Anthuriums
Surrey,
United Kingdom 
Hope someone can shed some light on this for me - I had a beautiful anthurium (don't know what type, it was pink and dutch) given to me as a housewarming present 3 years ago. It was flourishing on a south facing windowsill...until about a month ago.
I first noticed that the lower leaves had discoloured and become yellow and blotchy, then other leaves, even new ones,went the same way. I think I have identified the problem as being scale because of the waxy deposits and spots on the leaves (seriously disgusting and made my skin crawl when I saw one move!) and sprayed the whole plant with provado. Having checked again this weekend, there was still quite a lot of scale, so I chopped off all the older lower leaves, leaving just the uninfected ones. There is the odd waxy spot on the leaves, but on the whole, the plant is a lot clearer.
My query therefore is have I done the right thing, should I be doing anything else and should I be worried about the scale spreading to my other houseplants - which thankfully appear to be clear at the moment.
Thank you!
31 Aug, 2009
Answers
Thanks Bamboo - the waxy deposit is like a shield and there was a sticky residue on the leaves also, which the internet tells me is a result of scale.
31 Aug, 2009
I seem to remember someone on this site recommending methylated spirits and a cotton bud - you dip the bud in the spirit and apply it to the scale insects. Worth a try, there isn't really a treatment that works well for scale.
31 Aug, 2009
Anything is worth a try to save the plant - thank you, that's really helpful.
31 Aug, 2009
Previous question
« does anyone know what apart from slugs and snails would eat all my busy lizzies?
Doesn't really sound like scale - that's usually little shield like organisms that glue themselves to the mainstem of the plant, not on the leaves. If the deposits are white and fluffy, it may be mealy bug.
31 Aug, 2009