Bromiliad Scale

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Happy_1 Chicago, IL(Zone 5b) Feb 15, 2009

I just found scale on my favorite brom. I have rubbed it down with alcohol, (Took a swig myself...only kidding), but these is just too much and as you would suspect, goes right down the leaf towards the center. It's a mess.

What else can I do?

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Happy_1 Chicago, IL(Zone 5b) Feb 15, 2009

It's the hanging one in the upper left.

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ceejaytown The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a) Feb 28, 2009

I thought this had some excellent information: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/frank/bromeliadbiota/scalecontrol.htm Personally, I would try the oil spray, but just in case there might be a problem with phototoxicity, check out a couple of leaves first, and if they are OK after a few days, proceed to spray the entire plant.

From a bromeliad web site :
Once a plant is heavily infected the best action to take is to throw it away, but if you are like most of us, you just can’t bear to do this. Second best action is to treat the leaves with a systemic pesticide like a Cygon product and hope for the best, but be sure to follow the safety precautions listed on the bottle. A less drastic action would be to segregate this plant from the rest of your collection and remove any pups that form as soon as possible. Often the second or third generation can be salvaged from a bromeliad that has been heavily covered in scale, but recognize that it may take a while before you can get a blue ribbon plant from one that probably should have been discarded.

When dealing with scale as with many things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Inspect your plants frequently and treat them with a mild insecticide (like Safer soap) at the first sign of trouble. Make sure there is ample air circulation around your plants. Don’t crowd them and, with a little luck you can keep your scale problems to a minimum. One last suggestion: when you acquire a new plant, keep it separate from the rest of your collection for a while and keep an eye on it. It’s surprising how often scale turns up on new plants – even those from reputable nurseries!

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Happy_1 Chicago, IL(Zone 5b) Mar 02, 2009

Thanks so much CJ....Going out of town tomorrow, so the baby will have to wait. It's in it's own playpen right now. LOL

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