sharxx101 Posted April 25, 2009 Just remember with white oil it should be reapplied every seven to ten days until the scale is taken care of. One application isnt enough.Ive never had a problem using the stuff, i mainly use it on my smaller ornamentals, never seem to get scale on the larger plants Thanks for the advice PD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Termite Posted April 25, 2009 So the idea of white oil stuffing around with the transpiration of cacti is crap? I've never used it just for that reason but its great to learn that i could if needed! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted April 27, 2009 I have been applying white oil to the 3 cacti that have scale in my collection and I can already see a improvement, the scale looks like it is reducing and the white oil gives the cactus that nice shinny look. thanks for the advice everyone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted April 27, 2009 (edited) I have heard white oil is safe to use on plants that you are going to eat like veggies and stuff! And pyrethium aswell least harm to the plant and gets rid of the problem naturally. White oil is made with neem, I use neem soap when showering and its awesome for your skin! Edited April 27, 2009 by sharxx101 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mutant Posted April 27, 2009 most off us, would not use any chemical stuff on our cacti, it's just unethical, as you might end up eating it. LOL! still wouldn't 2 years of growth make one forget about a toxic spraying? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted April 28, 2009 considering the food most of us eat (farmed in the usual way), toxic residue would be negligible... but considering the food most of us eat, it makes sense to avoid toxic residue where possible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted May 4, 2009 I have had a bad reaction to the white oil from one of my cacti I have orange fungas or rot taking over now on the side that gets the least sun. So I take back what I said about white oil espically the spary can shit as it has made my short spine peru orange with a funus type infection I will post a pic soon! Probably the export quality can shit!!! Should have mixed it myself! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted May 4, 2009 Here is the pic, it seem like the can stuff may have some other shit in it that inst good for cacti, it looks like it has helped with the scale but also made my cactus orange with a fungus or has messed up the skin in someway. In future I will be picking scale off instead of taking the lazy road and spraying the cactus. the fungus has only taken over from where the cactus has been sprayed. http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp163/s...01/IMG_7448.jpg I am not too stressed as I have seen cacti recover from alot worse I think I will just have to keep an eye on this peru to make sure it doesnt rot or get too soft, a bit pissed as it is an awseome cactus and may take a while to recover from this, the other 2 cacti I sprayed have a little bit of orange but nothing compared to this one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted May 4, 2009 considering the food most of us eat (farmed in the usual way), toxic residue would be negligible... but considering the food most of us eat, it makes sense to avoid toxic residue where possible. I was told by a friend who has many different types of plants that white oil is fine to use on plants never asked about cacti. I just checked the can and it is just canned petrol. First and last time I use that shit on my cacti, can is in the bin! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) i stated what white oil is in both threads, but that isn't the same as petrol from the bowser, and you can keep the can to use on other plants that you grow. Edited May 4, 2009 by ThunderIdeal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted May 4, 2009 Just to let everyone know, I have not seen any return of the scale since I scrubbed it.. No chems, Just a little elbow grease. I'm pretty happy so far.. I will post pics soon... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted May 4, 2009 i stated what white oil is in both threads, but that isn't the same as petrol from the bowser, and you can keep the can to use on other plants that you grow. Thanks mate, I will used the mix yourself stuff from now on, also I think I may have trated this cactus with the white oil twice in one week which wasnt advised but I shouldnt rush reading post and listen to the people here who know and who use it. I have choosen not to use it anymore and just use a bit of elbow grease as I get a bit lazy and am over stressed from study. My cactus will be fine in time with a bit of extra love and care! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WoodDragon Posted May 4, 2009 One way to settle this would be to actually do the experiment - you wouldn't need afflicted plants; just two dozen or so similar plants of one variety, preferably in pots, so that a randomised replicated block structure could be easily achieved. If ya wanted to compare dormant vs growing plants, you'd probably need about 40. Depending though on what response variable is desired, the experiment could take 6 to 12 months at the long end, or even more... Unfortunately my small collection doesn't qualify, but if anyone has one of those humungous collections with hundreds of cacti, and would be willing to play, I'd be pleased to knock up an experimental design. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
misteek Posted May 4, 2009 I had 2 cacti with scale! Heres a few things i learnt: Dont use metho (i was recommended it by a friend) you will kill your plants! I killed the most beautiful peru with 4 pups using it Scrub it EVERY three days even if u dont see much! Otherwise it will return twice as bad!!! A toothbrush makes the job easy! Hope that makes sense! Im too tired to edit my shit grammar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted May 4, 2009 One way to settle this would be to actually do the experiment - you wouldn't need afflicted plants; just two dozen or so similar plants of one variety, preferably in pots, so that a randomised replicated block structure could be easily achieved. If ya wanted to compare dormant vs growing plants, you'd probably need about 40. Depending though on what response variable is desired, the experiment could take 6 to 12 months at the long end, or even more...Unfortunately my small collection doesn't qualify, but if anyone has one of those humungous collections with hundreds of cacti, and would be willing to play, I'd be pleased to knock up an experimental design. I'm not sure of your explanation.. Do you mean experiment with a chemical approach versus a natural one to the eradication of scale?. I'm interested in where your going with this.