I’m coming out of a depressive episode and have found a terrible thrip infestation on my beloved monstera.
I’ve had this monstera for a couple of years, I rescued it from the sale bin when it was a single sickly leaf – I’m really attached to it.
I know thrips are a lot of energy and maintenance to get rid of and I don’t know if I have the capacity to do it right now with my mental health.
In people’s experiences, is it worth trying to save or should I bite the bullet and get rid of her? I really don’t want to, but I know it might be a long uphill battle and my energy is a bit of a precious resource at the moment.
I’ve bought some Bonide systemic granules to try (and preventatively treat my other houseplants, they are much smaller so seem less of a job).
If I do tackle this – where do I even start? Should I wash down all my plants? Wash down the leaves? Do I have to change all the soil? Or are the granules alone enough?
I’d appreciate any kind words and advice anyone has to offer, thank you 🙂
Actual_Resort7790
Wash it down with some castile soap diluted with water, I would say 10% soap to 90%water. And for this not happen again you can buy some systematic insecticide that you can put on your soil, that way if you get any pest, most at least, when they try to eat your plan they die. That is the only way I finally got the trips under control on 4 of my plants that like to get them all the time.
PumpkiNibbler
I know how to fix this https://a.co/d/aSZncQG
You don’t have to buy a gallon but that’s what I purchase because I have a large garden so does my girlfriend so whenever there’s an issue I always have stock and don’t have to wait for delivery
For heavy infestations you want to use 10 to 20 ml per gallon of this concentrate don’t use any less unless you’re maintaining then you use 5 ml per gallon.
I go hard and use 20 ml per gallon basically every watering till I don’t see them anymore it took me a while but finally got rid of them I tried everything else for years nothing worked this stuff does work at this ratio.
Friendly reminder thrips and fungus gnats come from soil from the store they’re just literally in the fucking bags because there will be months that I don’t have one gnat, one trip… and then I open the bag and what do I know all the sudden there’s a few flying around but they disappear quickly
You can clean your leaves off you can use some sort of pesticide spray on your leaves if you really wanted to but probably one gallon of water with a tablespoon of biodegradable dish soap should be plenty to wash everything off.
This will take a little time quite a few waterings before they just disappear 2 to 3 months probably for no more signs of them if you’re watering weekly
l8bloomer1991
It’s a little extra work and I know that’s tough when battling life’s struggles but if the plant means a lot to you then definitely give it a good bath in the shower wipe all the leaves and stems I use a microfiber towel. Use neem oil, I try not to get neem oil on the leaves I’ve never felt like it makes them happy, so try to get everything from the base down with the neem oil and just continue to repeat until you don’t see them anymore honestly my monsteras have had on and off thrips for literal years now 😂 I just clean them and accept it because pests are just part of keeping plants I have found to be true more than not! Your plant looks great just needs some extra love! The granules in my opinion always compromise my plants worse than pests do but that is just my experience! I wouldn’t worry too much about the thrips of course do what you have the energy for but if we can live with the things we are dealt so can they! Sending best wishes to you! 💛
Opposite-Panic9516
addie_clementine
Aaahh thrips are the bane of my existence. These look to me like tobacco thrips (thrips parvispinus), although I cant tell for sure from the photos.
The good news – if these are tobacco thrips, they’re not quite as aggressive as other types of thrips. They won’t kill a plant as quickly as other types of thrips, and the damage isn’t as obvious.
The downside – by the time you notice the damage, you probably have a really big infestation.
If you want to treat them, there are three possible routes I’d suggest, with varying levels of effort;
1. For using insecticide: I would start by giving it a shower and repotting it. Get rid of as much dirt as possible when you repot, since there will be larvae in the soil (ideally rinse the roots and the plant in the shower or with a hose). Then give it a good spray with insecticide and/or use systemic granules (I’ve heard these work well, I can’t vouch for them because you can’t buy them in Canada).
Repeat at least once a week. They lay eggs inside the leaves so the best thing you can do is clean and/or spray frequently.
2. For predatory pests: a lower effort (but higher cost) option. Green lacewing larvae will wipe out everything, they’re aggressive. They will cannibalize if they don’t have enough food so it’s better to avoid washing the plant first. Indoors, they usually won’t go past the larval stage, so you will need to introduce them a few times, every 3-4 weeks.
After 2-3 introductions, it’s better to switch to predatory mkres. At this point, lacewings will cannibalize before enough thrips will hatch to feed them.
3. For diatomaceous earth (DE): I tried this for my latest infestation because I didn’t have the budget for predatory pests, and I’m surprised how well it’s worked. I mixed DE in water and put it in a spray bottle, then sprayed all my plants (after washing them). A day or two later (once the soil has dried a bit) I applied a layer of DE to the top of the soil. It only works when it’s dry, so you need to repeat the soil application every time you water.
If you do this, wear a mask (ideally a proper respirator) because you don’t want to breathe it in!
4. Super high humidity (95%) will kill them, so you can try wrapping it up in plastic with a humidifier or dishes of water. You can do this while you’re treating with insecticide, but not DE. Not sure about predatory pests, you’d have to see what humidity they can tolerate.
It’s a tough decision whether to treat or not. If you have other plants, also think about whether trying to save the monstera is worth the risk of thrips spreading. Personally, I’m too stubborn to get rid of plants, and if you are able to save it, it’s very satisfying! Good luck 🤞
6 Comments
I’m coming out of a depressive episode and have found a terrible thrip infestation on my beloved monstera.
