1/31/10
More Garden Woes
I decided to trim up a few of the wild plants that I recently let go. This is a tropical hibiscus that has been infected by some type of insect. I cut off all the branches that are infected and I will spray the remaining branches with something mild...everytime I spray the hibiscus, the leaves drop off...this time I will be extra careful.
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Hi Danielle, those look like scales.
ReplyDeleteIf you are patient you can skip the chemicals, even mild ones, by just grabbing a piece of cotton or a paper towel soaked in rubbing alcohol and just taking the time to wipe off each scale. Sounds more time-consuming than it really is. :)
You cuold also just crush them with your fingers, but most people get grossed out by the mere thought of that.
To avoid scale in the future be sure to keep fertilizing to a minimum, scale really takes off on plants with too much nitrogen.
You could also use horticultural oil or neem oil (although people are divided on whether the latter affects beneficial insects or not).
Good luck!