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Hello, I have a problem with a peace Lilly of mine. I've searched numerous sites to see if anyone else had experienced the same problem but so far no luck. Hopefully you can help. My peace Lilly has some kind of little black balls that form on the underside of it's leaves. I have looked very throughly under every leaf to see if it was an insect that was laying these funny looking balls. No luck. I've tried several times to wipe them all away and have succeeded, but after about a months time they begin to surface all over again. They almost appear to be some kind of insect droppings. Little black balls about the size of an ants head. Please help! I've sprayed under the leaves many times and still no luck. Thank you.

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To me it sounds like some kind of spores. I'm not sure what insects or microbiologicals produce spores but that would be logical.

The other option might be scale but I'm not certain how much of a problem scale is in Calif. I had major scale problems in Florida and had to clean all my plant stuff and my plants with a 10-percent bleach solution.

I would make sure to get an answer from Bill or Will before doing anything too drastic.

Catlover,

Sounds like scale insects. Scale can be hard to detect. When they are young these sucking insects are slightly oval, slightly raised, translucent bumps about an eighth of an inch long. They can be found along stems and on the undersides of leaves. They don't look like bugs and don't appear to move. As they get older, they develop a hard, dark brown shell and look like a small mole. As the infestation increases, these sucking insects will secrete a sticky substance called honeydew that falls onto leaves, furniture and floors.

The key to eliminating scale is to treat even the ones that you cannot see. That means thoroughly drenching all leaf and stem surfaces until they are dripping wet. It is also best if you repeat this treatment all over again in 5 to 7 days to catch any crawlers (the translucent young ones) that you missed the first time. After that, you should check your plant weekly to see if they return.

Soap sprays are not as effective as some other treatments because soap doesn't always penetrate the hard outer shell of the scale.

I do not recommend any pesticides because they are all hazardous to use and not 100% effective against scale. The best non-toxic treatment for mealybug and scale is called Brand X Foliage Cleaner. It is available through Southwest Plantscape Products in California (www.southwestplantscape.com). Their phone is 1-800-333-7977.It is a silicon-based product so it is very slippery. Its ability to penetrate is probably the key to its effectiveness because it gets into the tiny crevices that other sprays miss.

You may want to try spraying with rubbing alcohol that will help break through the hard outer barrier of the scale and kill it. Mix 1 part alcohol with 8 to 10 parts of water. Add a little liquid soap to help it spread.

Sun Spray Ultra Fine horticultural oil is also mixed with water and effectively smothers the scale. Complete coverage is important.

Another good non-toxic spray is Hot Pepper Wax. Its main ingredient is hot cayenne pepper that overheats the plant pests. There is an information website for it at www.hotpepperwax.com.

Finally neem oil works similarly to horticultural oil. It should be diluted with water and Pine Sol to couneract the onion-like odor. All of these are available nationwide at plant and garden centers and also by mail order.

Important: None of these should be applied to plants in direct sun or in high temps

Cricket,

Thoroughness is the key. Be persistent. Good luck.