Controlling scale on citrus.

14 years ago

I have a dwarf keylime that I've been growing in a container for... probably about four years, now. Usually I get some minor spidermite infestations in the winter when I bring it indoors, which isn't hard to deal with. This year, however, I seem to have scale.

It's pretty minor so far, as there aren't many scales at all and I have to do a lot of searching to find them. However, I'm really concerned about it getting worse and/or spreading to my other plants.

Are there any sprays or systemics that I would work well? It's inside right now, so it'd have to be something that's okay for use indoors.

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Comments (10)

meyermike_1micha
14 years ago
It's crazy!!!

I have never had a problem with scale ever...This is a first year, and yet it is the first year I have no spidermites. Not yet anyways. Everyone I know around here is having to battle with scale..Must of been a banner year for them....Sheesh.

I have been using my own stuff, and I hope it works...It seems to be thus far...

I think I am just glad that we are smart enough to catch these problems before they get out of control and keep them in check anyways...

So many people have no clue why their plants decline so rapidly, until they are dead, and yet we at least know what to look for and save ours from ther demise....

For this I am greatful...If what I am using works, you bet I will be back to share my success...Good luck. If you have had that plant near any others for a bit, it is a good chance they all might have one here or there too..

To be honest, I choose to have scale and mealies, than those darn mites you can never see, until the life is almost sucked dry out of most leaves and plants...And, they come back no matter what you do..

Mike..:-)
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
14 years ago
I knocked the last scale off mine about 4 yrs ago with dormant oil. It hasn't been back since. This was that white cottony cushion scale. I've had some scale on the stone fruit since but nothing on the citrus.

The Fruitnut
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cap: Welcome. This is a very nice group of fruit lovers. There is also a lot of knowledge on the citrus forum. If you don't get what you need here try that group. Most citrus grows in flushes, a burst of growth followed by sometimes long periods of little to no growth. I get my best navel oranges with one major flush a year. That fruit is sweetest if water is limited enough to shut down growth. The lemons and limes tend to grow more continuiously and don't need to sweeten up so more water might be appropriate. If your trees look healthy they are OK even if they don't grow for months.
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I found this blog while checking to see if there might be anything new for organic control. I am a leukemia survivor, so I now avoid chemicals as much as possible in my nursery and greenhouse. Oil sprays, dish detergent and water sprays will all work ..separatly or together to control scales, aphids and white flies. But, you have to work with the life cycles of these nasty little suckers for long term control. Their life cycles are as short as one week. Aphids are Asexual reproducers...so it only takes one to start thousands...and very quickly. Scale and whitefly are also short cycle reproducers, so daily scouting of your plants and frequent water, oil and/or soap sprayings are essental for continued control. For those who want long term control, chemicals do work, but do not use them on anything you plan to eat produce off of. Chemicals that are systemic, that contain active ingredients like Acephate, will be absorbed into the plant and remain active a month per application. This breaks the life cycle as the insects are killed while feeding off the sap. My scale came in through plants I allowed a friend to overwinter in my greenhouse, even though I applied granulated systemic to all her plants as an attempt to protect my own crops. So, always check any new plants for insects before bringing into your home or garden. I would further suggest beneficial insects that will feed on the pest insects. Encourage spiders (ugh), lady bugs, praying mantus, lizards.... use yellow sticky cards to help monitor white flies or fungus knats... I am off to do some serious scale removial off my meyer lemon!
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Finally something in my area of expertise that I can answer....because I can tell you everything that didn't work for me, for both scale and aphids. 1. Weekly doses of neem oil did nothing. 2. Insecticidal soap did nothing. 3. Horticultural oil did nothing. 4. I'm in an apartment with no outdoor access, so could only shower them in the shower...which also did nothing. Finally, out of sheer desperation, I released hundreds of ladybugs onto the plants (yes, into an apartment). The aphids were obliterated, but the ladybugs made friends with the scale and now they hang out on the branches together. I guess they must be eating some of them but the scale reproduce faster than the ladybugs can eat. To help them out I take cotton balls with rubbing alcohol and swab the leavee, particularly the bad areas. This helps a lot and if I do 10-15 leaves a day (the ones where the ladybugs aren't hanging out), I can keep the sticky stuff to a minimum, but it's a constant battle. I haven't found anything that obliterated them, no matter how many times I sprayed, but I like the ladybugs best. I was going to get a couple more citrus but don't think I could keep up with all the swabbing.
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tsmith2579
14 years ago
If you intend to eat the fruit, do not use a systemic insecticide. Systemics are picked up by the roots and will poison the fruit. Buy a good product like Bayer Advanced which has a somewhat pleasant odor. It does a good job.
meyermike_1micha
14 years ago
Thankyou much tsmith and fruitnut! Will do..

Mike..:-)
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
Again, I must repeat that it is imperative that you all become good label readers. Be certain that any product you purchase can be used on plants that are kept in the home. No one wants season-long exposure to toxic fumes.

tsmith, you should be more specific when you recommend a Bayer Advanced product. There are many. Please name the active ingredient in the product you are referring to or the specific name of the product. ( I did a look-around for Bayer Advanced product that could be used for this purpose and didn't come up with anything...so I need your help.)
lifespeed
14 years ago
I use Malathion and oil, but that is outdoors. Little buggers haven't returned in three years, either.
sallidz5
14 years ago
I've owned a Persian lime for about 12+ yrs. Scale has been an annual problem after spending summer outdoors. In the past I've used insecticidal soaps, Ultra Fine all season oil, Organocide, alcohol & Q-tips with limited success (more like a slowdown if anything at all) A couple of years ago, a local nursery shared a little known bug killer: SIMPLE GREEN diluted in a spray bottle 30 parts water to 1 part Simple Green which is the dilution rate listed on the label. (Be sure to use the original Simple Green, they've come out with lots of new formulas in crazy colors). With the plant outdoors or in the shower, spray to the point of runoff on the entire plant. Scale this year is especially bad and I tried Pyola at the suggestion of a friend (it contains both pyrethrins and oils) and that hasn't worked at all. The first time I tried Simple Green, every scale I examined had been killed. I sprayed again 2 weeks later to catch any missed or newly hatched. I did not have scale again until it went outdoors the following summer. IMO Simple Green is a heck of alot safer than malathion and systemics which for me would make the fruit inedible.
Amccour, do you get fruit from your Key Lime in zone 5? I never had much luck with getting key limes to harvest; I always thought that I just didn't get enough hours of sunlight early enough to keep any fruit on the tree. I gave it up with the scale before I knew about Simple Green.
jlgarden53
14 years ago
Sallidz, Do you use 1 part of ready mixed (from spray bottle) SG or 1 part of concentrated SG to 30 parts of water?
sallidz5
14 years ago
Sorry! I should have specified the SIMPLE GREEN CONCENTRATE (THE ORIGINAL). I buy the green SG Concentrate and mix 30 parts water to one part SG in an empty spray bottle. A quart spray bottle is perfect 1 oz SG concentrate to 30 oz water. It should be clear with just a tint of green. Spray the entire plant to the point of run off, spray the soil surface and pot too. Spray again in a couple of weeks to catch any buggers that were well hidden or in another stage of life at the first spraying. Let us know how it works for you. It's the only thing that has really worked for me.
Susanne Michigan Zone 5/6
6 years ago
I know this is kinda old discussion, but wondering if anybody tried with succsess without harming the tree?

Controlling scale on citrus.

Comments (10)

meyermike_1micha

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

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