Platycerium (Staghorn) Ferns As Epiphytes
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Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Scale Pest , Continued
While Waiting For The Insecticide To Dry All Platycerium Fern Species Within The Area Of The Infected Species Is Checked For Scale Insects This Includes Any Ground Cover , Within The Area . By Checking The Ground Cover And All Other Other Plants , Within The Area , We Are Searching For The Source Of The Scale And Attempting To Prevent The Development Of New Scale Growth . After The Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Has Dried An Object Which Is Stiff Such As A Toothpick Or Plant Tag Is Used To Remove All Scale That Can Be Seen , Making Sure To Remove Any Scale Found Behind The Shield Fronds . Then The Species Is Washed Off With Fresh Water . This Removes Any Loose Scale And The Species Is Allowed To Dry Back Again . After The Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Species Has Dried This Time It Is Dampened Again , With Water , An Old Wet Wash Cloth Is Used To Wipe Off The Infected Areas . The Cloth Removes Any Scale Which Has Planted Its Sucker Into The Plant Species , But Cannot Be Seen And Allowed To Dry Then Sprayed With Insecticide Again . The Task Of Re Spraying The Species , With Insecticide Performed Every (4) To (6) Days For No Less Than (Two) Weeks , But The Platycerium Fern , Ground Cover And Plants Within The Cultivating Area Are Checked Every Day For New Scale Growth And Removed .
If The Shield Or Fertile Fronds Are Heavily Infested , With Scale , It Might Be Best To Cut Them Off And Wait For New Growth Rather Than Attempt To Save Them , Because The Fronds Are To Badly Damaged , By The Scale Pest , To Make It Worth Your While To Save Them . The Purpose Here Is To Rid The Platycerium Fern And All Other Plants Of Any Scale Pest So The Species Can Survive And Not Spread The Pest To Other Platycerium Ferns Or Plant Species . Some Damage May Occur To Your Prehistoric Platycerium Fern While Performing This Task , But The Little Damage Done To One Species Is Far Better Than Having All Of The Species In Your Platycerium Fern Collection Infested With Scale Which Eventually Can (Kill) The Species If Not Controlled .
Controlling Scale Insect Pest Is Not An Easy Task , But After Finding And Putting A Control Solution In Place Your Life And Platycerium Fern Collection Can Become A Lot More Manageable . Each Time You Enter Your Greenhouse Or Other Cultivating Area You Should Always Check For This Pest And If Any Are Found They Should Be Removed . Performing This Visual Routine Check Quite Often Assures That You Don't End Up With A Number Of Plants Heavily Infested , With This Pest And Also Allows Cutting Back On The Use Of Insecticides .
White Ash Scale , Pest
This Type Of Scale Insect Pest , Which Attacks Prehistoric Platycerium Ferns , Is Rather Hard To (Kill) But Can Be Performed It Just Takes Time , Patients And Effort . The Scale Shows Up As Little Tiny (White) Speckled Dots And It Is Much Harder To Break Their Sucker Than It Is With The Larger (Brown) Scale , Because Of Their Size .
The Control Solution Used At The Nursery , For This Scale Pest , Is To First Isolate The Species From All Other Plant Species . While Wearing Our Chemical Gloves The Species Is Sprayed With A Light Solution Of Systemic Insect Killer Mixed At A Rate Of (1/4) Teaspoon Of Insect Killer To 32 Fluid Ounces Of Water And Making Sure To Spray Behind Its Shield Fronds And Then Allowed To Dry . While Waiting For The Species To Dry The Cultivating Area Is Checked For Any More Signs Of White Ash Scale .
After The Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Has Dried The Species Receives A Water Wash . A Soft Bristled Paint Brush About (2) To (3) Inches Wide Dipped In Insecticide Is Used To Brush The White Ash Scale . This Brushing Attempts To Break The Insects Sucker So That It Will Starve To Death . The Species Is Water Washed , Allowed To Dry , Dampened And Brushed Again .
Spraying The Species , With The Insecticide , Becomes An Every Other Day Task For About (Two) Weeks And After That The Species Is Sprayed Every Month For About (3) Months . If The Shield Or Fertile Fronds Are Heavily Infested They Are Removed . The Brush Is Also Used From Time To Time To Remove Any Scale That Can Be Removed .
With White (Ash) And (Brown) Shelled Scale The Scale Does Not Remove Itself After Dying So The Insect Has To Be Removed By Some Other Means . Removing The Old Dead Scale Rather Than Leaving It On The Platycerium Fern Gives The Species A Much Better Look And Also Allows You To Notice Any New Scale Growth A Lot Easier .
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