Bay leaf plant problem
I have a large bay leaf plant that I keep on the patio in the summer and bring into the house in winter. Sometimes in the summer I see large winged ant like insects around the plant, and when I do, I spray them with a non-toxic insecticide and they disappear.
Every winter the plant gets covered in a clear shiny sticky substance which spills onto the floor around the plant. When I take it outside again in the spring, I wash down the plant with soap and a hose and I don't have any more problem until I take it back into the house. I assume that it is insects, but I don't see any bugs, just a kind of brown scale on the stems, and of course the sticky covering on the leaves. I have tried to use Trounce on the plant inside but it doesn't help.
There is a large hibiscus tree right next to it all winter and it has no problems at all!
Any suggestions?
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(post #12808, reply #1 of 16)
You, my friend have Scale. Scale insects are oval in shape and brown in color. They look like flat or raised bumps on the stems and leaves of the plant. Their waxy coating doesn't allow sprays to penetrate well. Scale insects excrete honeydew, and they suck plant juices. You can either pick them off the plant by hand or there are some commercial insecticidal soaps that can be used for the young scale. They are lighter and move around. Another remedy is to use rubbing achohol on a Q-tip and brush over each one. The rubbing alcohol penetrated the insect's waxy coating. What you were doing with the soap was correct but you were only eliminating the younger ones. There is a remedy in The Houseplant Survival Guide by Pat Regel published by Taunton that is quite effective. It uses both alcohol (isopropyl) and soap.
Ingredients are 1Quart warm water/4 tablespoons rubbing alcohol/1 teaspoon mild liquid dish-washing liquid. Mix together and spray the affected plant to the point of runoff. Leave the solution on the plant for 2 hours. Then rinse the plant with warm water. Do this in the garage or your garden room. I have done large plants in the bathtub or shower and then thoroughly cleaned up after. You may want to drench the soil with the solution as well. It would to repeat this same procedure every time you bring your plant back inside the house.
You just been lucky so far with the hibiscus. Trust me.
Edited 4/3/2008 1:31 pm ET by DaylilyDreamer
(post #12808, reply #2 of 16)
Received your message and the advice about scale on my Bay Leaf plant. Thank you so much for your help with this..I searched for correct information in a lot of places and didn't find anything! I'll try your remedy as soon as it's possible to take the plant outdoors for a couple of hours without it freezing. I'm in Ottawa Canada and we still have some days with temperatures around the freezing mark. The plant is too big to struggle upstairs to the shower.
Best wishes
(post #12808, reply #3 of 16)
I live in Guelph, Ontario and this week has seen some melting. I got excited when my crocuses starting popping out. You might be able to do it in May during the warmer part of the day or we may just get a really warm spell. Another thing that you can do is actually enclose the plant, after spraying in a large, oversized garbage bag. I've done that in my laundry room and then closed the door. Leave it for 24 hours and then take off the bag. Sounds like yours is quite large so I don't know if there would be a garbage bag big enough.
(post #12808, reply #6 of 16)
Thanks..I did the treatment a few days ago..putting it outside for two hours when the temperature was above 10oC and it worked like a charm..no more scale and new leaves within two days! I'm going to do another treatment when I put it outside in May, and then another when I bring it in in the fall.
You are right..the plant is huge and would not fit into a garbage bag.
Best wishes.
(post #12808, reply #7 of 16)
Excellent! Sounds like you have it well in hand.
(post #12808, reply #4 of 16)
If you can get it down to a small infestation you can pick them off by using sticky tape on the leaves, but it is a pain.
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
(post #12808, reply #5 of 16)
Thanks, Sarah, but I found the problem and cured it with the help of some good advice that I received a couple of days ago. I had scale on the stems of the plant. I sprayed it with water mixed with a little rubbing alcohol and dish soap..left it on for two hours and then rinsed the plant. It seems completely gone!
Best wishes
(post #12808, reply #8 of 16)
Keep an close eye on your bay--you may THINK you have the problem licked but you should expect some survivors --and of course there may be eggs lurking that will hatch out later. Scale on bay is a very common, and very persistent, problem.
