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Getting Rid of Cottony Cushion Scale on my Lime Tree

17 years ago

I've just determined through extensive research that my young Bearss Lime Tree which I purchased in the spring from Four Winds has contracted Cottony Cushion Scale.

I emailed Four Winds and they said to use Safer soap to get rid of it. However, I've also seen advice in other places to use Horticultural Oil or Organocide.

I am trying to determine which is the best way to get rid of it with the following concerns in mind:

1. I have two cats who may come into contact with the tree (although I could lock it in another room for a while) so I prefer not to use something poisonous to them.

2. It's a pretty extensive outbreak and I would like to vigoursly treat the problem before it overtakes my little tree.

3. What method is best for applying any of these products? Spraying, spot-treating with cotton swabs, scraping off the scale then spraying or spot treating it? I can take the tree outside to treated if it requires a lot of messy spraying or anything.

Also, I have an older Eureka Lemon Tree in the same room, but reasonably far away from the lime tree, that seems healthy and happy. Do I need to be concerned about it contracting the scale too?

I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to gardening, so specific and easy to understand advice would be very helpful.

Thank you so much and I look forward to your responses!

empecot

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Comments (3)

jean001
17 years ago
It sounds like your tree is probably on the small side. If so, you can be very effective with a search-and-destroy method. (This works because cottony cushion scale are rather large and quite soft.)

Or use insecticidal soap while the crawlers (new hatchlings) are on the move.

Or use both methods.
karyn1
17 years ago
I have my plants indoors for the season and have found scale on a variegated lemon. The safer isn't working well, neither is fish emulsion. I've been keeping it in check with hand picking/squishing and wiping the plant with alcohol soaked cotton balls. Normally I'd just use a strong spraying with the hose for a few days but that's not happening inside. As long as I can keep it from getting out of control over the winter I'll get rid of them when they go back outside. Keep a close watch on your other plants. Even if they are on the other side of the room these little beasts manage to spread easily. Good luck.
Karyn
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I think I got them! I ordered horticultural oil, the "All Seasons" brand. I mixed 2 tablespoons into a quarter gallon spray bottle, shook it, and sprayed the everloving heck out of that tree, making sure to get the undersides of the leaves and the petioles and the branch junctions. I didn't spray the oil off, I let it sit till the next day, and sprayed it down yet again. The leaves were really slippery and oily (I kept it out of the sun for this) and I didn't spray it off the second time either. After the first time there was still tufts the next day, and after the second spray there was a stray one or two that I think were probably residual - but I sprayed a third time just to be sure. The day after the third spray there was no more sticky and no more fuzz, so I wiped the oil off with a wet sponge with a drop of dawn on it and wiped down the branches, etc. The shoots that just started were unharmed by all of this and are doing very well. The leaves were a little bit droopy from having oil coating them got a few days, but it's significantly perked up. Supposed to rain tonight, that'll wash off what's left. So far, no tufts, no fuzz, no sticky. These next few days will be the tellers. I looked over my orange tree, which was showing the fuzzy signs of them, but it looks like they have abandon their try and the orange tree is as healthy as ever, save for some mild chlorosis from the constant rain and too much water (it is under shelter now). Still no new shoots from that orange tree, though.... I'm wondering about that. hmm. So, if anyone else is having problems with them, while alcohol and neem didn't work for me, horticultural oil seems to have worked out great!
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ariesf5
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I used organicide while my plants were outside, before coming in for winter. It worked very well. I divided the gallon that I made between two trees (Bearrs lime and Pink Variegated Eureka). The plants did however smell bad for a good two weeks, and they had to go through two rain showers and a water down by me. The smell did disipate after a while. My only concern was that once they came in the trees dropped their leaves. I'm not sure if the organocide had anything to do with this, but it might have. So depending on how you feel about the product, go for it. I would use it again... only not indoors, and I would leave them out for about 3 weeks after spraying... oh, and I only sprayed once!

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