magnolia scale
 

i think i have a few trees infected with magnolia scale. looks like snail shells all over the branches and the leafs have a black mold on em. any ideas? thanks in advance!

The best treatment is horticultural oil applied in the early spring, at the crawler stage. The oil will smother active and recently settled crawlers. This horticultural oil is often called dormant oil, because it must be used before leaf or flower buds start to open but when temperatures are predicted to stay above freezing for 24 hours. It is important to read and carefully follow instructions when applying horticultural oil or any treatment.There is another window to treat for magnolia scale in late August, when the eggs hatch as crawlers. At that time, use horticultural soap or a summer-weight oil. Even if you applied dormant oil in spring, this summer application may be necessary to eradicate the scale


Source----http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-15/classified/ct-sun-garden-0318-qa-magnolia-scale-20120315_1_scale-insects-sooty-mold-crawler-stage

You can still apply summer oil in Louisiana now. You can also mix liquid Sevin in the mixture if you would like. Treatment for all scale insects is basically the same.

As a shameless plug, visit www.lsuagcenter.com and look at the top for the tap marked publications. We have 3 separate control guides for Louisiana: insect, disease, and weeds. These are all in PDF format and are FREE downloads. You can download the section you need or the entire publication.

Just a FYI from your friendly LSU AgCenter Forestry and Wildlife Agent.

Robbie aka Big Hutch

Thanks!!

Big Hutch.........I'll take your shameless plug and raise you one shameless request........LOL

any chance you could hook me up with some Black Mission fig plants?
Of an invite to getting some cuttings at the orchard at the Rural Life museum?