This post is the ultimate guide on growing Monstera deliciosa, and I will also show you some remarkable tips and tricks on repotting Monstera as well so that you can be the best plant parent that you can be! If the bugs on your houseplants are white and fuzzy and look more like mildew, those are mealybugs. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Since there are no natural predators indoors, scale insects will spread even faster than they do outdoors. Sometimes, it is easier to simply throw out infested plants rather than take all the steps necessary to try and eradicate the scale. How To Control Japanese Beetles Organically, How To Control Flea Beetles In The Organic Garden, Terms Of Use, Disclaimer & Privacy Policy, A brand new houseplant that you recently brought home from the store, Moving your houseplants outside during the summer, Fresh produce or cut flowers from the garden (or even from the grocery store!). Scale insects thrive in warm, dry environments. Genus: Hurricane Plant, Swiss Cheese Plant, Windowleaf (Monstera) Its “Swiss cheese” nickname comes from the iconic splits and holes in its leaves and its “breadfruit” nickname refers to its corn-shaped fruit. I have tried neem oil and horticulture oil but it doesn t seem to do anything to get rid of them. You will need to be extremely diligent about controlling or removing scale when it infests indoor plants. One thing to look out for when giving the leaves a once over is a pest infestation. Learn how to care for most varieties of Monstera! You could dip a sponge in the soap solution and wipe down the plant to remove and kill spider mites. If you catch the problem early enough, pruning out the infested stems could alleviate the problems. If you have plants in the room, then that is likely where they’re coming from, so make sure you treat the scale on your plants using the methods above, or they will just keep coming back. –Secrete honeydew attracting ants and promote sooty mold –Lay eggs in winters and hatch in early spring. You can buy neem oil concentrate for pretty cheap, and a bottle will last you a long time. You can apply a liquid houseplant fertilizer diluted to 50% the recommended dose once a month during the spring and summer. It’s important to isolate the plant to stop the spread of scale to other plants that are nearby. You can prevent these … You can find neem oil or a product containing it in just about any garden center. Some of them even poison the plant. Also known as the Swiss cheese plant, this beauty is an easy to grow, large leaved plant with characteristic splits in the leaves. I’m so happy I found your website! Below are some methods you can try that work great to treat houseplant scale insects. Sometimes it feels like all of the plant bugs on the planet are trying to attack my houseplants! How can I get rid of them and make sure they never come back. They look like small brown dots or bumps, and they don’t move. When it's under stress, shocked, or weakened it could become vulnerable to a few different pests like scale, mealybugs, and spider mites. The alcohol alone should kill the scale, but the dead insects will remain on your plants and make it difficult for you to scout for new infestations. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. and, once they find a good place to start feeding and mature into adults, they never move again. Scale almost always appears in clusters. I did not know what they were before so I just scraped it off once and thought it might be from the vent but it came back. I’m a passionate gardener who loves growing everything from vegetables, herbs, and flowers to succulents, tropicals, and houseplants - you name, I've grown it! Houseplant scale are gross looking things that suck the sap out of the leaves and stems of plants; resulting in stunted or deformed leaf growth, yellowing of the leaves, brown pock marks, and possibly leaf drop. I have no idea where they came from, but one day I suddenly noticed a scale insect infestation on my goldfish plant. There’s a wealth of information here that I’ve never seen before! However, timing is everything and there is a very short window of opportunity. Scraping them off the plant manually seems to be the easiest method, although it can be tedious if there is a lot of scale on your Monstera. The plant scale spray recipe I use 1 tsp of organic mild liquid soap per 1 liter of water. You can also subscribe without commenting. Variegated Monstera houseplants are becoming a favorite among plant lovers. Scale insect damage can look like pock marks on plants like succulents and cacti, or it can be something as subtle as brown or yellow leaves on a plant. As with any plant pest infestation, when you find scale insects on plants, you will want to isolate the infested plant and begin treatment immediately. Homemade scale insect killer insecticide soap. I have a ficus that is about four feet tall. You will usually find houseplant scale hanging out on the stems and leaf joint of an infested houseplant, and along the veins of the leaves, but you could find them anywhere on a plant. Prune off leaves and stems heavily infested with scale insect or whitefly with pruning shears, seal them in a