Question
I'm from Tx, my lemon is from SC, but I live in NC.  My lemon is indoors & is suffering from scale.  What, specifically, can I do to save it?  Name of product available here?  Thanks.

Answer
Dear Katie,  This is a relatively common problem with both indoor and outdoor plants and one that is easy and non toxic to solve, just a bit time-consuming.  The scale insect lives under the protective casing and so is hard to attack with most pesticides, but will respond to spraying of a lightweight horticultural oil.  My favorite is a product called SunSpray, but if you find it hard to obtain (try Green Mountain), go with a product containing a petroleum based or mineral oil.  I actually heard of someone putting canola oil on a plant and that will only make the plant gummy.  When you spray the oil on (do it outside or with lots of protective floor and wall covering), place the plant in bright light.  The light works with the oil and will smother the scale, and then the product will flake off the leaves nicely, leaving behind no residue.  You will have to spray the plant more than once, perhaps 4 or 5 times every week to 10 days.  Another good product that is safe for fruit trees is NEEM, but since the real issue is the smothering of the shell, the oil is definitely the best bet for this.  You will know the scale is dead when it falls off easily.  Believe it or not, I actually had a garden center manager tell me that the scale was dead because it wasn't moving.  I still get a giggle over that one.  Anyway, good luck and let me know if you need any additional advice.  The tree should recover very nicely.  Melissa