How to Kill Scales on Plants
Scale affects both indoor houseplants and outdoor plants. This parasitic insect sucks the nutrients from plant leaves and can eventually kill the plant if left untreated. Scales gather at the underside of plant leaves and at the intersection of leaf and stem. They do not fly but crawl along the plant branches. Of the three types of scale, mealybugs are the easiest to get rid of while armored scale can take time to kill. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Cotton ball
- Rubbing alcohol
- Insecticidal soap
- Dish soap
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Insecticide
Instructions
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Dip a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol. Swab the leaves and branches of your houseplant with the wet cotton ball if you have a minor scale infestation. This may be enough to cure the problem; if not, you can try harsher methods to kill the scale.
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2
Spray plants with insecticidal soap, or with a solution of 1 1/2 tsp. dish-washing soap per quart of water, advises Gardening KnowHow. Spray until the plant is thoroughly saturated with the soap solution. Repeat this once a week for a month to kill the scale. If the scale problem doesn't seem to be getting better, you'll need to choose the right insecticide to treat it.
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Figure out what kind of scale has infested your houseplant: armored or hard scale, soft scale or mealybug. Texas Agricultural Extension Service provides color pictures of each type of scale, which you can use to identify your pest (see Resources).
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Purchase an insecticide that will kill your type of scale, using the suggested list provided by Texas Agricultural Extension Service (see Resources). Gardeners can choose from many different insecticides so should not have a problem finding one in their community. Insecticides come in powder, dust, aerosol or granular form.
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Treat your houseplant with the insecticide, using the recommended dose and following the instructions on the package. Spray plants directly if you have aerosol or dust them with dust insecticide. Combine powder with water to create a liquid, then spray plants with the liquid.
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Repeat the insecticide treatment as often as necessary to cure the scale infestation.
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