Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have never had any luck with insecticidal soap for ridding plants of insects. Complete waste of money.
My weapons of choice for killing insects/bugs on houseplants/vegetables have been either insecticidal soap (homemade solution of 3-4 Tbsp of grated Fels Naptha in 1 Gallon of water + 1 Tbsp of alcohol to prevent foaming) or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). If one does not kill the insects, I use the other solution.
I don't remember or know all different types of insects but have had 100% success with thrips, gnats, mealybugs, spider mites, aphids, earwigs and squash bugs. It appears the large insects are more vulnerable to insecticidal soap and the tiny ones to alcohol sprays (or wipes).
I don't recall ever having scales but due to their waxy coating, they are probably more difficult to get rid of. The article below suggests removing existing scale on houseplants by rubbing gently with a facial-quality sponge or cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.
My weapons of choice for killing insects/bugs on houseplants/vegetables have been either insecticidal soap (homemade solution of 3-4 Tbsp of grated Fels Naptha in 1 Gallon of water + 1 Tbsp of alcohol to prevent foaming) or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). If one does not kill the insects, I use the other solution.
I don't remember or know all different types of insects but have had 100% success with thrips, gnats, mealybugs, spider mites, aphids, earwigs and squash bugs. It appears the large insects are more vulnerable to insecticidal soap and the tiny ones to alcohol sprays (or wipes).
I don't recall ever having scales but due to their waxy coating, they are probably more difficult to get rid of. The article below suggests removing existing scale on houseplants by rubbing gently with a facial-quality sponge or cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.
I have definitely tried insecticidal soap for mealybugs and for white flies - but this was for OUTDOOR plants. I have never had a problem with bugs on houseplants (probably because I have so few). And on the outdoor plants it absolutely did not work. Maybe it works better indoors.
I swear by Palmolive Dishwashing Detergent for making home-made insecticidal treatment. Just a few drops of it (maybe 1/2 teaspoon) in a 1 liter spray bottle of warm water, well shaken to make it mix and foam up and then misted on to saturate all surfaces of the plant except for blossoms. Allow to drip and air dry on the plant and then a couple of hours later use fresh water to rinse the entire plant off thoroughly, including gently rinsing blossoms to remove any overspray. It works on both indoor houseplants and plants growing outside.
All those soaps etc depend on you regularly cleaning the plants but scales always leave eggs and runners and they always come back. The only way to fully get rid of these for good is using a systemic pesticide. They sell them now for houseplants.
All those soaps etc depend on you regularly cleaning the plants but scales always leave eggs and runners and they always come back. The only way to fully get rid of these for good is using a systemic pesticide. They sell them now for houseplants.
Oh Yuck. They always come back? The plant has done well on the balcony even through the 90+ weekend weather so I brought it back inside today. So once it's had this disgusting scale it'll always have this scale? I don't know what a systemic pesticide would be, not sure I want to use one, but I know I don't want to have to keep washing all these leaves either.
It's on the windowsill now in its old place next to a flowering geranium. Can the geranium catch scale?
Okay, I've HAD it! Last year my maranta (prayer plant) got scale. Google said to wash the leaves with soap and water. I did. The scale came back. A few months ago I cut the plant way back, repotted it, and washed the leaves again. Guess what. Scale again.
So I am going to go against what I believe in and buy some stupid chemical to kill this stuff. I think it said insecticidal soap? What is that? What brand should I get? Any help appreciated because my patience is waning and I just want to run in and out of Home Depot and get whatever it is. Hopefully nothing too toxic, just bad enough to kill these beasties. TIA.
Neem oil works, especially when caught early.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The plant has done well on the balcony even through the 90+ weekend weather so I brought it back inside today. So once it's had this disgusting scale it'll always have this scale? I don't know what a systemic pesticide would be, not sure I want to use one, but I know I don't want to have to keep washing all these leaves either. 
Last year my maranta (prayer plant) got scale. Google said to wash the leaves with soap and water. I did. The scale came back. A few months ago I cut the plant way back, repotted it, and washed the leaves again. Guess what. Scale again. 