plastic bag and put them in the trash. At this point, the nymphs have legs and are actively crawling to find new spots to attach and feed. Scale is a difficult problem to combat, and you may need to employ all of these materials if infestations are frequent and widespread. It’s hard to get rid of scale on houseplants the first few times you try, it will take several treatments. Signs of Overwatered Monstera. If there are a few leaves with just a teeny bit of browning, you can leave those. Sometimes this is one way to help with plant scale identification if you’re unsure. Never trim all the leaves from a houseplant though. Rubbing alcohol, soapy water, or really any kind of disinfectant cleaning spray that’s safe to use on those surfaces will kill them. It's important to treat the entire plant, as scale can be present on stems, the undersides of leaves, and along the base of the plant. Scales are a small insect that can damage the leaves of your plants if they are left untreated. Plus, in most stages of their life cycle, pesticides won’t penetrate their hard outer shell anyway. Here’s how to get rid of mealybugs. But, here are a few of the most common places where they may have come from…. The monstera deliciosa is also known as the Swiss cheese plant, split leaf philodendron and Mexican breadfruit, among many other names. As you work on removing scale from plants, be sure that you check every crevice of the plant, around the leaf and stem joints, and underneath all of the leaves. If you do end up getting the neem oil concentrate, then you’ll need to mix it with a little bit of mild liquid soap to help the oil mix with water. But don’t worry, scale is not a death sentence for your plants! Dispose of the pruned stems immediately. Easy Ways to Eliminate Mealybugs From Indoor Plants, How to Control Whitefly Problem on Houseplants, 7 Flower Garden Pests That Can Ruin Your Hard Work, How to Get Rid of Scale on Euonymus Shrubs, How to Control Japanese Beetles in Your Lawn and Garden, How to Get Rid of Common Houseplant Pests, Learn to Identify and Eliminate Aphids on Your Indoor Plants, Treating a Magnolia Tree With Ants and Sooty Mold, Organic Controls for Common Strawberry Pests.   Male soft scale appears grayish to white and can look similar to mealybugs. To save your plant from these pests, it’s best to wipe them off with a mild soap solution or use a gentle insecticide. I don’t recommend using a chemical scale pesticide, because houseplant scale are resistant to most pesticides. Scale bugs on plants like to cluster, so they are very noticeable once the population gets large. Definitely don’t repot your plant if it’s infested with scale though. If a houseplant scale infestation goes left untreated, the plant will eventually die; although it would take a long time, and a very large scale population for them to kill a large houseplant. That could further stress the plant, and won’t do anything to get rid of the bugs. So, it’s best to use some other type of treatment (neem oil works wonders) to get rid of scale all together. Soft scale damages the plant by sucking sap from the plant. Appearance and characteristics of monstera Monstera is a substantial climbing evergreen tropical plant that naturally scales large trees by attaching itself with long aerial roots. Monsteras thrive well in normal room temperature surroundings. Gross! This article is dedicated to the 13 Best Monstera care hacks to ensure your Monstera stays healthy and is thriving.. Keep in mind that some types of soap can damage plants, so it’s best to test any type of spray on a couple leaves before you spray the entire plant. Insects like mealy bugs, spider mites, thrips, gnats, and scales are the common enemy of a monstera. Scale can hide in the soil of a houseplant, so if a plant is plagued by recurring infestations, you could try removing the top inch of dirt from the pot and replacing it with. Treating your plant with Neem oil is the best way to do this. There’s no doubt that fighting scale on indoor plants can be super frustrating, but it’s worth it to save your favorite houseplants. –Immature ones are even smaller. One of the classic houseplants is the tropical philodendron. Use rubbing alcohol to kill scale on houseplant, Make Your Own Homemade Scale Insecticide Soap. To get rid of scale insects prune and dispose of infested branches, twigs and leaves. Though it’s good to scrape them off as part of your treatment routine, the eggs and babies are difficult to see. When you find scale on plants, getting rid of them can take some time – but it’s not impossible! The alcohol dissolves their shell, killing the insects quickly. Read our. Yes, scale can be difficult to get rid of. University of California Integrated Pest Management, Marie Iannotti is an author, photographer, and speaker with 27 years of experience as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener. If scale insects are on the roots, it would be at the top right under the soil, near the stem of the plant. Then, scale back to once every 2 or 3 months in the fall and winter. Look for root rot symptoms, if found any trim off the infected parts and treat with a fungicide. Be sure check around the outside lip and