I’ve had this monstera for a couple of years, I rescued it from the sale bin when it was a single sickly leaf – I’m really attached to it.
I know thrips are a lot of energy and maintenance to get rid of and I don’t know if I have the capacity to do it right now with my mental health.
In people’s experiences, is it worth trying to save or should I bite the bullet and get rid of her? I really don’t want to, but I know it might be a long uphill battle and my energy is a bit of a precious resource at the moment.
I’ve bought some Bonide systemic granules to try (and preventatively treat my other houseplants, they are much smaller so seem less of a job).
If I do tackle this – where do I even start? Should I wash down all my plants? Wash down the leaves? Do I have to change all the soil? Or are the granules alone enough?
I’d appreciate any kind words and advice anyone has to offer, thank you 🙂
Wash it down with some castile soap diluted with water, I would say 10% soap to 90%water. And for this not happen again you can buy some systematic insecticide that you can put on your soil, that way if you get any pest, most at least, when they try to eat your plan they die. That is the only way I finally got the trips under control on 4 of my plants that like to get them all the time.
I know how to fix this
https://a.co/d/aSZncQG
You don’t have to buy a gallon but that’s what I purchase because I have a large garden so does my girlfriend so whenever there’s an issue I always have stock and don’t have to wait for delivery
For heavy infestations you want to use 10 to 20 ml per gallon of this concentrate don’t use any less unless you’re maintaining then you use 5 ml per gallon.
I go hard and use 20 ml per gallon basically every watering till I don’t see them anymore it took me a while but finally got rid of them I tried everything else for years nothing worked this stuff does work at this ratio.
Friendly reminder thrips and fungus gnats come from soil from the store they’re just literally in the fucking bags because there will be months that I don’t have one gnat, one trip… and then I open the bag and what do I know all the sudden there’s a few flying around but they disappear quickly
You can clean your leaves off you can use some sort of pesticide spray on your leaves if you really wanted to but probably one gallon of water with a tablespoon of biodegradable dish soap should be plenty to wash everything off.
This will take a little time quite a few waterings before they just disappear 2 to 3 months probably for no more signs of them if you’re watering weekly
It’s a little extra work and I know that’s tough when battling life’s struggles but if the plant means a lot to you then definitely give it a good bath in the shower wipe all the leaves and stems I use a microfiber towel. Use neem oil, I try not to get neem oil on the leaves I’ve never felt like it makes them happy, so try to get everything from the base down with the neem oil and just continue to repeat until you don’t see them anymore honestly my monsteras have had on and off thrips for literal years now 😂 I just clean them and accept it because pests are just part of keeping plants I have found to be true more than not! Your plant looks great just needs some extra love! The granules in my opinion always compromise my plants worse than pests do but that is just my experience! I wouldn’t worry too much about the thrips of course do what you have the energy for but if we can live with the things we are dealt so can they! Sending best wishes to you! 💛
Aaahh thrips are the bane of my existence. These look to me like tobacco thrips (thrips parvispinus), although I cant tell for sure from the photos.
The good news – if these are tobacco thrips, they’re not quite as aggressive as other types of thrips. They won’t kill a plant as quickly as other types of thrips, and the damage isn’t as obvious.
The downside – by the time you notice the damage, you probably have a really big infestation.
If you want to treat them, there are three possible routes I’d suggest, with varying levels of effort;
1. Washing frequently + using insecticide (high effort, high-ish cost)
2. Predatory pests (low effort, high cost)
3. Diatomaceous earth (high-ish effort, low cost)
4. High humidity (high-ish effort, low cost)
1. For using insecticide: I would start by giving it a shower and repotting it. Get rid of as much dirt as possible when you repot, since there will be larvae in the soil (ideally rinse the roots and the plant in the shower or with a hose). Then give it a good spray with insecticide and/or use systemic granules (I’ve heard these work well, I can’t vouch for them because you can’t buy them in Canada).
Repeat at least once a week. They lay eggs inside the leaves so the best thing you can do is clean and/or spray frequently.
2. For predatory pests: a lower effort (but higher cost) option. Green lacewing larvae will wipe out everything, they’re aggressive. They will cannibalize if they don’t have enough food so it’s better to avoid washing the plant first. Indoors, they usually won’t go past the larval stage, so you will need to introduce them a few times, every 3-4 weeks.
After 2-3 introductions, it’s better to switch to predatory mkres. At this point, lacewings will cannibalize before enough thrips will hatch to feed them.
3. For diatomaceous earth (DE): I tried this for my latest infestation because I didn’t have the budget for predatory pests, and I’m surprised how well it’s worked. I mixed DE in water and put it in a spray bottle, then sprayed all my plants (after washing them). A day or two later (once the soil has dried a bit) I applied a layer of DE to the top of the soil. It only works when it’s dry, so you need to repeat the soil application every time you water.
If you do this, wear a mask (ideally a proper respirator) because you don’t want to breathe it in!
4. Super high humidity (95%) will kill them, so you can try wrapping it up in plastic with a humidifier or dishes of water. You can do this while you’re treating with insecticide, but not DE. Not sure about predatory pests, you’d have to see what humidity they can tolerate.
It’s a tough decision whether to treat or not. If you have other plants, also think about whether trying to save the monstera is worth the risk of thrips spreading. Personally, I’m too stubborn to get rid of plants, and if you are able to save it, it’s very satisfying! Good luck 🤞