(Question)
What’s the best way to dispose of houseplants ( and their soil) when they are infested with scale?
(Answer)
Hello, thanks for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners. I would dispose of diseased plant material in the city garbage. I would not put it in the paper bags for yard waste collection, just in case composting temperatures are not high enough to destroy the scale. Definitely don’t put this plant material in your home compost, if you have one. Homeowner compost usually doesn’t reach the temperatures required, partly because the pile isn’t big enough and partly because we don’t usually have space to turn it properly.