Question
I have a Stephanotis palnt that recently started to produce a very sticky substance on its leaves. It is in a 6" pot, in an east window, on a circular trellis. I think I have had it for approximately 2 years and it has never bloomed. The sticky substance can actually be found on the window and floor below the plant. The plant also has a hard white substance where the plant attaches to the steel trellis. I believe the white residue is the sticky substance in a hardened form. I have read your answer to another Stephanotis question with great interest. Please help.

Answer
Jennifer,

The sticky stuff is the excrement of insects. You may want to use a magnifying glass to inspect it. The insects will be either scale, mealy bugs or aphids. You can look up pictures of those insects on Google.  

You have 3 choices. You can spray it thoroughly with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle every 3 days for up to 6 months until you have seen no more insects with a magnifying glass for a full month.

Or you can apply a systemic insecticide such as Bonide that will get rid of the insects by taking the Bonide up through the plant. You apply it once and it gets rid of the insects for 4-6 months.

Or you can give it Bayer 12 Month Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed according to the instructions on the bottle. The plant will take up the Bayer through the roots and it will poison the scale. It will protect the plant from the scale, mealy bugs and other bugs for 12 months. Do not give it more than the bottle says for the size of your plant. It can be purchased at Lowes, Home Depot, Menards and sometimes Walmart for around $20.00 a bottle or a little less. It can also be used on trees and shrubs in the ground to protect them for a year. It is not cheap but it saves a lot of work. Either method will get rid of the scale but the first method you have to make sure you spray it thoroughly every 3 days. Good luck.

Darlene