bit Posted February 4, 2007 Hi guys I've just taken to my big scop with a pruning saw, and now have a lot of pieces to propogate! I put the rooted section into the ground in my garden. I'm now concerned about the spread of the scale to other plants in the garden. Is this likely? On closer inspection of the damage, I can see what appears to be raised blisters with a thick black sap oozing out. The blisters are not yellow/brown yet, but appear to be the beginnings of these markings. Curious, I cut one open with a blade - the blister is not filled with the black substance, but has a wiggly black line running the length of the blister. This would appear consistant with the descriptions I've read on hard scales. There's not much info I could So, how do I treat/limit the spread of this nasty? I'm temted to carefully cut as much as I can off the plant, but it's so widespread on one side that it will take quite a bit of surgery! Should I do it and just sprinkle sulphur on the wounds? Not especially keen on insecticide as nearby plants are considered consumable. Thanks for any help! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nil Posted February 5, 2007 (edited) yes, scale spreads. it only attacks certain plants, though. white oil is the best treatment for scale. do you have a pic of the grossness on its own? it would be easier to determine what that is. it's a shame you left it so long!! it looks horrid. edit: white oil and keep out of direct sunlight for the treatment process as this can cook your plants. white oil in the evenings. i had it bad on gardenias in queensland. i'd white oil in the evenings and rinse in the morning. kills scale straight away. i would like to see a pic, though....up close...of the marauder. Edited February 5, 2007 by evolutionNth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted February 5, 2007 DO NOT USE WHITE OIL ON CACTI OR SUCCULENTS!!!!!!!!!! it kills em dead, dead i say, or have u had other results en? ive only met sadness the few times ive used white oil. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nil Posted February 5, 2007 DO NOT USE WHITE OIL ON CACTI OR SUCCULENTS!!!!!!!!!!it kills em dead, dead i say, or have u had other results en? ive only met sadness the few times ive used white oil. i've had other results, but i'm not any kind of cactus expert. i've treated trichs with white oil, but not the entire cactus, just the scale. maybe that's the difference? not leaving in the sun is a huge thing and rinsing the oil off after treatment in the morning as well (not that you can truly 'rinse' an oil off). i'll leave this one to the experts. i'm sad for the cactus. sad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mu! Posted February 5, 2007 Faaark, thats a damn shame. I have a bit of that crap on one of my cacti, so thanks for starting this thread bit, otherwise i wouldnt have found out what the nasty shit was. Good luck with the treatment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amulte Posted February 5, 2007 i have surgically removed scale before on my cacti and never had a problem. but i would not think about trying surgery on that cutting, surgery works well when the scale is only just starting and a few tiny pieces. never had it come back after that either (touch wood) and its been about 15 months. it appears some of scale is only superficial and can be chipped off the skin with a fingernail without need to break cacti skin. the beige coloured piece looks like it. the black doesnt nor the brown, not sure about the white which looks more like scaring than scale. just keep an eye on the new growth and take new sales off as they start, especially on your cuttings. speaking of which i would take that 20cm looking top piece and quarantine it just to be safe, all the time watching for new scale groth ofcourse. ive never used white oil. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyAmine. Posted February 5, 2007 I wasnt under the impression that scale actualy infested the inside of the skin only the outside?Have you had the cutting laying on its side? the squigily thing could be a root forming? Anyway, the only treatment I use for scale is a toothbrush, although I hear a very dilute mix of metho and soap flakes on the brush also helps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indigo264nm Posted February 5, 2007 A combination of all of the above would do the trick - I remember a teacher telling me that kero and soap flakes does the trick but I'd opt for white oil and scratching for hard scales. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bit Posted February 5, 2007 Hrmm. Thanks for the suggestions. I've not heard of 'white oil' - is it available from regular garden centres? (I'm in NZ). Brush/spray this on? What's the method for the kero and soap flakes (regular soap flakes for washing clothes etc?) - mix together and apply with a brush? How dilute? I wish I had been able to treat this a lot sooner, but this cactus only came to me 2 months ago. Believe it or not the other side of the cactus is practically scale free. Will post some closeup pics of the damage sooner. I believe the white stuff is old scale - it looks to have started from the base and worked up. evolutionNth - do you know if it affects pachanoi? The only other plants in the garden in question are pachanoi and another trich (poss T.argentinensis). AndyAmine - definitely not a root forming, the minor surgery was done immediately after cutting with pruning saw. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nil Posted February 5, 2007 evolutionNth - do you know if it affects pachanoi? The only other plants in the garden in question are pachanoi and another trich (poss T.argentinensis). i used white oil on my pachanoi no worries. you can apply it with a cotton tip just to the scales themselves. it suffocates the insects and they die. you can pick up white oil in any garden centre. i wouldn't treat the whole cactus, just the scales themselves. also i have never seen the brown rotting business and i worry you might have a secondary fungus or something going down? can we get some closer shots of the diseased bits? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nil Posted February 5, 2007 mate i looked it up for you and you have a product in nz called 'yates conqueror spraying oil' that is a white oil. costs about $9 a container. that's the stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
foolsbreath Posted February 5, 2007 Make It!! Half a cup of water, half a cup of veg oil, splash of detergent, shake it up, take a 100ml and water it down to a couple of litres Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nil Posted February 5, 2007 Make It!!Half a cup of water, half a cup of veg oil, splash of detergent, shake it up, take a 100ml and water it down to a couple of litres smarty pants. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bit Posted February 5, 2007 mate i looked it up for you and you have a product in nz called 'yates conqueror spraying oil' that is a white oil. costs about $9 a container. that's the stuff. Thanks Yates is a common brand here so I should be able to find that! I will post pics tomorrow morning. Too tired right now! It's not actually rot as such, it's something that gets under the skin and hardens the flesh into the yellow/brown stuff you see. Consistant with what I've read about hard scale. The deepest it appears to go is about 0.5cm into the cactus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bit Posted February 5, 2007 (edited) Here are some closeups of the damage - note that none of this is mushy, if anything while green it's the same, when yellow/brown it's hard and brittle: Edited February 5, 2007 by bit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nil Posted February 5, 2007 EWWWWW. some of that looks like borer damage to me. i dunno, though. that necrosis-looking business in image 1119 is a worry. is that typical for scale? i have never seen scale do that, but i have seen borers do that. are there holes in that oozing blackness? i'd def. go at it with the white oil and see how you go. poor cactus!! good luck with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
