Hard White Speckles on Money Tree (Pachira): Scale Insect Infestation

My 12-year-old indoor money tree has hard white speckles on some leaves. They don't move. What is this and how do I treat it?

Diagnosis: Armored Scale Insects

The hard, non-moving, white speckles that scrape off with a fingernail are classic armored scale (family Diaspididae). Unlike soft scales, they don't produce honeydew—so no sooty mold or stickiness.

Key Traits

• Oval/round, 1–3 mm, tightly attached to leaves/stems
• Cover (test) is separate from insect body—flips off
• Feed on vascular tissue, causing yellowing, leaf drop, dieback
• Multiple generations per year indoors

Treatment: Systemic Soil Drench

Imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insecticide) is ideal:

1. Mix per label for container plants
2. Apply to soil surface
3. Roots absorb → translocates to foliage
4. Kills scales as they feed
5. Protects 12 months

Why Not Sprays?

• Armored scale covers block contact insecticides
• Indoor sprays risk exposure, drift, resistance
• Systemic works from inside out

Supplemental

• Scrape off visible scales before treatment (reduces population)
• Isolate plant during treatment
• Monitor new growth for clean emergence

Your mature plant should recover well with systemic treatment.