When the scale feed on the sap, they ingest the toxic insecticide and are killed. Acephate, imidacloprid and dinotefuran are three commonly used systemic insecticides that are effective against scale.
Remove existing scale on houseplants by rubbing gently with a facial-quality sponge or cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. The alcohol alone should kill the scale, but the dead insects will remain on your plants and make it difficult for you to scout for new infestations.
Mature sago palms develop offsets, or pups, at the base or along the sides of their trunk. These can be removed in early spring or late fall.
To manage this scale, wash your plant with a vigorous spray of water to remove any dead or living scales. Then apply a horticultural oil, like Organocide, SunSpray oil, or Ultra-Fine oil, over the entire plant weekly for one month. If you have heavily infested plants, remove the leaves before treating.
To remove a scale infestation from your palm, you should spray insecticides on the leaves. Some of these insecticides include pyrethrin-based insecticides, horticulture oil sprays, and insecticidal soaps. You should spray these products directly onto the infested palm leaves.
Root rot. Sago palm diseases include Phytophthora fungi. It invades the roots and root crowns of the plant causing root rot. Root rot results in leaf wilt, discoloration, and leaf drop. This disease will retard plant growth, cause die-back or even kill the plant.
Palms maintained in over-wet conditions and in soils with poor drainage are more susceptible to dangerous or unattractive scale. Conversely, washing the leaves of infested trees to remove dust will encourage natural scale predators. Prune off any limbs or fronds that have a heavy occupation.
Mix about 5 tablespoons of insecticidal soap or a very mild dish soap into 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water. Pour the soap into a spray bottle and spray the plant, including the undersides of the leaves and stems, until the soap solution begins to drip. Repeat the treatment every four to seven days until the scales are gone.
The alkaloids in coffee — namely caffeine — prevent the insects from eating certain plants, including the sago. Spraying is good for treating infected leaves and roots, but coffee grounds alone can be used as a mulch to prevent Asian scale as well, Broome said.
The cause of the sticky leaf is normally scale insects on the plant. Plant scale feeds and suck sap (the plant juices) out of houseplants. The sticky residue on the leaves and floor is what they secrete and is a sticky substance called honeydw or sticky honeydew.
The only cause of dripping 'gummy' stuff is usually an infestation or bacterial infection. Pest infestation such as Palm Scale particularly can cause dripping of sticky stuff, but if the dripping is coming from the trunks and not the leaves, that's more likely to be a bacterial infection.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR. As scale insects feed on the sap of a plant, they excrete tiny droplets of a sugary liquid called honeydew. The droplets of honeydew fall and accumulate on foliage below, which can cause that foliage to look shiny and feel sticky. (It can also make objects under the infested plant shiny and sticky).
The white sticky spots on plants is actually a case of sap-feeding insects in action. The white, fuzzy, or lumpy part is a type of common scale known as mealybugs. When mealybugs pierce the plant to drink its fluids, some of this sap, along with mealybug excrement, is left on the surface.
The main ingredient, magnesium, is used in high quantities by cycads, palms and other acid-loving plants. Apply about half a cup every two months, from early February to mid-October. Scatter it as you would other fertilizers and water in lightly.
