Question
I have a 34 year old ficus tree that has been treated 3 times but the buggers keep coming back.  I think they used a water/alcohol solution.  I have read about several treatments but none that mention getting the bugs out of the soil.  Any recommendations?

Answer
Hi Sandra,

Scale insects do not live in soil. They require plant leaf and stem tissue to survive. So I am not sure if you actually have scale or some other problem. Or if you are assuming the scale is coming from the soil.

If you have scale, use a spray mixture of 5 parts water, 1 part water and a squirt of liquid soap. Then, thoroughly drench all leaf and stem surfaces until they are dripping wet. This thoroughness of spraying, although messy, is essential to getting all of the scale insects. If you miss just a few, they will reproduce and then will come back to haunt you.

I have written an article on indoor plant pest problems that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected] or call me at 917-887-8601 (EST)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC