Thrips 101: Introduction to Western Flower Thrips

[thinman]

i've had what i thought were fungus gnats.....so i tried gnatrol---nothing. tried the strips---only catch a few adults. then i find out that what i thought were gnats might actually be thrips!!! a knowledgeable staff member at a hydro supply store told me that even experts have difficulty telling the two bastardos apart.

the good news: spinosad will kill either one effectively. gettin my order together tonight.

 

[eyes88]

The info in this thread is wonderful... Thanks to kokua and all who contributed to this thread.

For the longest time i thought the damage i was seeing was due to the leaves being splashed with water that was pH'ed too low (i had a faulty pH meter)...because only the lowest leaves had the problem. The silver patches looked an awful lot like deposit on the leaves...like spots one might get on glasses from not using Cascade in the dishwasher. The "deposits" didn't wipe off, so i then assumed that they had been burned with acidic water...but it was Thrips...the little f*ckers!

I order spinosad online last week...hopefully it arrives today.

My previous indoor grow ended in failure and now i know the real reason why. On my previous grow i flipped the switch for Satori, Sadhu, and Purplicious on Aug 1st. Two weeks later i went on vacation for 18 days and returned to find
badly damaged plants. At the time i though it was a combination of a faulty pH meter, and a inexperienced friend who over fertilizing the plants. The plants all looked to be severely Nu+ burn. The Purplicous could not be saved, but the Satori and Sadhu were removed from the cabinet, flushed repeatedly and then put outside to heal (still thinking it was nute burn).

I now know that it was THRIPS that destroyed the last grow, and that in a late stage of infestation the plants had brown, curling leaves, that were brittle.

Here's a picture of the surviving Sadhu from the last grow. It's not a great picutre, but i think you can still see that there are no fan leaves left on this plant...it lost them all thrips. The plant essentially stopped growing, the bud matured, but the plant is tiny compared to the clones in have in the cabinet now which are three times the size and in smaller size containers.




...the only leaves left on the Sadhu were ones that have trichomes (see belwo). Mandala seeds describe Satori and Sadhu as being somewhat mite resistent...and i guess the same can be said for thrips. It suffered a lot of damage, but survived. The Purplicious (not a heavely trichomed plant) all died.





Here's what's going on right now...

I've got 8 plants in my cabinet (some on Day 42 - Satori and Sadhu, and the rest Casey Jones and White Satin on Day 27). There's heavy thrip activity and i've already sprayed with neem - twice. I'm now waiting for the Spinosad to arrive in the mail, but what do you think i should do?




The general consensus seems to be...don't spray Spinosad on flowering plants...would it be OK to spray the foliage and avoid the flowers?

I'm a little nervous just spraying the vegging clones and leaving the flowering girls to finish given that i lost 50% of my crop the last go round...

Thanks in advance for your thoughts...

peace,
- eyes88

 

[RockyMountainHi]

Kudos to Kokua

I was searching for my garden problem and found this thread - low and behold- I have a thrip outbreak.

I checked localy, no Monterey Garden Insect Spray, no Bulls-Eye and no Entrust available but I did find a different product on the shelf.

It's Ferti-lome Borer, Bagworm, Leafminer & Tent Caterpillar spray.
Here's a link to an ebay auction that has a photo: http://cgi.ebay.com/FERTILOME-BORER...1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247


I'll check back in a few daze

 

[mikessong]

I have some coco from a finished grow that's infested with thrips - can I treat it with Monterey Garden Insect Spray before I re-use the coco or should I just throw it out? Thanks...

 

[RockyMountainHi]

Spinosad should clear your infestation, but why even risk a problem?

I would toss anything questionable and start fresh.

 

[Jedi]

*Bump*

Now i know whats causing the white marks on my leaves....

I think they loved the extra humidity from over watering....

 

[Patsheba]

If your grow is small, we have completed the last couple weeks of a couple thrip attacked indoor plants by bagging each and blowing car exhaust for about 5 minutes every 2-3 days. Carbon monoxide kills everything eating. Got the 3 left to flower abundently without insecticide.

This year our outdoor showed signs of thrip right at the beginning of flower. We used KGro permethrin sprayed twice a week. The morning of harvest, each plant was given a 70% alcohol bath, then thoroughly rinsed with water. Out in the sun to dry, then harvested.

It has been very successful, the harvest is in, and there is no taste or notable bug damage, although a few strays bugs were found during cured trimming. Those plants also got a good from-underneath water shower every warm day too though.

Running water deters bugs too. An 15% alcohol spray will kill on contact, but the alcohol dries quickly and is not a lasting deterent.

 

[Dank-j]

If your grow is small, we have completed the last couple weeks of a couple thrip attacked indoor plants by bagging each and blowing car exhaust for about 5 minutes every 2-3 days. Carbon monoxide kills everything eating. Got the 3 left to flower abundently without insecticide.

WTF, is that safe? Any leftover petrol garbage going to be left on the plants?

