Scale and lemons
 

Last year my little lemon trees were attacked. A trip to the local
nursery with a trimming in a zip lock bag got me a diagnosis and a
bottle of spray. I had to spray weekly and seemed to just keep the
critters at bay. They went away for the winter but now are back.

Anyone have any recommendations for a solution? What I was using last
year was a spray for scale by "Safer" brand for fruit and vegetables.
One tree lost quite a few leaves and I'm thinking I need something a bit
more effective.

marcella

Marcella Peek wrote:

Last year my little lemon trees were attacked. A trip to the local
nursery with a trimming in a zip lock bag got me a diagnosis and a
bottle of spray. I had to spray weekly and seemed to just keep the
critters at bay. They went away for the winter but now are back.

Anyone have any recommendations for a solution? What I was using last
year was a spray for scale by "Safer" brand for fruit and vegetables.
One tree lost quite a few leaves and I'm thinking I need something a bit
more effective.

marcella

Certainly there are stronger insecticides. Some are systemic (absorbed
by the plant) and work well on scale BUT, if you (or others) ever
consume the lemons from those trees, you don't want that!
The spray you used before may have worked but the trees just got
infested again. The reason for the repeated sprayings is that the adult
scales are not killed easily. The adults just finish their life cycle
and die off as they always do. The spray is to kill the new young ones
before they get their protective shell. If you are too late with a
spray, some will mature and survive.
You might try an oil spray. Oil smothers the scale and can even smother
most of the adults. You'll still want to spray a few times. I have
experience with killing scale but I live a thousand miles from the
nearest outdoor lemon tree. I would think a light oil such as ... wait a
minute, I'll run down to the basement and find out for sure ... Yes, my
bottle of "SunSpray Ultra-fine" oil IS labeled for killing scale on
lemon trees. That might be a really good choice.

Steve

g'day marcella,

over here we us an oil spray called 'white oil' (it's a petrolium
bi-product a like product)available not sure could be wrong here but i
think you call it dormant oil, but any good nursery will be able help
you with the product name. best applied after the heat of the sun has
gone for the day, you might need 2 or 3 sprays.

also look for ants they and the scale share a symbiotic relationship,
so if you find ants then you need to move them along so you don't get
reinfested.

there is a recipe for a homemade version of the oil on my remedies
page.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send.

In article ,
len gardener wrote:

g'day marcella,

over here we us an oil spray called 'white oil' (it's a petrolium
bi-product a like product)available not sure could be wrong here but i
think you call it dormant oil, but any good nursery will be able help
you with the product name. best applied after the heat of the sun has
gone for the day, you might need 2 or 3 sprays.

also look for ants they and the scale share a symbiotic relationship,
so if you find ants then you need to move them along so you don't get
reinfested.

there is a recipe for a homemade version of the oil on my remedies
page.

len

snipped

Thanks, I will look for dormant oil spray. I've heard of it, but not
used it before.

marcella

In article ,
Steve wrote:

Certainly there are stronger insecticides. Some are systemic (absorbed
by the plant) and work well on scale BUT, if you (or others) ever
consume the lemons from those trees, you don't want that!

Yes, my dad suggested something systemic but it would be nice to eat the
lemons. That is the point of the trees for us.

I would think a light oil such as ... wait a
minute, I'll run down to the basement and find out for sure ... Yes, my
bottle of "SunSpray Ultra-fine" oil IS labeled for killing scale on
lemon trees. That might be a really good choice.

Thanks, I'll look for that.


marcella

g'daty marcella,

make sure i got the name right hey?

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send.

Marcella Peek wrote:
..................
Thanks, I will look for dormant oil spray. I've heard of it, but not
used it before.

marcella

Read the label before you buy. I believe products labeled as dormant oil
are for use on trees while they are dormant. It might be used on an
apple or plum tree in the early spring just before the leaves start to
grow.
I doubt that it is labeled for, or safe for, use on trees with leaves.
Some formulations might be. Read.

