What this is ? Huh!

Moose

Moose

Esteemed Member
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10/09/09
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Coral Gables, FL Zone 10b
These are some I got awhile back and have not made it into the ground yet. I got hit with the croton scale real bad during a stretch of alot of overtime at work. The putting off really hurt these plants and they are just coming back now. At the first detection of the scale you need to hit it fast and hard. It completely cover all "green" (as in tender) stems and sucked the life out, dropping all new leaves. :mad:

The first photo was sold to me as a "Thomas Edison" which I suspect is a "Petra". Does not look like the "Thomas Edison" that Jeff was selling! Some thoughts from you croton mavens? ;)

The second photo was sold to me and I forget the name, it has a buried tag in the soil some where in the pot. I will retreive it when I plant. It looks alot like "Petra" to me again. Any thoughts or ID would be appreciated. :)

The third photo was sold to me as "Norma". I am suspecious of its ID, any help from this forum with an ID would be well received. :p
 

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Ron,

The first one is definitely not Thomas Edison. It does look more like a Petra. The second one, not sure. The third is not a Norma, it looks more like a Stoplight. Who ever you bought these from, needs to join the Croton Society for guidance.
 
Moose Knuckle said:
These are some I got awhile back and have not made it into the ground yet. I got hit with the croton scale real bad during a stretch of alot of overtime at work. The putting off really hurt these plants and they are just coming back now. At the first detection of the scale you need to hit it fast and hard. It completely cover all "green" (as in tender) stems and sucked the life out, dropping all new leaves. :mad:
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Regarding the green scale, you say "hit it fast and hard." What would you recommend hitting it with? Merit or Neem? I've had the same problem - and yeah, also due to too much overtime at work. Just can't get to the garden tasks during the week, and now they want my Saturdays as well, grr.
 
...on sale here at Wally World in ST. Pete for $13 per jug. Got two of them. All new arrivals get the Bayer 3:1 plus coffee treatment. For those unfamiliar with Coffee as a prophylaxis for croton scale, see article in Croton Society journal a while back. It is take-off on a lengthy article by Tom Broome in the Cycad Society Journal on using coffee and coffee grounds to treat CAS (Asian cycad scale). It can't hurt and the price is right. Article by Tom Broome is available on-line on Cycad Scoiety website.
 
I have reluctantly been using Cygon. It is really strong stuff and I have to keep the dog inside until it dries completely. It is a contact and systemic chemical and seems to do the trick. This is a bottle I have had for awhile and do not believe it is available over the counter any longer? The residual effect does not seem that long as I have seen the scale reappear in about 4-6 weeks on some plants. Only one plant has gotten the scale three times. Interestingly enough, that croton has gotten coffee grounds and gets left over coffee poured on it. The scale was found on only one branch which defoliated after the treatment.

The scale has never appeared on some of my crotons, but all have been treated when any scale is observed on any plant. One tell tale sign that alerts me to the presence of scale is I find ants attending to them like ranchers. The scale in its beginning stages is hardly noticeable and is hiden. Seeing the ants makes me investigate closer. An advanced investation really sucks the life out of these plants. Never have I witnessed a more aggressive, fast growing, fast spreading.... scale ever. I don't believe the state of Florida has even identified it yet.

I will be switching to Bayer 3-in-1. It is a concern of mine that the scale may build up a resistance to the Cygon (Dimethoate). Tom Broome's article has sold me on the benefits of used coffee grounds. The alkaloids are absorbed into the plants and appear to be a benefit in deterring insectual pests. The coffee grounds also lower the pH level of the soil which crotons love! It has helped with the control of palm aphids I was having on my palms - I agree it should be good for crotons as well.
 
Just got my copy of The Palmateer, the journal of the Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society CFPACS). Noted a paid ad on p29 for The Watershed Laboratories, Inc. for "an additive that, when combined with an EPA-registered pesticide, has been shown to be highly effective in eradicating infestations of the Cycad Asian Scale (CAS) insect (Aulacaspis yasumatsui) as well as other problem insects in the garden and around the home.
The additive has been shown to penetrate the insect's armored scale defense, thereby carrying the lethal pesticide to fragile insects and eggs..."
See: www.saveoursagos.com 1-800-636-9588


Since CFPACS has a sales area at the USF Sale this weekend, I'll see if any of the cycad lovers have any firsthand experience with the stuff.
 
Crazy for Crotons said:
My spider mites now have 3 in 1 immunity. I think they get bigger and fatter after ingesting the stuff. Short of a nuke, what's a good systemic alternative?
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Ray - Try some Cygon if you can find it. A nursery owning friend might be able to help you. Spider mites suck, I really hate the bastards almost as much as this new scale! :mad:
 
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