I can't get systemics where I live, I can get diatomaceous earth and neem oil, or Provanto and predatory mites from Amazon if I pay the markup. It's a gift and I would like to keep it, what's the best way to go?
Other info:
Gets all day long indirect light, pot has drainage, I water when the whole mix is dry or mostly dry. Regular potting mix with some bark. I know the pot is big but I didn't have a smaller one at the time and it did well so I left it. It's been in the pot for more than 2 months.
by hugpawspizza
8 Comments
Looks likely
I don’t see any thrips, but the damage looks very similar to thrips damage. I’d isolate the plant and check it more thoroughly.
Do the white specs move?
Mine has
Damage like that and there’s no pest and something that can just happen
The damage is very likely !thrips.
looks like thrips to me :/ i’d try neem oil first since you already have it, spray the whole plant including undersides of leaves. predatory mites are def worth it for bad infestations tho.
I also cannot buy systemics. I have been using a mix of alcohol, soap and water. wash the plant with a hose and then spray the leaves and the plant with the mixture once a week for 4/5. It takes time, but it works
Thrips are a bit of a challenge. You need to deal with multiple life stages simultaneously or treat incessantly every three days for months on end in many cases. The best way is to use a desiccant, something as simple as castile soap, maybe with some essential oils like rosemary, or mineral oil, or neem, you get the picture. Soaps and oils need to be sprayed every three days until the thrips are gone. While doing that, you should also try to kill the soil dwelling larvae. SF nematodes are particularly effective at this, if you are able to source them. Neem oil is fairly effective at this stage, but it requires proper application to the soil to kill the larvae. You want to heavily spray down the soil around a half hour after watering the media.
You can just do neem oil and spray the plant and soil constantly, but I find that the more different modes of action I can apply, the more effective and faster the treatment is. Predator mites are very hit or miss. There aren’t a lot of insectaries that breed region specific predators so often times you end up with predators that are ill suited for your climate, but if you flood the zone with a ridiculous amount of them, they might live long enough to eat up a bunch of thrips so it can be worth trying. I’ve also had success with products like lost coast plant therapy, and dr zymes, both of which were more effective than neem for me. I would treat all my plants as if they were infected because you never know and it sucks to cleanup one plant just to find it on another a few days later.
If you’re not sure if they’re thrips, just lightly bump them with your nail. They’ll start moving. That’s how I know it’s not just dirt on the leaves