Tough Love for one of the Brahea Armata twins
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:49 am
You may recall I have 2 potted Brahea armata, one kept in the cold building each winter, the other in the warm house.
Both are outside in summer's full sun.
The "warm winter" Brahea is larger than its twin but, oh man, has it got a bad case of soft-bodied scale (the cold building Brahea has no bugs!):
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084309933/" title="005 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8189/8084 ... 2c7a_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="005"></a>
During repotting with Sunshine Mix #4 Aggregate Plus, with an infestation this bad, it was time to get out the big gun...Dimethoate 480.
Horrible stuff, stinks to high heaven...even the dog goes around the corner.
Rubber gloves are necessary.
Gently removed all old soil and plunged roots into the poison:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084305314/" title="006 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8084 ... 9c66_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="006"></a>
Then inverted to soak the fronds:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084303784/" title="007 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8084 ... c40f_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="007"></a>
After leaving fronds soaking for 15 minutes, most bugs seem to have changed color, etc.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084302154/" title="008 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8084 ... ef5e_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="008"></a>
Potted up, after gently untangling the potbound roots.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084303793/" title="009 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8050/8084 ... 7441_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="009"></a>
And here's its twin, with NOT ONE BUG on it all summer:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084294041/" title="010 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8084 ... 33ed_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="010"></a>
Reminder: KILL ANTS on patio...they "farm" scale.
Poured the rest of the poison stuff onto the Spindle Palm and 3 Triangle Palms.
What a curse scale is!
Barb
Both are outside in summer's full sun.
The "warm winter" Brahea is larger than its twin but, oh man, has it got a bad case of soft-bodied scale (the cold building Brahea has no bugs!):
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084309933/" title="005 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8189/8084 ... 2c7a_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="005"></a>
During repotting with Sunshine Mix #4 Aggregate Plus, with an infestation this bad, it was time to get out the big gun...Dimethoate 480.
Horrible stuff, stinks to high heaven...even the dog goes around the corner.
Rubber gloves are necessary.
Gently removed all old soil and plunged roots into the poison:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084305314/" title="006 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8084 ... 9c66_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="006"></a>
Then inverted to soak the fronds:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084303784/" title="007 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8084 ... c40f_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="007"></a>
After leaving fronds soaking for 15 minutes, most bugs seem to have changed color, etc.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084302154/" title="008 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8084 ... ef5e_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="008"></a>
Potted up, after gently untangling the potbound roots.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084303793/" title="009 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8050/8084 ... 7441_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="009"></a>
And here's its twin, with NOT ONE BUG on it all summer:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8084294041/" title="010 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8084 ... 33ed_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="010"></a>
Reminder: KILL ANTS on patio...they "farm" scale.
Poured the rest of the poison stuff onto the Spindle Palm and 3 Triangle Palms.
What a curse scale is!
Barb