Sticky Green Gunk!!

Can someone identify the problem a friend of mine is having with her plants? She has a beauty shop and at first, thought her plants were dripping a sticky substance that was due to hair spray. Upon checking it she says it is green and sticky and is actually dripping onto the floor. Any ideas what might be causing this? I didn't know what forum to go to, so I picked this one. If I need to take it someplace else, please let me know. Thanks so much.

Sticky secretions from indoor plants are usually caused by scale insects. Scale insects are hard to identify because they don't look like bugs and don't appear to move. They are oval, slightly raised bumps about an eighth of an inch long and are usually found along leaf stems or on the undersides of leaves. In the juvenile or crawler stage, scales are translucent and take on the color of the leaf or stem surface. As they mature, scales develop a hard, dark brown shell that is more visible. These scales are easily scraped off the plant tissue with a fingernail. As the infestation increases, these sucking insects will secrete a sticky substance called honeydew that falls onto leaves, furniture and floors. This stickiness is the most obvious sign of scale and the one that most people notice first. Favored hosts include ficus, spider plants, ferns, scheffleras, and aralias.

I do not recommend any pesticides because they are all hazardous to use and not 100% effective against scale. The best non-toxic treatment for mealybug and scale is called Brand X Foliage Cleaner (Yes, that's for real). It is available through Southwest Plantscape Products in California. Their phone is 1-800-333-7977. Go to ftp://ftp.southwestplantscape.com/Brandx.pdf for more information. It is a silicon-based product so it is very slippery. Its ability to penetrate is probably the key to its effectiveness because it gets into the tiny crevices that other sprays miss.

Alternatively, you may want to try spraying with rubbing alcohol that will help break through the hard outer barrier of the scale and kill it. Mix 1 part alcohol with 8 to 10 parts of water. The problem is that the young scale or crawlers are nearly transparent and very hard to see, so you are likely to miss some of them unless you carefully spray all plant surfaces until they drip. It is also best if you repeat this treatment all over again in 5 to 7 days to catch any crawlers that you missed the first time. After that, you should check your plant weekly to see if they return. This is a lot of work, particularly on large plants. Another option is to wash the plant down with soap and water (same dilution as when washing dishes) whenever the stickiness gets to be too much. This will not eradicate the scale, but it will keep it in check.

Whatever you use for treatment, thoroughness of coverage is the key to success.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Will Creed, Horticulturist
Horticultural Help, NYC
Email: wcreed@HorticulturalHelp.com

P.S. You may be interested in my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com

Will, Thanks so much for your information. I will pass this one to my friend and hope she can do something to save her plants. I've had mealy bugs before and they are no fun to get rid of, so I feel for her and the stress it is causing her. Anyway, I will check out your website later and again, thanks so much for your help.

Shirley