Spinosad works great on thrips
Thrips removal
- Thread starter Buddha1
- Start date
Ain't that the truth!
Outdoors, ole Sol gives 'em the power to beat bugs and disease.
Bring 'em in from outside and ya bring the bugs and bad spores with 'em..and then give 'em not enough light to keep on fighting for survival..
bearsfan87
New member
Organic Thrip management
Organic Thrip management
Thrips are little bastards but not the worst of the bugs I have dealt with, which isn't much other than aphids, root aphids, and spider mites.
I believe that we are getting thrips from our larger bags of Paonia Soil here in Colorado. The only time we see these fuckers is when we transplant using the Paoina Soil. Once we transplant we believe we wake them up and/or give them some delicious foliage to eat on. I used a few bags of Sunshine #4 and didn't see any thrips after transplanting. I will also notice healthy plants get the thrips if they are located the closest to the newly transplanted girls. So I think most thrips come from soil purchases and/or clone trading, neither here nor there. To my understanding thrips hibernate in soil in winter months in the outdoors, where most soil production takes place.
So we have been treating our large (1 cu. yd.) bags of soil with a nematode foliar spray once a week, as our soil sits around for a couple weeks. Nematodes are available very easily through Arbico Organics. We usually purchase the triple threat which is 3 species of nematode with some thriving in varying climates or preferring a different range of bugs. If you choose just one specie and not the combo pack I recommend "Steinernema feltiae," as they target thrips and fungus gnats. On a side note I haven't seen a fungus gnat in weeks and we're in a decent size soil grow, which makes me happy. We also purchase another specie of namatode with a shorter life span but instead of watering into the soil you sprinkle these beneficial bugs right on the plant, for fast acting effectiveness on the issue.
The last line of defense that we use is Diatomaceous Earth, which is also organic, and a source of Silica if used as top dressing. We top dress with D-Earth right after we transplant (within an hour or so) and before we water for the first time. though the Thrips feed and lay eggs on the foliage of the plant, the larvae must return to the soil to pupate. (not sure if this is proper wording, butt fuck it) So as these fuckers return to the soil for this stage of their life, they're forced to cross our top dressed boundary of Diatomaceous Earth. We repeat the Diatomaceous Earth top dressing every two weeks or so and this stuff is super cheap at most hydro shops, or online.
Diatomaceous Earth is fossilized marine phytoplankton which acts as tiny razor blades to bugs with an exoskeleton. the phytoplankton is fossilized in silica which enter the exoskeleton of the bugs, and kills um dead fast.
These treatments seem to work wonders when used pro-actively and in conjunction with one another. We typically don't see thrips within a week after we transplant, until we transplant again of course. We are working to do more to the newly purchased unused soil that sits in our facility for a few weeks. If we could water that soil with Tea we think we may increase nematode populations naturally, without $$$, and prevent the thrips from ever seeing the light of plants.
Organic Thrip management
Thrips are little bastards but not the worst of the bugs I have dealt with, which isn't much other than aphids, root aphids, and spider mites.
I believe that we are getting thrips from our larger bags of Paonia Soil here in Colorado. The only time we see these fuckers is when we transplant using the Paoina Soil. Once we transplant we believe we wake them up and/or give them some delicious foliage to eat on. I used a few bags of Sunshine #4 and didn't see any thrips after transplanting. I will also notice healthy plants get the thrips if they are located the closest to the newly transplanted girls. So I think most thrips come from soil purchases and/or clone trading, neither here nor there. To my understanding thrips hibernate in soil in winter months in the outdoors, where most soil production takes place.
So we have been treating our large (1 cu. yd.) bags of soil with a nematode foliar spray once a week, as our soil sits around for a couple weeks. Nematodes are available very easily through Arbico Organics. We usually purchase the triple threat which is 3 species of nematode with some thriving in varying climates or preferring a different range of bugs. If you choose just one specie and not the combo pack I recommend "Steinernema feltiae," as they target thrips and fungus gnats. On a side note I haven't seen a fungus gnat in weeks and we're in a decent size soil grow, which makes me happy. We also purchase another specie of namatode with a shorter life span but instead of watering into the soil you sprinkle these beneficial bugs right on the plant, for fast acting effectiveness on the issue.
