It’s been brutal. I think it’s made a lot worse by the fact that I grow indoors because I live in a northern climate… But man, these guys are hard to get rid of they do a lot of damage.
I don’t like to use chemicals since I’m growing inside my home, so I’ve been using a solution of diluted Dr Bronners soap and distilled water… I apply it right before the lights shut off for the night (it WILL burn the plants if applied in the light) and it works pretty well. Fingers crossed I finally have them under control.
The plants just got their first water this week. Really hoping my Bridge in the foreground pulls through. The TBM back there is a lot less damaged but still scarred. Poor boys.
binspolicy
75% isopropyl alcohol sprayed all parts of the plants and pot/exposed soil every 3 days for two weeks when the lights are off.
LordPanda2000
You’d be better off treating everything and repotting everything or get a crew of spiders to live amongst you
FanSea6805
Spinosad
Sai_kin
Get some nematodes to water in. You can kill the ones on the cactus itself but they spend part of their lifecycle in the soil mix. Without addressing that they will keep coming back.
rusty_fish_farm
I use organic sulfur powder. I usually turn the lights off or pull the plants out, completely dust the cactus tips and around the base of the plant, wait 24 hours, then spray it off and return them to lights if indoor. I usually have to repeat this once or twice, and do it in the fall and spring, but it’s organic and keeps the thrips and mealies away. Just make sure you wear a mask- it’s not the best to breath.
junglist908
You can try all of these spinosid and organic options, but if it’s gotten this far a miticide may be your only option to save your cactuses. It’s not organic and it’s basically the nuclear option. It will kill all thrips and their eggs in hours. It isn’t organic, but I’ve looked into the chemistry of a certain method and miticide and it chemically decomposes so rapidly that after you open the bottle it’s completely useless in a month even if resealed and refrigerated. If you are interested hit me up I’d have to look the method up again as I can’t remember it off the top of my head.
cactiguy710
Soil drench spinosad and spray everything 3-4 days for 2 weeks it will destroy them.
8 Comments
It’s been brutal. I think it’s made a lot worse by the fact that I grow indoors because I live in a northern climate… But man, these guys are hard to get rid of they do a lot of damage.
I don’t like to use chemicals since I’m growing inside my home, so I’ve been using a solution of diluted Dr Bronners soap and distilled water… I apply it right before the lights shut off for the night (it WILL burn the plants if applied in the light) and it works pretty well. Fingers crossed I finally have them under control.
The plants just got their first water this week. Really hoping my Bridge in the foreground pulls through. The TBM back there is a lot less damaged but still scarred. Poor boys.
75% isopropyl alcohol sprayed all parts of the plants and pot/exposed soil every 3 days for two weeks when the lights are off.
You’d be better off treating everything and repotting everything or get a crew of spiders to live amongst you
Spinosad
Get some nematodes to water in. You can kill the ones on the cactus itself but they spend part of their lifecycle in the soil mix. Without addressing that they will keep coming back.
I use organic sulfur powder. I usually turn the lights off or pull the plants out, completely dust the cactus tips and around the base of the plant, wait 24 hours, then spray it off and return them to lights if indoor. I usually have to repeat this once or twice, and do it in the fall and spring, but it’s organic and keeps the thrips and mealies away. Just make sure you wear a mask- it’s not the best to breath.
You can try all of these spinosid and organic options, but if it’s gotten this far a miticide may be your only option to save your cactuses. It’s not organic and it’s basically the nuclear option. It will kill all thrips and their eggs in hours. It isn’t organic, but I’ve looked into the chemistry of a certain method and miticide and it chemically decomposes so rapidly that after you open the bottle it’s completely useless in a month even if resealed and refrigerated. If you are interested hit me up I’d have to look the method up again as I can’t remember it off the top of my head.
Soil drench spinosad and spray everything 3-4 days for 2 weeks it will destroy them.