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted May 4, 2009 Scrub it EVERY three days even if u dont see much! Otherwise it will return twice as bad!!! A toothbrush makes the job easy! I dont mean to discredit, but i scrubbed once after diagnosing, and have not for two weeks since, and I have had no reappearance of the scale. I only say this because I was actually worried that I damaged the cactus scrubbing it with a toothbrush, there were different shades of green afterwards.. But I havent touched it since! and it looks good so far! Maybe this is preferable to cacti.. I will keep posting to let people know... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WoodDragon Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) I'm not sure of your explanation.. Do you mean experiment with a chemical approach versus a natural one to the eradication of scale?. I'm interested in where your going with this.... Depending on the number of plants available for replication, you could set up a trial with a control (no treatment), and with white oil applications of different strengths, and using different types of oil (eg mineral vs vegetable), and perhaps with different numbers of applications. As I said, you could also test how the state of dormancy influences susceptibility to spraying, but each extra factor adds a multiple to the number of plants required. It's probably out of the reach of most non-institutional growers, but heck, it'd be an interesting experiment! Edited May 4, 2009 by WoodDragon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted May 4, 2009 At a guess I would say these cacti would rely normally on local pest predators in their homeland,for instance birds or insects/grubs.I've just started picking them off with my finger nail on an almost calloused pup.Will see how that goes and post an update. Pretty much all my collection has this and has drained so much from them.One thing to note is that they were moved to a new abode and in full sun all day and stared looking like crap,whereas before they were under green corrugate and looking terrific! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted May 11, 2009 Just letting you guys know, Since giving them a scrub, I haven't seen any scale comeback.. maybe this is the way to go... no chems at all. I'm sure that if it was severe, it may be different... Maybe a whole lotta love..... scrubbing every day or so for a coupla weeks might do it... I know it takes a lot more work, but for those who want to keep it totally organic.. scrubbing works!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted May 12, 2009 Good work seth a little bit of work fixed the problem my lazy attempt to fix a minor problem has back fired on me. I will be using plant helpers solution next time as my cacti have got a bit worse. This solution seems to be alot more natural than the cheap stuff in an aersole spray can. very nice thread! white oil: take a little bit of olive oil, or i guess any oil (sunflower, peanut, etc.), add water, add minute ammount of dishwashing detergent, mix all three virgorously, and a foamy thing white oil will be produced. now if you combine all of what has been said, one might, peel off most scale by scraping with the nail, than treat only the affected area with white oil, than use the tooth brush and scrub off all the scale. make sure you get into every tiny crack (the inmature scale hides out there!!), and brush the scale off. than wash whole cactus with handwarm water, and than keep checking on them every few day's. most off us, would not use any chemical stuff on our cacti, it's just unethical, as you might end up eating it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted May 19, 2009 Hey guys, I took this pic today, there is a tiny amount of scale coming back on the peruvianus, I couldn't see any ants around so maybe I didn't get it all the first scrub... Still pretty good tho for no chems.. I gave it a quick scrub and we'll see how it goes... I guess it would be nice to eradicate the problem totally but if its just a wee scrub now'n'again, It's not too much hassle. and its chem free! Sorry bout the low quality pic guys Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted May 19, 2009 just to clear up some loose ends... the stuff that gets sold as white oil, is made with petroleum oil, our home made stuff is made with what ever (kitchen) oil we can find. than one can never be carefull enough, so i always wash off any residue with hand warm water. aswell if one person says, "no problems, it's save" it doesn't mean it's save for you in the same way, your cacti might not be as tough scined as somebody elses, and your white oil mixture might be stronger. if the scale returns right away, than i would look out scenarios, which tell me the cacti in questions is stressed/not happy. mostly that has to do with bad root formation in bad soil (take off pot, and inspect, replace with good pottingmix if needed). i would aswell make sure all those specimens suffering from scale have a good spot in your garden, a spot with lot's of air flow and bright. a sudden outbreak of orange rot, probably means the tissue of the cacti got damaged, so remove only what comes off with ease. there are some disease's which you can't pick off, and if you keep trying you will damage the cacti tissue, and this will have bad concequences. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.dg Posted May 23, 2009 http://www.groworganic.com/pdf/pestsolutionschart.pdf many insectisides will work on scale... i'd start with insecticidal soap before going to oil on cacti Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nitrogen Posted May 25, 2009 Are either of these scale? In the top pic, those are scabs and they don't come off by scraping with fingernail - they seem to form first as bubbles under the skin.. In the lower pic, those orange things do come off if I scrape with a fingernail, but they take off the top layer of the skin too... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted May 26, 2009 the bottom ones certainly appear to be. you'll know because unless the scales are already dead, when you remove it and squish it there will be some juice. somebody has probably figured out what causes all that scarring you get on trichs but i don't think it's anything to be concerned about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
