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is it safe to use neem oil on an Acer?

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  • That's odd. Aphids usually huddle together in groups near the leaf tips. That looks more like scale insect behaviour. Are they squishable?
    yep, definitely squishable. these were the chaps on my bean plant, too
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That was my thought @Buttercupdays, as Nanny Beach was mentioning them.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    If you lift up one of the brown 'shells' and there is what looks like cotton wool underneath then they are scale insects.
    I use a stiff brush to rid them from my acers on the rare occasions I have that problem.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    There are two species of aphid in the UK that feed on Acers. There's some photos I took here of the ones on mine https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1002945/insects-of-the-day/p117  see the next page for the adult form too.
    Acers are known to be sensitive to horticultural soaps so I'd be wary of using neem oil without a definite answer. The birds ate all mine and I squashed a few too but non-chemical definitely seems the safer option on these trees.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Maybe that's what you have then @garrinchasuperskillz - the ones @wild edges is talking about  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    I can't see in the picture. For the usual plants we get aphids on,I start off using the 'squish" method,then blasting with the hose. Have never had any pests on the Acer's though. Have lost them to wind burn in the past.are you in the UK?
  • I can't see in the picture. For the usual plants we get aphids on,I start off using the 'squish" method,then blasting with the hose. Have never had any pests on the Acer's though. Have lost them to wind burn in the past.are you in the UK?
    hi. yep, I'm in Plymouth
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    They look similar to the olive scale I get, on my olive trees funnily enough 😊 If they are scale, don’t think neem would work, they are well protected under their carapaces. Picking/brushing them off is probably your best bet. Not an issue at the moment, but I recently read that neem turns phytotoxic to plants at temps above 25c. I can’t use it anyway as it burns leaves even in my spring sun.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    if it is scale, you can often remove by gently scrubbing with a nail brush or similar. If that fails, a cotton bud dipped in meths and applied carefully also works.
    Not something I've ever had on any plant I've grown, but other forum members have used those methods.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • I suggest you must be careful when spraying a plant with anything, especially oil. The sunlight hitting the oil will burn the acer leaves!!
    Spray on cloudy days only!
    plantgrower
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