I'm an avid orchid grower and a few odds and ends thrown in. I use cinnamon for all cuts and 'rotting' spots or damage spots. Cinnamon will burn orchid roots. I don't care to spray for anything. It just goes everywhere and then there are the airborne particles to contend with. I go with a drench. I use Merit 75, which is expensive but will last me a lifetime. I use it as a drench. 1/8 teaspoon to a gallon of water and drench the soil/medium. Now, I have used it on orchids and hoyas and succulents. But not on anything else. This year, I will be applying it to all my plants which will include the arrow leaf plant, table palms, coffee plant, bird of paradise, and a few others (sorry I have no specific names for my plants). I also relate this as I do not know if there are plants sensitive to this product. I drench by watering the plants medium/soil once a week for three weeks in a row and an extra week if I have mealies. The plants take the product up through their roots and into all parts. The insect bites and takes the toxin into its system and dies. You don't have to worry that you have not 'gotten' all the parts nor do you have to worry about scale on the roots or hidden on the plant. No dripping leaves, or wet walls/floors or airborne particles. All in one place - the soil and IN the plant.

Yeah, scale can travel, but i don't know how far. When they first hatch they are crawlers. Ants will also spread scale as it produces honeydew, like aphids. Anyhow, i've been battling scale mess on my male kiwi and my contorted mulberry for many years. The only thing that seems to help is to spray with superfine oil (dormant oil or summer oil- mine is both depending on how you dilute it). It's supposed to be safe for harvestables. If i actually did several applications in one year i'd probably manage to actually lick it for good but the best i can do is 1 or 2 apps., so i still fight. I tend to hit it when dormant and in spring when i notice the white fuzzy crawlers (about now). That's the only solution i've ever found to be effective for scale on my outdoor or houseplants. Obviously, scraping it off with alcohol, which is tried & true advice, won't work on this level. Just spraying with alcohol isn't effective in my experience. Good luck!!

Thanks Lago Mar... I live off of Great Neck... Lots of damaged ones around here, it just so sad. I have seen some that have green pushing now.. So if they would clean them up, they would look a lot better. I'm not sure of the damage to the big Sabal, but I did have one at our business and I did lose if after a few years. The trunk is peeling away, but it is looking green and lush, so I'm not sure what this is. The good news is that all of the tress in the back yard will survive including the questioned Butias.. I just need to trim the Sabals and just be patient with Mother Nature. I did have to get rid of the other Butias in the front yard. It wasn't planted very deep and was the youngest of them all.. I'm very happy tho.. Thanks for asking. I hope you didn't have any losses? Take care and have a wonderful holiday weekend!!! Laura

Hi brandyray, I have not treated anything yet. I talked to two local companies before last summer and went around and around with them. I had a contract with the first and they kept blowing me off about when they could come do the treatment. Months went by as I waited for them to be available. I finally called another company I had talked with initially and same thing, not even a call back from the actual arborist I'd met with. It's unbelievable! I guess these people don't care about paying business? They both came out and did an evaluation (for free) but would never show up to do the real work which would have actually earned them some money. I guess they are so busy they just don't care. In any case, it got so hot that I was afraid to try to use an oil on the smaller shrubs .. and the scale seemed to not be as bad on the big tree (I know it's still there .. just maybe not in it's active season?) so I never did do anything. I know they need to be treated, though. My plan is that now, in the next week or two, I am going to treat everything (the magnolia and the shrubs) myself using Bayer Tree and Shrub as suggested by ken_adrian. I am also going to spray all the smaller things I can reach with an organic neem oil. In fact, I just picked up the neem oil last night. I'm sorry I'm not more help. I will post an update after doing the treatments myself. Good luck with treating your magnolia. If you try spraying it yourself, will you let me know how it goes? Thanks.