Scale Explosion

[lucky1]

There are so many types of scale and thrips/aphids, etc. it's hard to ID stuff.
Most of the stuff we see is actually the "poop" that insects deposit on the leaves, often leading to misdiagnosis/ID.

But when suddenly the floor under the palms gets sticky and palm leaves have a shiny (watery) looking stuff here and there, it means trouble.

Even the little ladybug can't keep up with the pests. See the shiny sticky liquid?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6790462861/" title="DSC05323 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6790 ... e476_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="DSC05323"></a>

Since treating the soil last September with Dimethoate 480 before plants came indoors, I got complacent and figured they'd be fine this year.
Boy, was I wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspididae

Big bottle palm's "stuff" on underside of EVERY leaf (hopefully that's not tomentum!!!)

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6864006643/" title="DSC05386 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6864 ... f89f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="DSC05386"></a>

Hard to get off, even washing with soapy water, both sides of leaf, digging/scratching with a fingernail to remove it.
Makes me wish I didn't have feather palms.

This one 3 foot long leaf took 2 and a half hours to get clean.
Looked clean when I was done, but a pic today shows I missed some.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6864006707/" title="029 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6864 ... f0b5_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="029"></a>

So, got out the pruning shears and cut everything off but the spear leaf.
Then washed all the trunks with hot soapy water, getting it into crevices with Qtip.
Not much left of the big palms...

the spindle and the big bottle.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6864006729/" title="025 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6864 ... 4250_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="025"></a>

And the three triangles:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6864425633/" title="026 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6864 ... 1576_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="026"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6864425715/" title="028 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6864 ... 7c99_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="028"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6864425667/" title="027 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6864 ... 312f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="027"></a>

And if this doesn't work, I'm using NAPALM.

Barb

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

Hopefully your efforts will get rid of everything, Barb! Sometimes you really have to watch what you get from the box stores, as this seems to be the stuff that is more likely to have pests!

[TimMAz6]

Hi Barb

I read cinnamon spice kills gnats......I wonder if it work on your pests?

I remember mites getting to my Ensete when kept indoors. It's not easy to keep up with. Sometimes I placed the entire plant in the shower....this seemed to work well.

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Barb that`s quite the haircut those palms have. You might want to get a product called endall to spray into the trunk where the petioles connect. There will still be scale hiding in there. If you spray it on the fronds don`t leave it on for more than a few days as it will smother it and brown out. I took my tropicals outside yesterday and sprayed them all down with the hose to get rid of mealy bugs.
http://www.saferbrand.com/store/garden-care/5101


John

[lucky1]

Tim, I read somewhere that ants won't cross cinnamon.
Wonder if it comes in 45 gallon drums, since ants "farm" scale

Cameron makes a good point about box store palms.
These aren't new additions, though, have had some 5 or 6 years.
Suppose we should always quarantine stuff we bring home...but I always forget.

John, thanks, will pick up some Endall tomorrow.
The link says it's compliant for use in organic gardening, yet works on 45 common insects incl. scale, mealybugs, psyllids, aphids, stink bugs.
Sounds almost too good to be true

If you spray it on the fronds don`t leave it on for more than a few days as it will smother it and brown out

sounds like it's like dormant oil?
so how do you get it off the fronds? (thinking of that Neem stuff that didn't rub off again)

You took ALL your stuff outside yesterday and hosed them down?

quite the haircut those palms have

H is happy we can use the front door again.

It almost killed me to cut 6 fronds off the Spindle; it was soooooo nice.

Barb

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Barb once you are done smothering the little buggers on the palm with Endall you just use a hand held sprayer with water,and wash it off. The best thing is it`s organic. Good for us and the palms. I had the Triangle palms, Christmas palms, Pony tails, Hawaiian fan etc. out in 8c sun for two hours. They look great again .



John

[lucky1]

I had the Triangle palms, Christmas palms, Pony tails, Hawaiian fan etc. out in 8c sun for two hours. They look great again icon_biggrin.gif .

and you blasted them with a hose (cold water ) ?????

How does your back stand up to all that hauling in / out?

Beat ya...we were 11C

[canadianplant]

I used 50/50 isoporpyl alcohol and water. I used a qutip to wipe then off one by one. Time consuming, but it definitely made a difference. Just make sure you rinse the palnts off when your done, just to make sure.

[lucky1]

Jesse, any idea how much work that is with 6 foot feather-leaf palms with 5 or 6 fronds that are 4 feet long?
And both sides of leaves?

[TimMAz6]

Hi Barb,

purchase 200 gallons of that stuff and dunk the entire palm in it! Then you can market your services to other palm growers in your area!

[lucky1]

Am going to sprinkle cinnamon on the soil, after pushing more garlic bulbs into potting mix.
The house should smell interesting.

Barb

[canadianplant]

Jesse, any idea how much work that is with 6 foot feather-leaf palms with 5 or 6 fronds that are 4 feet long?
And both sides of leaves?

Yup, i did about 50 random potted plants of arious sizes ( the sago palm was BRUTAL to do, same with the dieffenbachia). Not to mention about 40 seedling pots.... I did say it was time consuming, BUT, I totally eliminated the scale infestation, especially after a spray of safers soap a week after to kill any babies.

[TimMAz6]

Hey Barb,

you'll have to put hot chile pepper powder on it too!

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Barb I have hosed down my tropicals every winter without any damage to them. The hose does a great job of spraying the bugs to the hereafter .


John

[lucky1]

Hot chili pepper too?

I'm glad the cinnamon has taken over the garlicky smell now.
Mind you, the dog's starting to roll her eyes.

Sheesh, John, all that water on the driveway if it gets to freezing overnight...

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Barb I spray them on the sundeck so no worries about freezing on the concrete. Soon we won`t have to worry about any freezing. 12c here today no wind and bright sun. The Trachy`s are starting to get growing again.


John