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Scale insects suck the sap out of the leaves and stems. This results in stunted or deformed growth, yellowing, pockmarks, and possibly leaf drop.
They look like small brown dots or bumps, and they don’t move. To me, they look like scabs on a plant!
– Bringing home a new houseplant from the store – Using contaminated potting soil – Leaving a window open – the crawlers are tiny, so they can get through the smallest openings
– Moving your indoor plants outside during the summer – Bringing in fresh produce or cut flowers from the garden – Reusing a dirty plant pot
You can use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to kill and remove as many of the scale insects as possible. For the rubbing alcohol to be effective, it must come in direct contact with the bugs.
Use an organic insecticidal soap or make your own by mixing my recipe in a clean bottle: – 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap – 1 liter of tepid water
Neem oil is a natural insecticide, and it’s very effective for treating scale. An added bonus is that it has a residual effect to help with future prevention too.
– Replace the top layer of soil – Clean surrounding area – Prune heavily infested leaves – Sanitize the pot – Continue treating your plant