Plant Doctor Archive

Palm reading

I'VE just noticed my kentia palm has white scale along the midrib of the leaves and down the stem. How can I get rid of it?

WITH most other plants I'd recommend an oil spray, but oil can damage palms. Some people reckon a solution of around a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid in a litre of water sprayed or washed over the plant, then wiped clean, is a useful way of controlling them, but it certainly doesn't get rid of them all.

The best thing is to take the plant outdoors to a shady spot and give it a thorough spray with an insecticide such as Confidor, Rogor 100 or Target. Make sure to get good coverage above and below the leaves and on the stem. Leave it to dry before taking the plant back indoors. The dead scale won't disappear right away - it will be some time before they've all dropped off.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.