dracaena with scale (i think)

[Babberney]

I have a dracaena:

I think has scales: I ignored it, hoping it would go away. When it got bad, I half-assedly scraped a bunch off with my thumbnail. When it got bad again, I painstakingly scraped evey scale off every leaf with my thumbnail outdoors and sprayed off the leaves with a hose. Now that some are back, I'm looking for a more reliable solution before it gets bad again.

Google turned up a few ideas, from swabbing them off with a qtip dipped in alcohol, to spraying with hort. oil, to discarding the plant (absolutely a last resort for me.

Anyone have some encouraging words, preference for one of the above remedies, or better ideas?

TIA,

Keith For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit

consumer info about tree care, visit

[Phisherman]

The hort oil should work. Insecticial soap and using a soft brush should work too. Another method is to use a Q-tip and swab with rubbing alcohol. For a more drastic cure, set the plant in a trash bag, spray with malathion, and close up the bag for 2 days. Repeat the procedure in 10 days. There are over 200 species of scale insect. Females molt twice and remain on the host plant; the male molts twice, pupates, then emerges as a winged-adult to find a female. Scale will infest nearby plants, so it is best to isolate your dracaena (it may be getting re-infected.) I had two parlor palms heavily infested with scale, and finally got rid of them using a series of systemic insecticide treatments.

[Mike Prager]

Agree with the above. In FL, we had several encounters with scale on rare or otherwise desireable plants. The oil and/or soap controlled minor infestations, but for heavy ones, I had to resort to Orthene (a systemic), which seemed to me the least frightening of a bunch of nasty chemicals.

Some synthetic insecticides can cause severe eye damage and other problems if ingested or on contact. I followed label instructions to the letter (gloves, long-sleeved clothing, eye protection, washing all clothes separately after application) and emerged unscathed. Saved some beautiful plants, too.

Mike Prager Beaufort, NC (on the coast in zone 8a) (Remove spam traps from email address to reply.)

[Newt]

Hi Keith, First I'd like to say that your plant appears to be a yucca and not dracaena. If the edges of the leaves are serrated and feel rough, the you have a yucca.

don't use toxic chemicals like Malathion and don't recommend them. would suggest that you use a horticultural oil. The timing of th application is important. From this site: "Spring/Summer Treatments. Dormant season applications of oils are no appropriate for scales on citrus or avocado because these trees do no enter a winter dormancy; oils are best applied to these trees in sprin or summer. Horticultural oils can also be used in spring or summe against scale crawlers on deciduous plants. Treatment at this tim requires more spray volume than a dormant treatment because foliage a well as bark must be thoroughly covered. Spring or summer application must be carefully timed to reach crawlers, which are the mos susceptible stage. Use traps made of double-sided sticky tape t determine when crawlers are hatching. Before crawlers begin to emerg in spring, tightly encircle several twigs or branches on the infeste tree with transparent tape that is sticky on both sides (this tape i available at stationery stores). Change the tapes at regular intervals about weekly, and examine the tapes with a hand lens to identify th crawlers. Once eggs begin hatching, scale crawlers get stuck on th tapes and appear as yellow or orange specks."

New

-- Newt

[Babberney]

cuts" from my scale-scraping to prove it. I was basing my ID on the growth habit and similarities to dracaenas I've seen.

I'm with you. I'd sooner give up on the plant.

Thanks for the info (and same to the earlier responses). I'll have to drag this thing back outside some weekend soon, I guess, for a quick shot, and I'll take a more thorough approach this spring.

k For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit

consumer info about tree care, visit

[Newt]

Keith, You are very welcome! Good luck with your yucca! New

-- Newt