Steve

In article ,
Steve wrote:

Marcella Peek wrote:
.................
Thanks, I will look for dormant oil spray. I've heard of it, but not
used it before.

marcella

Read the label before you buy. I believe products labeled as dormant oil
are for use on trees while they are dormant. It might be used on an
apple or plum tree in the early spring just before the leaves start to
grow.
I doubt that it is labeled for, or safe for, use on trees with leaves.
Some formulations might be. Read.

Steve

Ok... so what can I use for scale infestation on cactus?
San Pedro cactus...

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought particles
tend to get caught between the ears causing truth decay- so be sure
to use mental floss twice a day. -- Swami Beyondanada

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

Katra wrote:

.......................................
Ok... so what can I use for scale infestation on cactus?
San Pedro cactus...


I had to look up a picture of San Pedro cactus to see if it was covered
with spines or not. I see there is space between the rows of spines.
If you have it in a pot, and it's not too huge, you can do it the easy
way. Take some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and rub off every scale.
Spray, or otherwise wet the plant with alcohol about twice a week to
kill the microscopic young ones. Inspect the plant closely every week
for a while to watch for new scale. Get them before they have time to
reproduce.
If you live where you are growing this cactus outside, you'll probably
have to spray with something stronger.

Steve

il Sun, 13 Feb 2005 10:40:17 -0500, Steve ha scritto:

Katra wrote:

.......................................
Ok... so what can I use for scale infestation on cactus?
San Pedro cactus...


I had to look up a picture of San Pedro cactus to see if it was covered
with spines or not. I see there is space between the rows of spines.
If you have it in a pot, and it's not too huge, you can do it the easy
way. Take some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and rub off every scale.
Spray, or otherwise wet the plant with alcohol about twice a week to
kill the microscopic young ones. Inspect the plant closely every week
for a while to watch for new scale. Get them before they have time to
reproduce.
If you live where you are growing this cactus outside, you'll probably
have to spray with something stronger.

Steve

Do you have any idea how much alcohol one can use on any plant before
it turns up it's toes? I get occassional scale on various plants and
some can be rubbed off but the bay tree is loaded (mainly on the
trunks, not the leaves.
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

In article ,
Steve wrote:

Katra wrote:

.......................................
Ok... so what can I use for scale infestation on cactus?
San Pedro cactus...


I had to look up a picture of San Pedro cactus to see if it was covered
with spines or not. I see there is space between the rows of spines.
If you have it in a pot, and it's not too huge, you can do it the easy
way. Take some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and rub off every scale.
Spray, or otherwise wet the plant with alcohol about twice a week to
kill the microscopic young ones. Inspect the plant closely every week
for a while to watch for new scale. Get them before they have time to
reproduce.
If you live where you are growing this cactus outside, you'll probably
have to spray with something stronger.

Steve

It's in the greenhouse... That's what has me worried!
I've used some sevin', but have read that it usually takes an oil based
insecticide to effectively kill adult scale? But what are oil based
pesticides and how dangerous are they?

Thanks!

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought particles
tend to get caught between the ears causing truth decay- so be sure
to use mental floss twice a day. -- Swami Beyondanada

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

Katra wrote:
In article ,
Steve wrote:


Katra wrote:


.......................................
Ok... so what can I use for scale infestation on cactus?
San Pedro cactus...


I had to look up a picture of San Pedro cactus to see if it was covered
with spines or not. I see there is space between the rows of spines.
If you have it in a pot, and it's not too huge, you can do it the easy
way. Take some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and rub off every scale.
Spray, or otherwise wet the plant with alcohol about twice a week to
kill the microscopic young ones. Inspect the plant closely every week
for a while to watch for new scale. Get them before they have time to
reproduce.
If you live where you are growing this cactus outside, you'll probably
have to spray with something stronger.

Steve


It's in the greenhouse... That's what has me worried!
I've used some sevin', but have read that it usually takes an oil based
insecticide to effectively kill adult scale? But what are oil based
pesticides and how dangerous are they?