 

[RockyMountainHi]

The morning of harvest, each plant was given a 70% alcohol bath, then thoroughly rinsed with water. Out in the sun to dry, then harvested..

this has the immeadiate advantage of disolving the trics and washing away the THC - what a way to end months of hard work - by ruining the garden.



patsheba - you ruin your own garden but stay the hell away from mine!

Let's NOT EVEN GO INTO USING CAR EXHAUSTS FOR YOUR HERB GARDEN - that's the dumbest thing I have seen here since sproutco and the stump remover thread.


You need to advise less and read more. Maybe you have no other options. Maybe $10 US for a safe - READ THAT ----- SAFE---- AND EFFECTIVE control method is beyond your means - (then a car wouldn't be an option - unless you borrow one) - - but alcohol washes and car exhaust are the very worst options in my book. Unless you wana fire a blunt while doing that alky wash. POOF! and yes, that too will solve the bug problem.


just kidding - I know70% alky just dosen't burn as well as 200 proof

 

[spicecowboy]

Great Info!

Great Info!

This is a very informative thread.

Thanks to the trread starter and everyone who contributed so far.

Unfortunately I also indentified those little bastards while harvesting my Outdoor crop.

spice

 

[Patsheba]

this has the immeadiate advantage of disolving the trics and washing away the THC - what a way to end months of hard work - by ruining the garden.



patsheba - you ruin your own garden but stay the hell away from mine!

Let's NOT EVEN GO INTO USING CAR EXHAUSTS FOR YOUR HERB GARDEN - that's the dumbest thing I have seen here since sproutco and the stump remover thread.


You need to advise less and read more. Maybe you have no other options. Maybe $10 US for a safe - READ THAT ----- SAFE---- AND EFFECTIVE control method is beyond your means - (then a car wouldn't be an option - unless you borrow one) - - but alcohol washes and car exhaust are the very worst options in my book. Unless you wana fire a blunt while doing that alky wash. POOF! and yes, that too will solve the bug problem.


just kidding - I know70% alky just dosen't burn as well as 200 proof

Sorry, I refer to the alcohol wash as 70%, because I discovered most stores sell 50%, and that doesn't work as well, 70% was specified to me and that has worked well. 15% of 70% alcohol in your sprayer with water. Light mist to wet. Then a light mist of water until heavy soaking. You can dab the alcohol pure to remove mealy bugs, but they are basically usually a stem or stalk pest. I have also had one friend who just sprayed with the alcohol mixture daily for a last week or two, to avoid having to use any insecticide, but covered the dirt when spraying, so would't have alcohol in the soil. It worked, but I think a thorough spray of water, if you can spray daily, will really keep bug damage down at end too.

It's a little cleanser I was given by a nursery worker to remove NEEM, or homemade organic sprays, with the added benefit of removing most non-systematic pollutants (like if you live next to a freeway) before harvest.

There are certainly plenty of trichomes left. I will try to get some pics to post, but it has been demonstrated that I am not a very good picture taker.

A couple years ago, we had our doubts too (that's when I discovered 50% didn't work), and would only treat half a plant, but the only difference is a cleaner taste in the treated parts. We don't harvest without it anymore.

 

[Patsheba]

There, got a picture of our main strain, OG/Sour Diesel, trichomes look (and smoke) fine to us!




And, I am just finishing trim & store of the last of our 8 outdoor plants, only found 2 dead mealy bugs and 3 dead thrip throughout them all.

KGro, the cheapest, easiest to wash and leave NO taste, bug repellent we've found for outdoor use.

 

[Highlighter]

Just another BIG thx to this thread and the Spinosad discovery!

Got some of the Monterey Gardens product after a month of insecticidal soap.
The soap puts the hurt on 'em, but the Spinosad DOES THE JOB!

 

[SoulRebel]

Hey, how do I order this spinosad stuff??? Damn thrips...


... S R...

 

[Vash]

Hey, how do I order this spinosad stuff??? Damn thrips...


... S R...

1. Google "Monterey Garden Insect Spray". This will hold the spinosad.
2. Shop websites to find one you're comfortable with to buy from.
3. Place order.

 

[SKAGITMAGIC]

i found this entire thread very informative,thank you

 

[SKAGITMAGIC]

thanks I'll be watching for em and now I'll know what to do if the little buggers show up, seriously you people are great.

 

[SoulRebel]

The little bastards don't stand a chance against this stuff!!!

Thanks to all for the excellent info...


... S R...

 

[reado]

Does any one know if this stuff is available in Canada?

I've tried Google and I've found tons of places in the States that will ship to Canada but they all seem to indicate this product may be stopped at the border.

Can anyone shed some light on these products and if they are legal for citizens to use?

I hate these stupid thrips and I need to get rid of them some how...

Thanks!

 

[st0ne]

I've been looking for a supplier in Canada. Nothing...
I can't even locate a US company that will ship.

Any links?