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Red Maple Limp Leaves: Scale Insects Confirmed

Two 3-year-old red maples with limp leaves unresponsive to watering: no trunk wounds, but soft, dime-sized, scrapable spots on trunk = scale insects. Neighbor's maples unaffected.

Treatment

Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insecticide soil drench per label.
Systemic kills scale in 1 week; protects 1 year.
Water adequately during treatment uptake.

Why Not Water Issue

Limp leaves from overwatering (root rot) or underwatering both respond to corrected irrigation. No response suggests vascular blockage from scale feeding.

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