationery stores). Change the tapes at regular intervals,
about weekly, and examine the tapes with a hand lens to identify the
crawlers. Once eggs begin hatching, scale crawlers get stuck on the
tapes and appear as yellow or orange specks."

Newt
Thanks for the info (and same to the earlier responses). I'll have to
drag this thing back outside some weekend soon, I guess, for a quick
shot, and I'll take a more thorough approach this spring.

k
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