posted
you either need to spray with an insecticide up under all leaves & around the stems, OR you could use a systemic insecticide which is mixed with water & absorbed through the roots. BUT, the fruit crop will be unusable. A systemic poisons the juices that the scales drink & kills them. The lemons will also be tainted.
* * * * I love the sweet scents wafting in the breeze. I stop to admire the vibrant colors of all living things. And people think me odd. Then ODD I am!!!
posted
thx, rugby. will the spray-on inscecticide also cause the fruit to be unusable?
with a systemic treatment, will the fruit be permanantly unusable?
this is a neighbors tree. it's inside - where could this scale have come from? she's had this tree for at least 6 years.
she applied rubbing alcohol to them and then called me...knowing that i come to this site. is the alcohol good enough, or will she see them return?
Seeded: 68.238.182.93
systemic makes inedible the current crop only, not future crops.
you could try alcohol, depending on thhe size of the tree & # of insects, it could be a big job
* * * * I love the sweet scents wafting in the breeze. I stop to admire the vibrant colors of all living things. And people think me odd. Then ODD I am!!!
i was over there the other day. the lime tree has it too and that is 3 times the size of the lemon (which is only 1 ft x 1 1/2 ft). she was planning on working on the lime tree with the alcohol over the weekend...and she's going to have to do the lemon again since it's next to the lime. the rubber plant doesn't seem to be affected.
what other plants does this type of bug affect? (i need to know as she's going to give me some cuttings of a few things and i want to be aware).
what spray on treatment will work best? (i know she's not going to treat that whole lime tree with rubbing alcohol on qtips!! she'll have gotten tired of it after an hour )
Seeded: 68.238.182.93
posted
Scale can be treated with a whiteoil and insecticidal soap mix. The soap breaks down the protective coating on the scale and the oil suffocates the insect. You can eat the crop immediately. Spray on a cool day or at least late in the afternoon or the sun can heat the oil to a point where it may burn the leaves.
Ensure your tree gets a fair dose of potassium when you fertilize. Potash builds plant cells and is important in the plant becoming strong enough to repel insect pests. Prevention is better than cure so maintaining the overall health of your plant is best achieved thru mulching, consistent, deep watering and regular organic fertilizing.
* * * * The secret is the soil. Plants: 1184 | From: East Coast | Registered: Sep 2004
| Seeded: 146.23.68.22
joclyn
guest
posted
thanks, longy! i'm sure she'll find that that mix will be much easier to use. should it be a 50/50 mix of the two? and how often to treat? just once or again in, say, two weeks?
she has them inside - it's not warm enough yet for them to be put outside (which she does every summer).
i'll tell her about the potassium issue too.
edit: what is whiteoil and where can we get it?
Seeded: 68.238.182.93
posted
There should be instructions on the insecticidal soap container as to how much to use. It may depend on which brand you purchase, i'm not sure. Whiteoil is basically 1 cup vegetable oil and 1/2 cup water, pureed in a blender. You can add a few drops of household liquid detergent to help it stick. (Using this mixture may negate the need for the insecticidal soap.) This is the concentrate, you'll need to dilute it for use. 50:1 So one litre of water to 20 millilitres of concentrate. Spray 3 times, 7 days apart.
* * * * The secret is the soil. Plants: 1184 | From: East Coast | Registered: Sep 2004
| Seeded: 146.23.68.22
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