Scale.....what is it?

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juttz Muskegon, MI(Zone 5a) Aug 25, 2005

OK, Ive got an air potato that has shiny stick spray on teh top of the leaves and the under side has a flat roundish bug that is brownish...I see bigger ones on teh bottom of the stem close to the soil....I have chopped the whole vine at the soil line and used Bayer to kill whatever is in the soil...is this scale?...and if so what is your remedy?...Judy

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barbur Port Lavaca, TX(Zone 9a) Aug 29, 2005

Scale are so small that they are often mistaken for part of the plant. They look like natural bumps and do not move when mature; sometimes mistaken for fungal growth. There are many different species. They suck plant's fluids and in large numbers, can cause yellowing of leaves, leaf drop and dieback of twigs and limbs. They excrete "honeydew," a sticky substance that attracts ants and often causes black "sooty mold."

One of the solutions is to prune sections of the plant or discard the whole plant if heavily infested.

Other solutions are to spray with highly refined horticultural oil during spring and summer or dormant oil during late winter, repeat applications over the course of the season; several applications will probably be necessary.

If you must use a pesticide... systemic pesticides are taken up by the plant and make its tissues and fluids toxic to the feeding scale insects. Non-systemic must be applied to all infested plant surfaces for best results, because they must come into direct contact with the insects.

I'm repeating what I read in a phamplet series titled, "Grow Green." Their web site is www.growgreen.org.
Good luck!

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juttz Muskegon, MI(Zone 5a) Aug 29, 2005

Thank you so much...I did cut the vine back to the soil line and gave it a dose of systemic dose to the soil...im watching it and hoping for the best....my house plant that is a variegated umbrella plant has been getting scale all summer..Ive sprayed it several times with water and checked it all the time...it seemed to be working until just the other day Ive seen a few..ive picked them off and I guess I should repot it and add some systemic to it also before I have it inside all winter..I have never had so much trouble with bugs until this year...Im learning from all that has happened to my plants this year..lol...Judy

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