How do you prevent scale on house plants?

TOM KAN PA wrote:

How do you prevent scale on house plants?

By buying plastic or silk plants :-)) Seriously, you can't really
"prevent" insect infestations, but there are a few things you can do to
reduce their occurrence and of course treat for them once they appear.
First, new houseplants should be quarantined for a period of time before
including in your houseplants groupings - most insects will hitch-hike
in on new plant material. Second, stressed plants will appeal more to
insects than those in good vigorous health, so tend to your plants
carefully by watering correctly, fertilizing moderately and providing
adequate light and humidity. Finally, should the insects appear, you
need to treat immediately. Most scale will have a hard exoskeleton which
makes using products like insecticidal soap and neem oil a waste of
time. If you are of a chemical bent, there are systemics available or
you can swab the plant gently with cotton balls dipped in rubbing
alcohol, focusing on the areas where the scale congregate. Scale is
tough to control and if you have a serious infestation, it is sometimes
better to cut your losses and get rid of the problem plant.

pam - gardengal

"TOM KAN PA" wrote in message
...
How do you prevent scale on house plants?

My gardenia had scale. I put it on the deck in the summer but a few days
before bringing in last year I sprayed with systemic.
Took care of the problem.
Frank

I may be wrong but my understanding is that even though scale is somewhat
impervious to insecticidal soap, there is a period that the scale exists as
a non-scaly crawly stage. So I have effectively used insecticidal soap on 5
day intervals for about a month. I also wiped the plant down with an rag
dipped in rubbing alcohol before spraying. This was a plant that I have had
for a long time and really didn't want to lose. If the plant is not that
important to you I would toss it. Also I would keep it away from my other
plants.


--
James Woomer
J&L Software
Retirement and Financial Planning Software
http://www.jlplanner.com
"TOM KAN PA" wrote in message
...
How do you prevent scale on house plants?

systemic insecticides


TOM KAN PA wrote in message
...
How do you prevent scale on house plants?

"TOM KAN PA" wrote in message
...
How do you prevent scale on house plants?

I have successfully treated scale on a ficus tree. Since scale seems to like
to go to the new, tender part of the plant, I cut it back. When the threat
of frost was past, I moved it outside and treated it systemically, twice.
When it was time to bring it back in the new growth had appeared and there
was no scale.

How do you prevent scale on house plants?

I could be flippant, but seriously, you can't prevent them completely. It's
like, how do you prevent the common cold? Let's say rather, how do you minimize
the likelihood of scale infestation?
1. Buy only from clean, reputable nurseries.
2. Avoid susceptible species, like ferns, citrus, & Ficus.
3. Quarantine new plants for a couple of weeks, & examine them closely.
4. If you keep your plants in an enclosed room, use No-Pest Strips. They will
not eliminate established scale, but they tend to preven them from spreading.
5. If you find a plant with scale, treat it promptly & examine its neighbors.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Simple ultralite oils will control scale.


On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 16:52:01 GMT, "Cereoid-XXXXX"
wrote:

systemic insecticides


TOM KAN PA wrote in message
...
How do you prevent scale on house plants?







"As crude a weapon as a cave man's club the chemical barrage has been hurled at the fabric of life."
Rachel Carson