Might be a good plan to repot it (depending on size--can't recall if you mentioned size), rinsing the soil gently but thoroughly from roots with tepid water and replanting in new, sterile soilless mix. I always water with a kelp solution to minimize transplant shock. CK
(post #12808, reply #9 of 16)
Thanks for the additional advice. I plan on treating the plant again when I put it outside..probably in early May. It is looking very much better after one treatment and has produced many new leaves since. The plant is huge and in a really big pot, so I plan on taking off an inch or so of soil from the top and adding new soil. I'll treat it again before I bring it in in the fall.
Best wishes
(post #12808, reply #10 of 16)
Removing the top inch of soil sounds like a good plan since the plant is too large to repot. And since it is putting forth new growth, that is a good sign that the scale infestation has not weakened it too much, I think. A nice drink of compost tea or similar organic fertilizer might be good for the bay after you replace the soil.
Best wishes! CK
(post #12808, reply #11 of 16)
Thanks again,
All the best.
V
(post #12808, reply #12 of 16)
This is the first time that I have seen directions calling for dish-washing liquid instead of soap in a insecticidal solution. Most directions for insecticidal soap solutions are careful to warn against using liquid detergents instead of true soap. Most of us use Murphys Oil Soap for that reason. I don't mean it as a criticism, I just wonder if the dish-washing liquid is better at wetting the wax scale to let the alcohol get at the insect.
BJ
(post #12808, reply #13 of 16)
Hi BeeJay;
I would imagine it would have to be a very mild detergent. My dad farms out in Saskatchewan and has used a similar recipe using dish washing detergent to deter grasshoppers, etc. for years. Grasshoppers eat everything! It seems to work fairly well. If unsure I would use the horticulture oil instead and also I have used in the past a mixture containing that and 1 teaspoon of bleach to eliminate fungus gnats in my house plants. Works extremely well but always watch for a month later to do another soil wash. Better at wetting the wax scale, good question? Time to do an experiment and see. Mix a small amount of both recipes and let us all now the results of your discovery!
By the way Saskatchewan is even too cold for one born there so here I am in Guelph, Ontario and where the choices seem endless!
Happy Gardening!
Edited 4/25/2008 6:40 am ET by DaylilyDreamer
(post #12808, reply #14 of 16)
There is a marvelous iris hybredizer in Guelph. Have you been to his gardens? I have his Sgt Preston. I sent a piece of it to Nanook. Alas, no TB iris is going to mimic the scarlet tunic of the RCMP. I do think that the canadian iris responds to the temperatures better when they are recorded in Celsius.
BJ
Edited 4/25/2008 11:31 pm ET by BeeJay
(post #12808, reply #15 of 16)
Beejay;
The hybridizer that you are talking about name is Chuck Chapman. He is a member on the Ontario Daylily Society and probably a member of the Iris Society as well. I have met him and had a great conversation. He is quite a quiet man but very interesting. Currently developing an Iris that is almost black. He was very excited about it. I just kind of found out about him recently even though I live in Guelph same with a couple of other Daylily Hybridizers that I certainly will make an attempt to go out and visit. I have just been procratinating and I have been working long hours lately. Thanks for reminding me! As to the coloring on Iris lighting works majic on daylilies and Iris as well. If the picture was taken on an overcast or within shade the color will be richer and usually darker. If the picture was taken in bright light it can become brighter and in some cases washed out. So it could very well be the colour of the RCMP uniforms at certain times of the day. There is a Celsius Farhenheit caluclator on the internet to help you with that. Just type in Celsius= Farhenheit and conversions. All of Chuck's Iris will be a Zone 5 or colder if that helps you.
Sorry if my spelling is not up to par but must get ready for work today. It will be a long shift.
Happy Gardening!
(post #12808, reply #16 of 16)
I didn't know that Sgt Preston was a Chuck Chapman iris when I bought it. It was on the sale table at our C&P Iris Soc sale and, as I had just visited Nanook, the name took my fancy so I bought her a peice too. I was very pleased when I found out that it was Canadian for then I was sure that it would do well for her. I have found it to be a very attractive iris and an exceptionally vigorous grower. I didn't mention Chuck Chapman because I felt too lazy to get up and check my AIS bulletin to get his name.
My DBs and IBs are through blooming and ny TBs are begining to bloom. I have a nice little patch of i.cristata blooming on a shady bank. It does a nice job of holding the bank and is gradually multiplying. I need to get more because I want to cover about 20 or 30 feet of the bank.
BJ