I have a hibiscus (tropical) that I keep in the house in the winter. In the summer it is on the deck. I have been fighting "Scale" on this danged thing for 2 years. I've tried everything I can think of to get rid of it and not kill the plant/tree. I get it knocked down (I think) and a month later it's back. Remember when I said I had a degree in Horticulture Science...well, it's failing me miserably with this tree.
All ideas will be entertained, short of killing it! I've been nursing this thing to long!

Jami

I guess I might suggest something systemic. Maybe contact an online Hibiscus society. I lost my hibiscus this winter and it was about 5 years old. I did cut it back hard this fall when I brought it in...but I've been doing the same routine for it's entire life.

I was sad to lose mine...it was a beauty! Someone gave me a baby, but I have no clue what color it is.

Good luck...

Poof*

Hi Jami

Have you tried Neem? That is about the only thing i have ever found that does anything to scale.

As a matter of fact, unless i really, really love the plant, i usually just send it to the great plant heaven in the sky. But do try Neem, you can buy it at your local nursery, and one bottle of it lasts for a lifetime. I swear by it,it is the best bug/fungus/bad juju treatment that i have found.

Good luck!

Thanks, Dori-
I'll have to see if I can find it next time I'm in town.
I did a Google search on scale. They said most times you can't get rid of it, but if you want to try & save it, try plain old rubbing alcohol. Spray it every 5 or 6 days. I did try that, but if I forgot, it was right back. If I can keep it alive until I can get it back outside (late May), I'll work it over with that again. It's not bad, I have it mostly gone, but I find the little brown scale bumps about every 10 to 15 days, but only about 6 to 10 of them on the whole tree. It has the prettiest dark red flowers on it when it blooms. Almost a fire engine red!
Thanks again!
Jami

Morning..

Dori..
I'm trying to screw up the guts to give my plants the last rites, but I LOVED THIS PLANT for soooo long... and it just went.

Jami...
Good luck (think I'll get some Neem too)... here's a photo of the hibiscus I'm 90% sure is not going to come back. It was a dandy...I would LOVE a red. I have had ZERO luck growing the hardy ones here, but have done okay with the indoor varieties.




sniff*....

Oh Darn! DB..you lost that one?..it's was very pretty. They grow invasively here. I gave Mama some seeds..enough to give her and the whole county a bush or 2..LOL..I cut mine down last fall. It got too big for the location it was in right next to my porch..but I have another one in the side yard..here it is..




Yes, Neem is good stuff!

Hey...That's a beaaaauty Beary One!

Sadly... I think my pride and joy Hibiscus gave it up. I am the queen of hard pruning, but it did well every other year when I chopped the daylights out of it... go figure... sniff*

Heyyyyyyyyy it's hailing hard...lol.... damn...my poor baby plants!!!

poof*