I have an orange tree- appx 4 years old now and bearing fruit. It lives in my conservatory summer and winter, but has developed a sticky sugary substance. I have been bathing the leaves with warm water to get rid of the sugary substance. Can you tell me- is there an easier way to do deal with this, and has my plant - a bug ? I am a very inexperienced gardener
Oooh thank you for that Junglekeeper. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can rid the plant of it, or is the plant - long term doomed ????
I use insecticidal soap against scale. They can be difficult to get rid of but persistence is the key. Others prefer to use horticultural oil - I have not used it before and so cannot comment on its effectiveness. I suggest searching for and reviewing past threads on the subject.
Hello junglekeeper Thank you so very much for that. I will let you all kn ow how I get on, and hope the treatment for my plant is successful. Thanks for taking the time.
Insecticidal soap spray (1 tablespoon of pure soap in one gallon of water) will work on scale. The draw back for insecticidal soap is that it takes repeated sprays, over and over to eliminate scale. The number one application world wide for the control of scale on citrus trees is Horticultural Oil sprays The two trade names for the most commonly used horticultural oils are Ultra Fine and Volk oils. Almost every nursery, and large box store carry horticultural oils, at least in the United States. When spraying scale with a horticultural oil, only one application is normaly required. Spray early in the morning, or better yet late in the afternoon, but never spray a citrus tree in the heat of the day. Horticultural oils, are completely non toxic in all respects, therefore extremely safe to use. Lastly, although your tree probably does have scale, it has not been totally ascertained that the problem is actually scale. Three common insects produce a sticky substance on citrus leaves, scale, mealy bug and aphids. Scale will be found near the central mid-vein of the leaf blade. Scale looks like little 1 or 2 mm flat scabs, usually brown. Mealy bug is a fluffy white insect, easily seen in the crevices of the tree, and I am sure you know what aphids look like. - Millet
Bob, Myself I do not like using Horticultural Oil I have this oil on hand and used it in the past, It does not mix well with water. SaferSoap works well with water and washes off easily even after a number of spays Horticultual Oil may be effected on a wide scale application such as yourself having 200 plus citrus trees
