I posted on Garden Foes forum but thought I would ask here too. I have scale on some of my houseplants. Brugs mostly. Is there an organic remedy like mouthwash(something Jerry Baker likes to use), etc. TIA
I need an organic remedy for scale
Baa
Mar 29, 2004
I use Methylated spirits (or rubbing alcohol) on a cotton bud and dab their backs with it. It's best not to get it o the leaves but you get dead scale insects in a few hours.
Not sure that it can be considered organic though, bit like Mr. Baker ;)
troy
Apr 14, 2004
i use a mix of pyrithum(sp) oil , volk oil, some peppermint soap and some rubbing alcohol, about an oz of each in a half gallon of water. water your plants well in the late afternoon then about an hour later when the sun is not on the plants strong spray them real good with the mix. i use that for just about any bug that gets on my plants that should not be there. the things i listed are concidered organic
Troy -
would that work for milkweed bugs/borers, do you think? would it kill butterfly larva?
troy
May 06, 2004
yea i am fairly sure it would kill everything
Troy, what's volk oil?
troy
May 06, 2004
not sure exactly what it is but i know it is on the organic list
bump up this info...
I've managed to get rid of scale by using alcohol on q-tips. I understand
its not organic but it seems like it should be. The alcohol has never hurt
any leaves. For plants with woody stems & lots of crinkly leaves, I've not
had good luck - too many place ffor the scale to hide. I've had a problem
in my greenhouse with scale for a number of years - too many plants to
clean individually w/q-tips so there I've found pyrethrum spray works best.
good luck!
Tam
PS: The alcohol swabbing took many many many times before I cleared the
problem. Keep an eye open for new scale & repeat (every couple weeks.)
Volck oil alone (mixed with water, natch) will get rid of scale nicely. Just read the instructions on the bottle for mixing ratio.
I use two tablespoons vegetable oil, two tablespoons liquid soap (not detergent - I use the Dr. Bronners eucalyptus scented) in one gallon water. Spray every two weeks (all over. it's best to take the plants outside and cover the undersides and tops of all leaves and branches using a garden sprayer). Then, when the scale is beaten down, hit them with a dose of a pyrethrin spray. Works for me on house plants and worked on camellia scale outside too.
this might work on that other scale problem...