Happypaphy7
Paphlover
I know the topic of scale has been covered before.
I myself posted once before hoping in search of effective ways to get rid of them without resorting to harsh chemicals.
I had a shocking discovery last week that my big Armeni White has a major case of soft brown scale.
I always check on my plants on their underside when watering.
For Armeni White, I somehow stopped doing that once it got very big.
I thought I would have a look in a while, and wow~ There were tons of them in all sizes! Lot of adults near the base of the growths and leaves, and smaller ones all over along the center of the leaves on the underside.
I sat down and picked out as many as I can with a toothpick and then sprayed a solution whose main ingredient is a form of pyrethrin.
I checked the plant today and I see scales but I can't tell if they were dead or alive.
I went to a garden center thinking I would get a bottle of systemic with imidacloprid, but reading the label worried me away. ex) strictly outdoor use only, apply in the soil, do not let the run off enter into sewage system, lake, pond, don't let it touch your skin, ...... This is why I don't want to use chemical sprays. I don't want them on me, and on the environment.
So, I think I'm going to try the old and cheap rumor I've heard many times.
Soapy water. I'm not sure about the effectiveness, though. I've tried it on mealy bugs before, but it was not that effective. I wonder if it was because their cottony body surface protects them?
I wonder if adult scales would be affected by soapy water treatment??
Those of you who have tried it, how do you do it?
Spray soapy water all over the plant, wait, rinse???
I myself posted once before hoping in search of effective ways to get rid of them without resorting to harsh chemicals.
I had a shocking discovery last week that my big Armeni White has a major case of soft brown scale.
I always check on my plants on their underside when watering.
For Armeni White, I somehow stopped doing that once it got very big.
I thought I would have a look in a while, and wow~ There were tons of them in all sizes! Lot of adults near the base of the growths and leaves, and smaller ones all over along the center of the leaves on the underside.
I sat down and picked out as many as I can with a toothpick and then sprayed a solution whose main ingredient is a form of pyrethrin.
I checked the plant today and I see scales but I can't tell if they were dead or alive.
I went to a garden center thinking I would get a bottle of systemic with imidacloprid, but reading the label worried me away. ex) strictly outdoor use only, apply in the soil, do not let the run off enter into sewage system, lake, pond, don't let it touch your skin, ...... This is why I don't want to use chemical sprays. I don't want them on me, and on the environment.
So, I think I'm going to try the old and cheap rumor I've heard many times.
Soapy water. I'm not sure about the effectiveness, though. I've tried it on mealy bugs before, but it was not that effective. I wonder if it was because their cottony body surface protects them?
I wonder if adult scales would be affected by soapy water treatment??
Those of you who have tried it, how do you do it?
Spray soapy water all over the plant, wait, rinse???