I have some doubt about what they mean by oil based insecticide. Some
insecticides are wettable powders to be mixed with water. Some in liquid
form are also water based. Some liquid insecticides are in an oil base
(you still usually mix that liquid with water). More often, these are
referred to as petroleum based insecticides. These can be harsh on
delicate plants. I wouldn't think cactus would be delicate but I'm not
sure. If you burn a few leaves on a plant that can grow new leaves,
that's one thing but if you burn your cactus, it's scared for life.
They may have simply been referring to products like the "SunSpray
Ultra-fine" oil that I mentioned in my first post in this thread.

Steve

Loki wrote:

il Sun, 13 Feb 2005 10:40:17 -0500, Steve ha scritto:


Katra wrote:


.......................................
Ok... so what can I use for scale infestation on cactus?
San Pedro cactus...


I had to look up a picture of San Pedro cactus to see if it was covered
with spines or not. I see there is space between the rows of spines.
If you have it in a pot, and it's not too huge, you can do it the easy
way. Take some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and rub off every scale.
Spray, or otherwise wet the plant with alcohol about twice a week to
kill the microscopic young ones. Inspect the plant closely every week
for a while to watch for new scale. Get them before they have time to
reproduce.
If you live where you are growing this cactus outside, you'll probably
have to spray with something stronger.

Steve


Do you have any idea how much alcohol one can use on any plant before
it turns up it's toes? I get occassional scale on various plants and
some can be rubbed off but the bay tree is loaded (mainly on the
trunks, not the leaves.


I'm pretty sure most plants can tolerate undiluted rubbing alcohol
(usually, it's isopropyl alcohol) sprayed as often as you want. It
evaporates fast and leaves no residue.
Alcohol will not kill adult scale. It's mainly to kill the newly hatched
babies. On a plant with too many scales to remove by hand, I would use
something else. The proper type of oil will smother even the adults
without harming the plant and it's quite non toxic.

Steve

il Sun, 13 Feb 2005 14:50:12 -0600, Katra ha scritto:

In article ,
Steve wrote:

Katra wrote:

.......................................
Ok... so what can I use for scale infestation on cactus?
San Pedro cactus...


I had to look up a picture of San Pedro cactus to see if it was covered
with spines or not. I see there is space between the rows of spines.
If you have it in a pot, and it's not too huge, you can do it the easy
way. Take some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and rub off every scale.
Spray, or otherwise wet the plant with alcohol about twice a week to
kill the microscopic young ones. Inspect the plant closely every week
for a while to watch for new scale. Get them before they have time to
reproduce.
If you live where you are growing this cactus outside, you'll probably
have to spray with something stronger.

Steve

It's in the greenhouse... That's what has me worried!
I've used some sevin', but have read that it usually takes an oil based
insecticide to effectively kill adult scale? But what are oil based
pesticides and how dangerous are they?

Thanks!

Oil based, because they effectively suffocate the insect. That's why
Conqueror Oil is mineral oil, (think baby oil) not a pesticide. But
added with Orthene® (aephate) gives better results. [so the
manufacturer says]
but Orthene thins stone fruits and seems to be added for mealey bug.
So any plain mineral oil will be safe up to harvest time. But I guess
you don't want to eat the cactus. Just make sure anything you buy
tells you what's in it.
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

il Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:36:11 -0500, Steve ha scritto:

Loki wrote
Do you have any idea how much alcohol one can use on any plant before
it turns up it's toes? I get occassional scale on various plants and
some can be rubbed off but the bay tree is loaded (mainly on the
trunks, not the leaves.


I'm pretty sure most plants can tolerate undiluted rubbing alcohol
(usually, it's isopropyl alcohol) sprayed as often as you want. It
evaporates fast and leaves no residue.
Alcohol will not kill adult scale. It's mainly to kill the newly hatched
babies. On a plant with too many scales to remove by hand, I would use
something else. The proper type of oil will smother even the adults
without harming the plant and it's quite non toxic.

Steve

I sprayed 'em with something which helped but I can't remember what
it was. Possibly conqueror oil (mineral) but maybe not...
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]