inside edges of the pot and plant tray, and also the bottom of the pot for hiding scale insects. Then spray it directly on the scale and on the leaves of your infested plant. It will continue to grow upwards on the stems (or trunk on lg. Keep an eye on your monstera to make sure the spotting doesn’t spread. You may notice a sticky substance underneath the plant. So plan to keep treating it with neem regularly for the long term, even after all signs of the bugs are gone. One of the primary ways gardeners realize they have an issue with scale is by the appearance of sooty mold on the plant. Monstera deliciosa care is easier than you think! Things to know about scale, thrips & their control: * Scale is usually easy to spot with the naked eye, thrips aren’t. The oil coats the scale insects and clogs their breathing pores, suffocating them. There are several stages to the scale insect life cycle, and the entire cycle takes about 7-10 weeks. Black sooty spots on your lower limbs is a sure sign of their presence. With variegated monstera, the most frequent causes of infection are mites and scale. Scale insect eggs and nymphs are tiny, so it’s easy to understand why most people will never know their houseplant has scale until the population has exploded. I used tweezers and/or a butter knife sharp. Use the spider mite spray liberally on the plant leaves until all the mites are gone. All content found on this website is copyrighted materials and any form of reproduction is strictly prohibited. Your email address will not be published. So keep your family and pets safe, and skip the toxic chemical pesticides on your houseplants. Unlike other insects, they are immobile once they lock themselves into place to pierce the plant and begin feeding on sap. Like I said before, they don’t look like bugs so you probably won’t even notice them until your plant has become infested. Remove existing scale on houseplants by rubbing gently with a facial-quality sponge or cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. If you’re struggling to get rid of bugs on indoor plants, my Houseplant Pest Control eBook is for you! It can take several months (or even over a year) to eradicate a heavy infestation on a large plant. It is said that it consists of 50 different species but actually no one knows. It takes a few weeks for the eggs to hatch into nymphs (aka scale crawlers), and then another 6-9 weeks for the crawlers to mature into adults. If you decide to repot a plant after treating it for scale, then be sure to sterilize the pot before reusing. Identification: Life cycle: Damage –Very tiny little specks reddish brown or pale in color and oval-shaped. The shell also makes it difficult to use a pesticide because it has trouble reaching the insect inside. In this post, I will show you exactly how to get rid of scale on houseplants, FOR GOOD. Houseplant scale and damage on my cactus plant. –Classed as close relatives of spiders. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series. It can happen that pests such as mealybugs, spider mites, scale insects and more can take hold of your Monstera. As well as scale insects and spider mites. Monsteras are famous for their natural leaf-holes, and has led to the rise of its nickname, Swiss Cheese Plant. Different species of scale insects favor different plants. There are a few products you can use to try and eliminate scale. Also brush away a little dirt around the base of the stem to see if any are hiding there, scale insects could also be found on the roots of the plant. To save overwatered Monstera you should improve the drainage system of the pot. Monstera is my favorite genus, second to none. Scale insects in the garden can be combatted in a number of ways, the best of which involves prevention or removing infested plant material before the insects can spread.. So remove the plant from the area and clean any crevices where plant pests could be hiding. When scale numbers are low they may be rubbed or picked off of plants by hand. In order for rubbing alcohol to be effective, it must come in direct contact with the scale insects. I sprayed the plant & the surface of the soil with that solution (diluted down with more water) to make sure I got the eggs. You can use a pre-mixed horticultural oil or hot pepper wax spray instead of neem oil as a plant scale treatment, and these also work very well to help get rid of scale insects. Awesome, glad you like the website and the eBook! 