I've recently purchased a tangerine and cocktail grapefruit that are in need of a lot of TLC. They have some scale, not much but also mites and a good bit of sooty mold.

This is kind of a two part question. I've been using neem two spray on my other trees with good results, but these two are a little more thick in the skin. I'd like to put them in my shower and give them a good rinse. Those of you who do this, How long do you let them shower?

And, How long should I wait to treat them after said shower? Can i do it right away after some water has dropped of the leaves?

Warmly,
-Linda

Showing against Scale insects?

Well, I have serious doupts that this would realy work...
So better use a soap-alcohol mixture, I mentioned in this forum, or give neem a try... and after killing all scales, you can shower them of, or let rain do this for you.

I use the adjustable jet nozzle spray of my garden hose and spray at them until they're dislodged. They'll be back as always, no matter what I apply. But water is free, so I just enjoy bombarding them with water jet, and it is the same effectivity. But my trees are inground, so can't definitely bring them to shower with me...

Thanks guys for the reply. I guess I'm just having a hard time trying to figure out what scale are dead already and what was killed the other night after I treated my Algerian Tangerine. It has so many branches and foliage that I can't keep track or pick each one off by hand. Not that there are So many, I just get lost in the tree.

So basically hijacking my own thread,
How do you know when brown scale are dead?

I treated with Organocide
5% Sesame Oil
92% fish oil
3% Lecithin

Two days later feeling very insecure the bugs were dead I drenched it with Neem® II Ready-to-Use.

The foliage looks great , when can I introduce it to my other trees?

-Linda

If your other trees are not infested, then you should not treat them. Let me add one word of caution about washing a citrus tree with water, whether from the hose or the shower. According to Purdue University (and from my own past sad experience) washing a citrus tree is not a highly recommended practice. Damage from washing a citrus tree with water has a direct correlation to the soluble salt content of your water. When a citrus tree is hosed/showered the leaves always absorbs some of the soluble salt content dissolved in the water. An occasional shower every now and then usually does not result in a problem for the tree, but frequent or repeated washings can cause the tree to drop all of it leaves, and twig die back, due to a build up of salts to a toxic level. In the past I lost several trees by repeatedly washing.