If you want to eliminate thrips naturally without resorting to pesticide spraying, there are a few proven strategies. First, conduct an in-store plant inspection for signs of thrips infestation before placing the plants into your home or garden. Second, quarantine store-bought plants before bringing them into the environment.
Spray the leaves and stems of affected plants with mild soap for best results; this will kill thrips quickly on contact as well as provide a preventative measure against future outbreaks.
Insecticidal Soap
If you notice thrips on your houseplants, it’s essential that you act quickly. Thrips pests sap energy from plants and can lead them to wilt and shed leaves; additionally they may affect roots by sucking up essential water from them, leaving malformed and weak roots behind. Luckily there are multiple natural ways of treating thrips infections.
One of the most effective solutions involves mixing liquid soap with water and applying to affected plants, then rinsing off. Repeat as often as necessary until thrips is under control; ensure to select soap without additives that could harm plants. Another natural approach would be to spray these plants with neem oil as another natural alternative to chemical pesticides; it contains azadirachtin that prevents pests from breeding or feeding on them.
Another effective solution for adult thrips infestations are blue sticky traps, which attract them with their hue while killing them with an adhesive surface. Be sure to inspect these regularly, replacing when full or no longer sticky.
Release natural predators of thrips such as minute pirate bugs to feed on all stages of this insect. Ladybugs and green lacewings may also help; Ladybirds may be particularly useful in greenhouse environments. Finally, adding flowers or herbs that repel thrips may provide additional support.
Spinosad
If your houseplants appear to have thrip infestation (with silvery streaks on leaves or new growth that appears distorted), take action. Luckily, natural solutions exist for eliminating this pest without using harsh chemicals; to do this effectively the first step should be removing and discarding damaged leaves, flowers and stems to stop further spread of thrips infestation to other plants. This may be difficult but will ultimately help limit spread to new plants.
Maintaining clean soil and mulch are crucial in order to prevent thrips populations from rising, while planting resistant varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs in your garden is also beneficial in controlling thrips populations. Releasing beneficial insects like ladybugs, lacewings and minute pirate bugs is another effective strategy for keeping these populations under control.
One natural way to address thrips infestation is to spray affected plants with insecticidal soap or neem oil, which will kill off both adult thrips as well as their offspring without harming beneficial insects or damaging plants or beneficial insects. It can also be combined with Spinosad – an innovative natural contact insecticide which paralyses their nervous systems, leading them to succumb within 1 or 2 days – for even faster results.
Use of a lint roller is another effective solution, working by rolling over the leaves of infested plants with its sticky surface attracting and trapping thrips flies and mites. Lint rollers can be found at most gardening stores as well as online.
Neem Oil
Thrips infestation can be a serious headache for any gardener, but natural solutions exist for eliminating it from their plants. You have two main choices for eliminating it from your plants: insecticidal soap and neem oil spray are effective against direct contact while insecticidal soap may work more slowly over time to fully eliminate these bugs from your crops. Both options should work effectively over time.
Select liquid soap without moisturizer or other additives that could harm your plants, such as moisturizer. Wash the leaves of infested indoor houseplants thoroughly, with particular attention paid to their underside where thrips tends to gather. Also be sure to test a small sample first before applying the solution to all your plants.
Neem oil contains natural insecticide and fungicide properties that make it effective against thrips. Available from most hardware and plant supply stores in a convenient spray bottle form, spray a solution of neem oil on all foliage and flowers of infested plants; spraying will smother insects that infiltrate and deter their return; repeat the application every week or two until all pests have been eliminated from your garden.
Use a lint roller to trap thrips and other pests on the leaves of your plants. Simply support one leaf while running its sticky surface over it; any unwanted visitors will stick to the sticky surface, and will eventually be eliminated from your plant.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is an excellent natural contact insecticide. It works by damaging the exoskeletons of thrips when they come into contact with it, making diatomaceous earth the ideal insecticide choice. You can spray or brush diatomaceous earth over infested plants or brush it onto their undersides where thrips like to hide; alternatively it’s an effective soil treatment too!
One natural way to rid yourself of thrips is using light-colored mulch around your garden beds and containers. This deters pests such as thrips from finding their next meal; professional growers have long used this tactic, easily available at any home improvement store or online.
If your plant is severely infested with thrips, stronger insecticides may be needed. One such solution is spinosad – a biofoulant made from naturally occurring bacteria sold as diluted liquid form and designed specifically to combat thrips infestation. Spray it on plants where affected and watch as its paralysing action paralyses them before killing off within 1-2 days.
Other natural solutions for controlling thrips infestations include using neem oil as a natural repellent and pesticide that works without harming other insects or plants, like kaolin clay or diatomaceous earth treatments. Early and consistent treatment should help to stop an infestation from spreading, so the methods chosen must suit your environment best.
Milk
If you prefer not to spray chemicals around your home and garden, there are natural methods of eliminating thrips. Milk, neem oil, sticky traps and milk-containing insect repellant can all help get rid of them. Furthermore, keeping a tidy garden by clearing away dead leaves where thrips prefer hiding will make spotting and eliminating them easier when necessary.
Another effective method for eliminating thrips infestations is with a lint roller. When run over infested leaves, its sticky surface catches and pulls thrips off of plants – this technique is particularly helpful when killing them in potted plants where it may be difficult to find bugs hiding among their leaves and stems.
Instead, try mixing one part milk to nine parts water in a spray bottle to kill thrips on plants. Milk proteins will disrupt their cell membranes, effectively killing any remaining thrips on your plant and providing relief. Reapply this solution every few days as necessary in order to keep thrips under control.
Finally, commercially available beneficial insects may help eliminate thrips in your garden. Such predators include minute pirate bugs (which feed on eggs and larvae of thrips), ladybugs and lacewings; these predators should be released after using water spraying or another means to reduce an outbreak of thrips infestation.
Kaolin Clay
One natural way to tackle thrips infestation is with kaolin clay, an organic material which forms a protective shield around leaves and fruits where most thrips clusters form. You can either apply the material directly via spraying it on leaves and fruits directly, or mix with water for use as soil amendment. Kaolin clay works especially well on outdoor plants, although houseplants could benefit too!
One natural method for controlling thrips infestation is hanging bright-colored (preferably blue) sticky traps near infested plants to draw them towards them and stick. This will attract them, trap them on the trap, and cause them to die off quickly – perfect for monitoring thrips infestation in your garden or greenhouse and pinpointing its source as well as helping identify flying adults vs. nymphs (which cannot be caught by sticky traps).
Horticultural oil may also be effective against thrips, as its thick coat coats coats prevents the parasites from being able to absorb nutrients. Be mindful when employing this method though; too much oil could damage your plants’ foliage.
A spray of water from your hose is another effective method for controlling thrips populations, particularly effective against outdoor plants and can be repeated as necessary. Regular pruning and tidying up in your garden area will also help decrease its presence, leading to less pesticide-associated issues and other unwanted problems.
