Scale?

[snarfing]

Does this cutting have some sort of scale or something else?

 

[Figgerlickinggood]

Ohhhhhh yeah.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

My palmata's bark looks like that all the time. some varieties don't have the smooth bark.

 

[snarfing]

My palmata's bark looks like that all the time. some varieties don't have the smooth bark.

This is orphan, any idea?

 

[Figgerlickinggood]

My palmata's bark looks like that all the time. some varieties don't have the smooth bark.

A couple of years ago one of my trees had that and I was told it was scale.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

I do get scale sometimes. They can easily be rubbed off. Certain trees have what looks like dry lenticels. Photo of Kabri wood.

 

[LadyGT]

If you have scale, do you have an ant problem too? I have both. I am going to use borax as an ant bait this year in all my pots. I spray my trees with Bonide's All Seasons Dormant and Horticultural Oil. It takes care of the scale, but not the ants.

For fire ants, I use malathion as a very light mist on the tops of soil.

 

[snarfing]

If you have scale, do you have an ant problem too? I have both. I am going to use borax as an ant bait this year in all my pots. I spray my trees with Bonide's All Seasons Dormant and Horticultural Oil. It takes care of the scale, but not the ants.

For fire ants, I use malathion as a very light mist on the tops of soil.

Idk this came from a cutting i got. I dont have any scale rn

 

[LadyGT]

Can you scrape any of the spots off? If not, then that's just how that tree is.

If it comes off easily, it's possible the mother tree had scale at one time. I would think a seller would have addressed the problem before selling cuttings.

 

[grasshopper]

If those were scales, you can remove them by squeezing or rubbing them off lightly. There are usually red/brown liquid coming out, but sometimes, they are dry and the shells came off like a peel.

Ants farm scales and aphids. If you have scales, you may have ants problem because scales typically move slowly or not move at all unless they are in one of the mobile nymph stage in warm weather.

 

[BNaula1]

I don’t think that’s scale, like mentioned above some varieties just grow bark like that. Golden Riverside would be an example of that. Scale is usually soft shelled so you can scrape it off or rub them off, those just look like raised lenticals

 

[hambones]

Doesn't look like scale to me. Fingernail poke/scratch is usually pretty telling but those look like part of the bark/trunk.

 

[LadyGT]

There are different types of scale. The scale I find on citrus trees are brown and spotted compared to the flat ones I find on figs. On my figs I have gotten flat varieties and some that are black and raised.

 

[snarfing]

Can you scrape any of the spots off? If not, then that's just how that tree is.

If it comes off easily, it's possible the mother tree had scale at one time. I would think a seller would have addressed the problem before selling cuttings.

sort of, but i can also scrape the bark off. This was a donated cutting from a different fig forum im not mad about it because it was free basically. but just not sure if i need to treat it

 

[LadyGT]

Have you sanitized it with a bleach solution? I think bleach will kill pests. I am not positive though. I use 9 parts water to 1 part bleach. Maybe somebody can confirm this.

EDITED: I went and looked at my Orphan cuttings and a Portuguese variety. They look like your cutting. Sanitize your cutting just as a precaution.

 

[RosyPosy]

Not scale at all. It’s just the bark.

 

[TorontoJoe]

I actually don't think that's scale. The bumps are way too small. Even if they were tiny scale you'd be able to easily rub them off with your finger.

If you want to be safe, a horticultural oil made at home for nearly free suffocates them very quickly... and it's is safe and benign

 

[Figjake]

Doesn’t look like scales.

 

[BucksCountyFigs]

When I first got an Ice Crystal fig, I was worried that it had scale, so I did this deep dive into researching scale. And while I am no scale expert, that doesn’t quite look like scale to me.

People asked if I could scrape it off with a fingernail, which wasn’t that helpful because you can also scrape off healthy bark with a fingernail.

But then I saw a video by Ross the Fig Boss, which helped me finally realize what they meant, since fig scale is far less adhesive, and you can literally flick it off with a toothpick.

 

[snarfing]

When I first got an Ice Crystal fig, I was worried that it had scale, so I did this deep dive into researching scale. And while I am no scale expert, that doesn’t quite look like scale to me.

People asked if I could scrape it off with a fingernail, which wasn’t that helpful because you can also scrape off healthy bark with a fingernail.

But then I saw a video by Ross the Fig Boss, which helped me finally realize what they meant, since fig scale is far less adhesive, and you can literally flick it off with a toothpick.

Haha thats exactly what I said. Was like yeah I mean I can scratch it off... but i can see green if i scratch the bark. guess I just have strong nails.