Is it thrips?!
I was just admiring my new leaf, as it's the most fenestration I've ever had. Only to spot teeny tiny white moving things! Are they thrips? I've sellotaped off all the visible ones. Only that leaf seems affected. Although checking other plants in the same area, I had to look really close but my Thai Constellation also had an effected leaf and a seemingly suspicious brown section.
Tips for something to spray them with please / should I carefully chop off the brown section which looks like it could be a nesting site?! #Monstera #thripshelp #adviceforthrips #thrips #thaiconstellation
Tips for something to spray them with please / should I carefully chop off the brown section which looks like it could be a nesting site?! #Monstera #thripshelp #adviceforthrips #thrips #thaiconstellation
11
Best Answer
@HelloGreenLeaf Thrip treatment
Thrips can fly, crawl and jump.
That means they cover a lot of ground VERY quickly. There will be no safe place to quarantine any other plants inside or out.
Because of this I do advise treating all of the plants, even though they may not look like they have thrips. It's much easier than going through the process over and over. Because the one next to it had one you didn't see.
And there is nothing worse than treating one plant and then having to start again.
To get of them for good, I recommend:
-1 tablespoon pure neem oil, plus
-1/2 teaspoon Castile soap mixed with
-4 cups water (32 ounce) in a spray bottle. The soap helps the neem mix with the water so it does not separate.
Spray down plants and don't miss anything—spray stems, tips and bottoms of leaves all of it! You want it dripping off.
When you water, water with your treatment because the larvae do crawl around the soil.
Treat every 3 days for 6 weeks. DO NOT skip a treatment. If you do, begin the 6 week process over again.
They take longer to eradicate because they burrow into the plant tissue to lay eggs. So it’s more difficult to get them all.
I do not recommend systematics like Bonide because many thrip colonies have built up a resistance. Neem can make your plants photosensitive so it’s a good idea to keep them out of direct sunshine while you are completing this treatment process.
If you have any questions just ask. But this will end your thrip problems for good even though it's a real pain in the butt! 🩷
☝️☝️☝️ This, above, is Shannon’s @SuperbRaspfern thrips treatment plan 🌿
Thrips can fly, crawl and jump.
That means they cover a lot of ground VERY quickly. There will be no safe place to quarantine any other plants inside or out.
Because of this I do advise treating all of the plants, even though they may not look like they have thrips. It's much easier than going through the process over and over. Because the one next to it had one you didn't see.
And there is nothing worse than treating one plant and then having to start again.
To get of them for good, I recommend:
-1 tablespoon pure neem oil, plus
-1/2 teaspoon Castile soap mixed with
-4 cups water (32 ounce) in a spray bottle. The soap helps the neem mix with the water so it does not separate.
Spray down plants and don't miss anything—spray stems, tips and bottoms of leaves all of it! You want it dripping off.
When you water, water with your treatment because the larvae do crawl around the soil.
Treat every 3 days for 6 weeks. DO NOT skip a treatment. If you do, begin the 6 week process over again.
They take longer to eradicate because they burrow into the plant tissue to lay eggs. So it’s more difficult to get them all.
I do not recommend systematics like Bonide because many thrip colonies have built up a resistance. Neem can make your plants photosensitive so it’s a good idea to keep them out of direct sunshine while you are completing this treatment process.
If you have any questions just ask. But this will end your thrip problems for good even though it's a real pain in the butt! 🩷
☝️☝️☝️ This, above, is Shannon’s @SuperbRaspfern thrips treatment plan 🌿
Hmm, are they flying at all or have wings? I can’t quite tell what I’m looking at but I know an expert! @SuperbRaspfern Do you know what these are? 🙏
Hi @DreamMachine they don't seem to have wings. But they were so incredible tiny I had to really focus to ensure they were moving. They seemed oval in shape and wriggly. I wonder if these might be some sort of larvae as there were, only a few, longer black insects (still tiny though). I didn't see any wings on those either, but my eye sight and camera are both rubbish!