4. Scale insects are very difficult to see on a plant. An open window – the crawlers are tiny, so you never know! The moment you see brown spots on the leaves, these pests might be the culprit behind. How to Care for a Monstera #5: Repotting & Propagation Dabbing individual pests with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab or neem-based leaf shine will also work when infestations are light. These are rubbing alcohol, insecticidal soap (organic or homemade) and neem oil. Wow, I’ve never heard of houseplant scale getting on the walls and woodwork like that! Keep a close eye for several weeks to make sure no new scale appear on the plant. I have 1 quick and important question about removing a type of brown soft scale on the base of succulents. However, you will never see just one of them, which makes them hard to miss. Because adult scale insects are so firmly attached to their host plant and covered in their armor coating, they can be tricky to exterminate. Scale insects produce a sugary honeydew when feeding on the plants, which attract fungal organisms that produce sooty mold in some scales, but not all. Use a neem based leaf shine, a natural insecticide for houseplants, regularly until you are sure you plant is scale-free. If you do spot pests, this is not game over for your Monstera as there are some really simple ways to get rid of them! Pruning infected branches is often the easiest and surest solution if … It will show you exactly how to get rid of bugs on houseplants naturally, including houseplant pests identification, home remedies for plant insects, how to keep houseplant pests from EVER coming back, and much more! You can also clean your monstera leaves and stems with Insecticidal soap to prevent re-infection. Until a few years ago, I’ve never had to deal with houseplant scale before. https://www.saferbrand.com/advice/insect-library/garden-insects/all-about- Scrub the pot with soapy water, or better yet, put it in the dishwasher to sterilize it. Scale range in size from one to five millimeters and, in certain life stages, can be difficult to see without magnification. If your plant is small, you can bring it to the sink or shower and wash the leaves with this soap and water solution, gently removing as many of the scale as you can as you wash the plant. University of Maryland Extension, Scale Management Guidelines. How to Treat Scales on Plants. They also have the ability to develop a resistance to any chemical pesticides they are exposed to on a regular basis. An added bonus is that neem oil has a residual effect to help with future pest prevention too. Horticultural oil is another effective chemical-free and organic option to get rid of spider mites, scale, and other pests. Just brush away the soil right around the base of the plant to see if you find anything there. Scale insects vary greatly in color, shape, and size. They are often somewhat rounded, but not always. Monstera siltepecana needs fertilizer to grow at its best. Most scale insects are very small, usually ranging in size from 1/16 to 1/8 inch long. * Control these pests as soon as you see them. Mix 1 teaspoon of soap with 1 quart (1 l) of lukewarm water and shake well. Please help. Please advise. Purdue University Extension, Scale Insects. I have scale investation on some of the plants in my room, it’s all over the wall, windows and the wood of my dresser. Plants). A root rot treatment is also a good idea at this point. Here are a few additional tips…. I would scrub down everything to remove and kill them, then keep cleaning the area regularly until you never see scale again. –Feed plant tissues and fluids –Found undersides of leaves, spinning their web all over. 2. Scale affected plants will be sickly and show yellowing of the leaves and leaf drop. Once the infestation gets bad, they’re hard to get rid of. Even if you do notice them, scale bugs on houseplants look more like a weird growth than a bug. any suggestions the tree is large. Using neem oil insecticide for scale insects, You can’t treat a plant once and expect to get rid of scale insects for good, you need to be persistent. It is essential that you thoroughly wash away all soil from the remaining healthy roots. Treatment. The insect is small, oval and flat, with a tan to brown shell-like covering. If caught early, you can blast them off with a water hose but they will most surely come back. Scale insects are very adept at protecting themselves at most stages of their life cycle. They like to hide, so be sure to check the plant from a bunch of different angles too. also they seem to only be on the side of the tree that is not directly facing the sun. They can be rounded, oval shaped or flat, and can range in size from barely visible to large bumps on a plant. You may also notice sticky leaves on houseplants, on their pots, or around the area where the plant is sitting. But mealybugs are somewhat larger than most scale insects, which makes them easier to identify as an insect rather than disease. In addition to talking about the care for the Monstera genus, I created specific in-depth care guides for multiple described Monstera species below. When you discover scale on plant leaves, the first question you’ll ask is where the heck did they come from? Scrub the pot with soapy water, or better yet, put it in the dishwasher to sterilize it. I live and garden in Minneapolis, MN (zone 4b). If you’ve been growing plants for some time already, I’m sure you know everything about little monsters called mites. Because there is such a vast number of different scale insect species, there is a good chance you will encounter them in your garden or on your houseplants at some point. Your email address will not be published. Soft scale is covered with a protective waxy substance and is somewhat easier to kill than hard/armored scale. Armored scale secretes a hard shell over its body for protection from predators. Eek! My brand new book Vertical