systemic should kill the scale, but it will remain dead on the leaves: so it will be hard to say if it's gone or not. so cleaning them off helps to monitor for appearance of new ones. if it's just a few you can rub them off with a soft toothbrush or tissue. you can make a solution of 1:1 water rubbing alcohol and soak the paper towel with that and wipe them off. but you have a large plant :) - it'll take while... it's prudent to check after 1 week of spraying if you still see any thrips crawling and if so then spray again. if your scale infestation is bad you might need to reapply systemic say after 1 month. also make sure to apply full dosage based on the size of your pot and try to dig it in with a spoon to mix with soil: moisture activates it. if it is dry on the surface it won't be working, only when you water the plant. since it's a large plant once a week watering might be expected, but it's better in this case to water lightly twice a week to make sure plant is absorbing systemic continually.

Mike, I think it's wonderful that you take your m-i-l to Hawaii every other year and see her on Mother's day in SC every year! She's lucky! Susan, I got 15 viburnum obovatums to use around Claire's lanai - I'll be taking 2 of them home, to plant on a wet site. The area I'm working is still wet. Her property is lower than the surrounding houses, so, since everybody here waters their lawns 2 or 3 times a week (underground sprinklers), this house gets all the runoff, at least in the back. I chose v. obovatum because it's evergreen, which gives them privacy in the pool all year, grows fast, is a swamp plant, and makes fruit that birds love. I got 3 rhododendron canescens 'Claire' - had to get a cultivar that has my daughter's name!, one more cornus florida var. 'Weaver' -' Weaver' and 'Madison' have HUGE flowers and grow like weeds, 2 more hammamelis virginiana/witch hazels, and 1 more viburnum rufidulum. I brought my seed tray with 25 ptelea trifoliata planted seeds - I got these last fall from one of the p. trifoliatas that grows in my garden. I didn't want to trust my husband to keep them watered while I was gone. Since ptelea trifoliata makes such a good understory tree, I thought I'd have room for a lot more of them - the giant swallowtails should appreciate it! I can't believe how much my grandson has grown! And his hair has turned dark like my daughter's - he looks just like her! Mary, I'm going to be too busy to do anything but work here - maybe next time we can get together. The ends of some of my fingers are cracking and starting to bleed, but I want to finish this job! I talked to my husband, and he said that a PVS emerged while I was gone. He released it yesterday - thank goodness the weather is warm there as well as here! I saw my first butterfly here yesterday. It was a big sulphur, too brightly yellow/orange to be a cloudless sulphur, so it was undoubtedly an orange barred sulphur, but it flew by too fast for me to be sure. MissSherry

I think this thread indicates why Washingtonis do so well potted in places like the midwest in the summer. Until they get rootbound or get too cold in the fall. Check out LA's temps some time 83-66, 79-62, 82-64. Sound familiar. It's just like a lot of Michigan days or other places in the midwest. They obviously thrive in that weather. I have one that is in a pot I'm guessing at least 100 gallons. About 30 inces high 24 inches wide at the bottom, and 30 inches wide at the top. It has pushed up about 5 fronds since late April (once it went outside). it has really shot uo in June.

It was very nice meeting all of you in person - it's a shame I didn't have more time to head out on any of your other pomological excursions, but my job schedule is brutal. Plummy, I realized on my way home that the Fruit and Spice Park greenhouse plant I had mistakenly identified as a durian (and which you cleverly pointed out was an Annona) was, in fact, a posh-te. Kudos on recognizing the genus immediately. NTM, I noticed the same thing about the leaf burn on the rambutans at Fairchild - of course, mine seem to have the same problem. I was there earlier today and found ripe cherapus and ripening mangosteens on the trees - very cool.