Hibiscus lump on stems problem!

[Anthony123]

Hi,
I’ve got this problem with my Hibisicus where brownish/yellowish striped lumps are forming on the stems of the plant. A white powdery substances comes from the lumps when they are squished or removed. To add to this, the plant has got weak leaves some of which are yellow, even though its water until its soil is moist enough. The plant is also in a 30cm diameter pot and a mix of clay soil, compost, sand and some fine gravel was used as its potting soil (I probably should have stuck with just compost). When initially potting the hibiscus (which was 3 years ago) it seemed to grow quite well and healthy, but last year was so hot that the soil dried too quickly and caused some yellowing of the leaves. This year I was slightly late putting in the slow releasing fertiliser into the pot as there were multiple frosts and I was lazy. I will send photos in the form of a reply. Look forward to hearing your responses,

Anthony.

 

[Anthony123]

 

[Tetters]

Hello @Anthony123 . That is scale! Horrible creatures that take over if you let them. If I were you I'd go right over the plant and rub off as much of that as possible - then check any nearby plants too. Get yourself some methylated spirits and rub it over all the plant - it will help to suffocate the sods.
I had this problem a couple of years ago on a Euonymus, and didn't notice straight away - it became smothered! I decided to cut the whole plant back to a two inch stub, and burnt the top growth on the bonfire. It has now regrown to a nice little clean plant again - as most shrubs will.

Welcome to the forums, it's good to have you on board

 

[Anthony123]

Hello @Anthony123 . That is scale! Horrible creatures that take over if you let them. If I were you I'd go right over the plant and rub off as much of that as possible - then check any nearby plants too. Get yourself some methylated spirits and rub it over all the plant - it will help to suffocate the sods.
I had this problem a couple of years ago on a Euonymus, and didn't notice straight away - it became smothered! I decided to cut the whole plant back to a two inch stub, and burnt the top growth on the bonfire. It has now regrown to a nice little clean plant again - as most shrubs will.

Welcome to the forums, it's good to have you on board

Thanks for the reply. I’ll try the spirits method mentioned above.

 

[Anthony123]

Hello @Anthony123 . That is scale! Horrible creatures that take over if you let them. If I were you I'd go right over the plant and rub off as much of that as possible - then check any nearby plants too. Get yourself some methylated spirits and rub it over all the plant - it will help to suffocate the sods.
I had this problem a couple of years ago on a Euonymus, and didn't notice straight away - it became smothered! I decided to cut the whole plant back to a two inch stub, and burnt the top growth on the bonfire. It has now regrown to a nice little clean plant again - as most shrubs will.

Welcome to the forums, it's good to have you on board

Can I use white spirit instead of Methylated spirit, thats the one available to me at the moment?

 

[Tetters]

Can I use white spirit instead of Methylated spirit, thats the one available to me at the moment?

No! That will probably kill the plant.

 

[Anthony123]

No! That will probably kill the plant.

Oh! Well, I don't want that to happen xD. Thanks for replying.

 

[Tetters]

Once you've used the meths, I know @zigs uses neem oil for the purpose of suffocating the insects, but @Chuck is our expert we have learned from
Good luck.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Once you've used the meths, I know @zigs uses neem oil for the purpose of suffocating the insects, but @Chuck is our expert we have learned from
Good luck.

I believe methylated spirits is called denatured alchohol over here. Is that actually the case or is there a subtlety I am missing?

 

[Tetters]

So sorry DM - I don't know how to be subtle, and not only that I'm no good at foreign languages either - can only just manage English.

 

[Anthony123]

I believe methylated spirits is called denatured alchohol over here. Is that actually the case or is there a subtlety I am missing?

From what I’ve seen online they seem to be the same thing.

 

[Anthony123]

From what I’ve seen online they seem to be the same thing.

I think the term methylated spirit is used more in America, Canada, and Australia whilst denatured alcohol is used more in the uk. I could be wrong.

 

[DirtMechanic]

So sorry DM - I don't know how to be subtle, and not only that I'm no good at foreign languages either - can only just manage English.
View attachment 84315

Ooh-right through my heart!

 

[Marck]

There are a wide variety of alcohols and oils that could be used to dehydrate or suffocate sucking insects, such as scale. Much of their success depends on the timing, frequency, and thoroughness of the application. Some plant-based oils, such as Neem oil, have additional compounds that can have insecticidal properties. Neem oil is still considered considered to be organic and a less toxic solution.

If it is a product that is not intended for horticultural use, be extra cautious. Try it on a small part of the plant to test its effect.

I agree that manually removing any scale you can reach, either with your fingers or an old toothbrush, is a useful addition to the use of an oil or alcohol.