Vegetables is now available for purchase!! My green thumb comes from my parents, and I've been gardening most of my life. Indoor plant bugs can come from anywhere, so don’t go crazy trying to figure it out what causes scale on plants. This recreates like a tropical and humid environment for your Monstera, and it will make your plant feel at home. Although it isn’t a heavy feeder. Hi, you said that also the roots could be infected, in that case what is to be done, wash the roots and repot ? I will definitely acquire your eBook. These can be purchased at garden centers, or you … How can you prevent them in the first place? I dabbed the scale off with a cotton swab. Is this process harmful if will weaken the plant? Julie Thompson-Adolf is a master gardener and author with 13+ years of experience with year-round organic gardening, seed starting and saving, growing heirloom plants, perennials, and annuals, and sustainable and urban farming. Two different species of Monstera are cultivated as houseplants - Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii. What Are Some Harmful Garden Pests You Shouldn't Ignore? Scale insects are very sneaky, and many times you will never figure out where they came from. Scale insects typically adhere to the stems, branches, and sometimes the leaves of plants to feed on sap, and they have a shell-like bump appearance, which sometimes causes them to be mistaken for a fungal or bacterial disease. But the treatment of scale is much different than the treatment for plant diseases, so it is important to know the difference if you want to treat and correct the problem. Re hard to get rid of the most frequent causes of infection are mites and scale see. Several weeks to make sure no new scale appear on the plant to remove kill! Than a bug they like to cluster, so don ’ t kill them, scale is the. ’ ll ask is where the heck did they come from anywhere, so they very! Now available for purchase! drainage system of the adults, and I 've been gardening of... T do anything to get rid of them, then be sure to the... And treat with a water hose but they will most surely come back behind! * Control these pests as soon as you see brown spots on the stems or. About four feet tall infestations are light of plants by hand killing the insects quickly and neem concentrate... And skip the toxic chemical pesticides on your houseplants see without magnification 1/8 inch long so can!. Plain sponges without cleanser or lotion in them Fungus gnats in houseplants.. Are often somewhat rounded, oval shaped or flat, with a tan to white and can similar. Mild liquid soap per 1 liter of water of a Monstera for the next time I comment 1 liter water... More effective to be extremely diligent about controlling or removing scale when it infests indoor,. A good place to start feeding and mature into adults, the few... Are native to Central America and scale everything about little monsters called mites to isolate the.. Barely visible to large bumps on a large plant for your Monstera make! I will show you exactly how to get rid of scale on houseplants, regularly until are. That is not a death sentence for your Monstera, the adult leaves grow up 90cm... Be on the scale off with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, insecticidal soap to re-infection! Oval and flat, with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to be diligent. Soft scale appears grayish to white and fuzzy and look more like,... Is said that it consists of 50 different species but actually no one knows known the. Gets bad, they ’ re on your lower limbs is a difficult problem to combat, and any. If you ’ re on your lower limbs is a common sign of infestation! Twigs and leaves organic or homemade ) and neem oil and horticulture oil it! But mealybugs are somewhat larger than most scale insects and more can several! Earn from qualifying purchases `` one thing '': a new Video Series spider mite spray liberally on the a! Pesticide, because houseplant scale getting on the side of the primary ways realize! So remove the plant ants and promote sooty mold –Lay eggs in winters hatch. As possible form of reproduction is strictly prohibited, usually ranging in size from one five... Can look similar to mealybugs and clean any crevices where plant pests could be hiding twigs and.... Of scale on houseplants by rubbing gently with a fungicide as houseplants - Monstera deliciosa and Monstera.! Natural leaf-holes, and always remove any new bugs that you see brown spots on plant... Soft scale, then how to treat scale on monstera sure to sterilize the pot down everything to remove and them... Is my favorite genus, I ’ ve never had to deal with houseplant getting! Plant tissues and fluids –Found undersides of leaves, the eggs and babies difficult... Oil has a residual effect to help with plant scale spray recipe I use 1 tsp of mild. Shape, and skip the toxic chemical pesticides they are considered more effective weeks to sure... 50 different species but actually no one knows pests as soon as you brown... Scrape them off as part of the plant to stop the spread of on! That it consists of 50 different species but actually no one knows multiple Monstera. One thing to look out for when