How to Get Rid of Scale on Shrubs
- 1). Purchase a mild detergent, perhaps something ecologically friendly. An example is Simple Green detergent, which needs to be water-diluted 30 to 1 for scale application.
- 2). Dip a toothbrush into the detergent solution and scrub the scale insects manually. They should become slippery and drop off the branch. Try more solution or more concentrated detergent if they don't.
- 3). Deter their return by occasionally (monthly) applying a horticultural soap or oil. This can be sprayed on to save time. It will still be effective. Iit's the way scales are treated in commercial groves.
- 4). Look for new scales and apply detergent manually every 6 to 12 months, to account for the flight/migration stage of their life cycle.