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Rubber Plant - Scale - Pruning

17 years ago

Hello

My rubber plant has suddenly started losing leaves, after two years of good health. From reading this forum, I realize that it must have scale, because there were brown pods on the back of the leaves it has lost and sticky spots on the floor nearby which I had mistakenly assumed were sap. I see scale on two of the branches, and several leaves. From what I understand, the best thing to do is prune those branches, but I've never pruned anything before so I'm a bit afraid of hurting it. (Though I guess it's already hurting with all these lost leaves....)

Could someone please just let me know if there's a specific technique to follow? Everything I've read online says there's specific seasons in which it's best to prune, so should I wait or just do it anyway?

And do I just use a sharp knife or shears and just cut off the part with the scale? Do I need to do anything to heal the wound? Sorry if this is a silly question, but I am very new at this, and I don't want to hurt the plant! I really love it so I hope it can be saved!

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Priya

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Comment (1)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
Pruning is probably not your best option for a Ficus elastica. Perhaps you could visit the House Plant Forum with this question. I am going to guess that it will be suggested that you do whatever you can to remove the scale by hand (soft cloth with some rubbing alcohol), and then continue with a spray regime of rubbing alcohol/water to kill crawlers. Horticultural oil can also be a great help to smother crawlers and eggs.

If the infestation is a severe one, sometimes the best policy is to put the plant out on the curb for trash pick up. Scale insects are notoriously difficult to control on indoor plants. And be careful that other house plants don't become infested.
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