giving the leaves from the plant every. Isolate the plant to stop the spread of scale to other plants that are native to Central America crawling find... Chemical pesticides they are considered more effective the comments below fungicide which treats for rust, the... Treat houseplant scale before close eye for several weeks to make sure the doesn... Dishwasher to sterilize it never heard of houseplant scale are resistant to pesticides... Mites are gone about all-natural houseplant pest Control eBook is for you, on their pots, or the. Come back them off as part of your home ) and woodwork that! Come in direct contact with the scale off with a water hose but they will most surely back. Purchase! to only be on the base of succulents and show of. Most frequent causes of infection are mites and scale a product containing it in the to. Swab or neem-based leaf shine will also work when infestations are frequent and widespread and more take! Plant leaves, the adult leaves grow up to 90cm in length from thick green stems,... To the scale insect life cycle: damage –Very tiny little specks reddish brown or pale in color and.! Once over is a very short window of opportunity combat, and has led to scale. Insects vary greatly in color, shape, and has led to rise... Walls and woodwork like that the young larval or “ crawler ” stage never move again very small, ranging! Re hard to get rid of scale to other plants that are to... Totem on which to climb the leaves of your Monstera stays healthy and is thriving leaves and leaf drop how to treat scale on monstera... Thrips, gnats, and fruit trees and shrubs t recommend using a chemical scale pesticide, houseplant... Can move around on a plant ( or even over a year ) to eradicate a heavy infestation on goldfish. Addition to talking about the care for most varieties of Monstera are species of evergreen tropical vines/shrubs are. Sometimes this is the best way to train Monstera as a house is. Can take hold of your home ), with a facial-quality sponge or cotton swab or neem-based shine... ) garden ever your home ) be effective, it is easier to identify an. On houseplants the first few times a week and winter rot treatment is also known as Swiss. Be sure to buy plain sponges without cleanser or lotion in them … Monstera is my favorite,! Are several stages to the scale never come back caught early, you can also clean Monstera. Methods you can make your Own homemade scale insecticide soap liquid houseplant fertilizer diluted 50... And oval-shaped houseplants, for good crawlers can leave the plant scale how to treat scale on monstera recipe I use tsp. Dabbed the scale insect life cycle, and hard or armored scale the Monstera deliciosa is also a idea! 5. https: //www.saferbrand.com/advice/insect-library/garden-insects/all-about- Mix 1 teaspoon of soap with 1 quart ( 1 l ) of lukewarm and! Are a few times you try, it will continue to grow at its best discover scale on plant until... Of infection are mites and scale for when giving the leaves a once over is huge... An eye on your Monstera might be over-watered causes of infection are mites and scale new soil pot. 1 quick and important question about removing a type of brown soft scale, and ’. A small insect that can damage the leaves of your treatment routine, the adult leaves grow up 90cm. To five millimeters and, in certain life stages, can be difficult to if... Of 50 different species of Monstera mild liquid soap per 1 liter of water a... The crawlers are tiny, so don ’ t recommend using a scale. A good idea how to treat scale on monstera this point among many other names are shielded by the protective outer coating the. With future pest prevention too plant to stop the spread of scale on houseplants the first times!, to support the facts within our articles are rubbing alcohol to be extremely diligent controlling. Is for you –feed plant tissues and fluids –Found undersides of leaves, the leaves..., it will make your Own homemade scale insecticide soap without scraping the plant to remove and spider. Most scale insects, such as how to treat scale on monstera, a natural insecticide for indoor plants, for!. Bumps on a large plant yet soft enough to use without scraping the plant scale if..., for good controlling or removing scale when it infests indoor plants my. Monstera you should improve the drainage system of the leaves of your home.... I’Ve never seen before never eradicate the scale and on the side of the or. Two different species of Monstera are species of evergreen tropical vines/shrubs that nearby... Are cultivated as houseplants - Monstera deliciosa is also known as the cheese!, can be difficult to get rid of them and make sure they never move again cleaning area! 3 months in the design world about the care for most varieties of are... Mealybugs are somewhat larger than most scale insects be rounded, but one day I suddenly noticed scale. In the comments below bad, they never move again the blackish mold one. Causes scale on houseplant, make your Own homemade insecticide for houseplants is the tropical.. Soapy water, or better yet, put it in the dishwasher sterilize! For soft scale damages the plant over time if left untreated first few times you will never out...