@HelloGreenLeaf ah curses, that sounds like thrips I’m afraid 😔 The elongated black ones are the adults, the white wriggly ones are the larvae. The adults can fly, so treatment is absolutely necessary. They also bury *inside* the leaves, so they won’t always be visible on the leaf surface. Let me get you the treatment plan.
@HelloGreenLeaf I can’t see how many plants you have, so before I give you the thrips treatment, just know there are a few options.
-cheap, but labor intensive: the following treatment which involves spraying all of your plants with neem mixture every 3 days for 6 weeks
OR
-expensive, but practically hands off: buying and releasing beneficial insects that prey on thrips
-cheap, but labor intensive: the following treatment which involves spraying all of your plants with neem mixture every 3 days for 6 weeks
OR
-expensive, but practically hands off: buying and releasing beneficial insects that prey on thrips
@HelloGreenLeaf @DreamMachine
Those look like leaf miners to me they are more wormlike and sorta translucent in the one photo. Also the circular damage on photo 3.
Unless the circles are water spots that's leaf miner damage.
Those look like leaf miners to me they are more wormlike and sorta translucent in the one photo. Also the circular damage on photo 3.
Unless the circles are water spots that's leaf miner damage.
Exact same treatment. But I do recommend removing leaves with the tunnels, especially because leaf miners can be hard to treat.
@HelloGreenLeaf @DreamMachine
Nadia, is right the damage does look similar when they are adults they still feed on leaves but don't mine the leaf anymore. They pierce the leaf which looks very similar to thrip damage.
@HelloGreenLeaf Nadia did a great job getting you started on treatment! 🩷
@HelloGreenLeaf @DreamMachine
Nadia, is right the damage does look similar when they are adults they still feed on leaves but don't mine the leaf anymore. They pierce the leaf which looks very similar to thrip damage.
@HelloGreenLeaf Nadia did a great job getting you started on treatment! 🩷
@SuperbRaspfern oh wow! I’ve seen those insects outside before. Thank you for your knowledge 🙏 And thank you ☺️
@DreamMachine No problem Nadia, I will let you take it from here it's cleaning day and I've got dog baths to finish! 🩷
Thankfully have not had to fight thrips before, but my favorite thing to use is Mighty Mint Plant Protection. When I’ve had pests like mealybugs or fungus gnats in the past, it has helped me get rid of them within a few weeks (alongside diligent monitoring)… just shake before using, it is gentle enough that I haven’t had it damage any plants, and it smells great. The mix of ingredients it uses is capable of killing thrips and their larva, whereas something like foul-smelling neem oil generally only works by smothering them which requires very frequent application and direct contact while wet (the Castile soap in the pinned ‘best’ comment is going to be doing all of the heavy lifting in that formula). If I were you, I would spray a thin layer of plant protection on the top soil once or twice a week and also spray and wipe down the leaves with a thin layer of it to both get it on the leaves and wipe off any larvae/insects… a little goes a long way, and too much of anything has the potential to suffocate the plant’s leaves. Regularly inspect your plant for eggs or adults to kill… I like to shine a flashlight through the other side of the leaf and inspect any dark spots the light couldn’t shine through.
As much as I’m staunchly against pruning monstera leaves, I would also cut away parts of leaves that look like they are harboring thrip colonies as long as it’s not more than 1/3 of the plant… it’ll set back the growth of the plant and not look so pretty, but quickly reducing the population by cutting it out can give you a leg up in your fight.
The recommendation for beneficial insects is also good.
As much as I’m staunchly against pruning monstera leaves, I would also cut away parts of leaves that look like they are harboring thrip colonies as long as it’s not more than 1/3 of the plant… it’ll set back the growth of the plant and not look so pretty, but quickly reducing the population by cutting it out can give you a leg up in your fight.
The recommendation for beneficial insects is also good.