Question
Will-

I have a concern for my spider plant, it has little brown sticky/fuzzy spots. When you remove the spots it is white on the inside, and the spots are near the base of the plant. I can not think of any changes.The plant looks very nice and full with new starters all the time. Once in a while the tips of the plant are a little brown.  I have alot of different kinds of indoor plants, they all are doing very well. Can you help us?
Thank You,
Sara

Answer
Hi Sara,

I regret to inform you that you have very accurately described a scale insect infestation. They are not easy to eradicate from spider plants. Start by removing the lower leaves that are most affected.

Scale can be hard to detect. They resemble insects when they are babies, but they are smaller than a pinhead and very hard to see. When they find a suitable site, they insert their tiny probes into the plant tissue and stay there. As adults, these sucking insects are slightly oval, slightly raised, translucent bumps or blisters about an eighth of an inch long. They can be found along stems and on the undersides of leaves. They don't look like bugs and don't appear to move. As they get older, they develop a hard, dark brown shell and look like a small mole. As the infestation increases, these sucking insects will secrete a sticky substance called honeydew that falls onto leaves, furniture and floors. This stickiness is the most obvious sign of scale and the one that most people notice first.

The key to eliminating scale is to treat even the ones that you cannot see. That means thoroughly drenching all leaf and stem surfaces until they are dripping wet. It is also best if you repeat this treatment all over again in 5 to 7 days to catch any crawlers (the translucent young ones) that you missed the first time. After that, you should check your plant weekly to see if they return.

I do not recommend any pesticides because they are all hazardous to use and not 100% effective against scale. The best non-toxic treatment for mealybug and scale is called Brand X Foliage Cleaner. It is available through Southwest Plantscape Products in California (www.southwestplantscape.com). Their phone is 1-800-333-7977.It is a silicon-based product so it is very slippery. Its ability to penetrate is probably the key to its effectiveness because it gets into the tiny crevices that other sprays miss.

You may want to try spraying with rubbing alcohol that will help break through the hard outer barrier of the scale and kill it. Mix 1 part alcohol with 8 to 10 parts of water. Add a little liquid soap to help it spread.

Sun Spray Ultra Fine horticultural oil is also mixed with water and effectively smothers the scale. Complete coverage is important.

Another good non-toxic spray is Hot Pepper Wax. Its main ingredient is hot cayenne pepper that overheats the plant pests. There is an information website for it at www.hotpepperwax.com.

Finally neem oil works similarly to horticultural oil. It should be diluted with water and Pine Sol to counteract the onion-like odor. All of these are available nationwide at plant and garden centers and also by mail order.

Important: None of these should be applied to plants in direct sun or in high temps.

If you tell me the names of the plants that you have that are nearby, I can tell you if they are prone to scale infestations.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.
   
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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