The last line of defense that we use is Diatomaceous Earth, which is also organic, and a source of Silica if used as top dressing. We top dress with D-Earth right after we transplant (within an hour or so) and before we water for the first time. though the Thrips feed and lay eggs on the foliage of the plant, the larvae must return to the soil to pupate. (not sure if this is proper wording, butt fuck it) So as these fuckers return to the soil for this stage of their life, they're forced to cross our top dressed boundary of Diatomaceous Earth. We repeat the Diatomaceous Earth top dressing every two weeks or so and this stuff is super cheap at most hydro shops, or online.
Diatomaceous Earth is fossilized marine phytoplankton which acts as tiny razor blades to bugs with an exoskeleton. the phytoplankton is fossilized in silica which enter the exoskeleton of the bugs, and kills um dead fast.
These treatments seem to work wonders when used pro-actively and in conjunction with one another. We typically don't see thrips within a week after we transplant, until we transplant again of course. We are working to do more to the newly purchased unused soil that sits in our facility for a few weeks. If we could water that soil with Tea we think we may increase nematode populations naturally, without $$$, and prevent the thrips from ever seeing the light of plants.
Tynehead Tom
Well-known member
I'm 100% CERTAIN the thrips in my garden here in BC are coming from the bales of Sunshine Mix #4. I've used an arsenal of most of the things mentioned here, but with every new bag of sunshine 4 , a new emergence of thrips.
I have a composite curing oven , I'm thinking of making some large "cookie sheets" out of stainless 20 gauge and sterilizing every new bag of soil with a cycle thru the oven. It's got PLC systems I can customize from my laptop for ramp up ramp down and temp hold time. That and it's probably big enough I can sterilize 1/2 to 3/4 of a bale at a time.
Gonna take some macGyverin but I'm gonna see if it works.
I think it's an alien conspiracy these thrips in the soilless mix..... that or the industry is inoculating bags of "sterilized" media to keep the cash registers dinging at their retailers for the latest greatest pest control.
I design machinery for a living and I can already envision in my head, a fully programmable, conveyor belted soil sterilizing system that could be miniaturized to heat/vaccum sterilize a bale at a time LOL
I have a composite curing oven , I'm thinking of making some large "cookie sheets" out of stainless 20 gauge and sterilizing every new bag of soil with a cycle thru the oven. It's got PLC systems I can customize from my laptop for ramp up ramp down and temp hold time. That and it's probably big enough I can sterilize 1/2 to 3/4 of a bale at a time.
Gonna take some macGyverin but I'm gonna see if it works.
I think it's an alien conspiracy these thrips in the soilless mix..... that or the industry is inoculating bags of "sterilized" media to keep the cash registers dinging at their retailers for the latest greatest pest control.
I design machinery for a living and I can already envision in my head, a fully programmable, conveyor belted soil sterilizing system that could be miniaturized to heat/vaccum sterilize a bale at a time LOL
Sunshine used to have thrips in their soil if I remember back in the 90s and early 2000s as well. Don't know if it ever stopped. You can cook the soil, pasteurize it, solarize it. I might suggest to invest in sticky traps and atheta (rove beetle) you can buy it once then make a breeder bucket, half peat or soilless media and half cat food, keep it moist and have drainage holes and some sort of air release, similar to a worm bin would work. They will breed like crazy and will eat small populations of thrips, they also eat fungus gnat larvae and shorefly larvae as well. They reproduce well and usually one introduction is enough. I personally recommend this one because they will not damage your plants and become well established in a wide variety of medias. You can also make these breeder buckets and place them throughout your room, greenhouse whatever with several spots for them to leave and they will be all over your growing area with very little effort, just keep it moist but not soaking wet and you have atheta, you may need to change the mix every once in awhile, but if you're growing your own cannabis, this is very easy to do and takes very little effort.
bearsfan87
New member
I have used a lot of sunshine in the last few years and haven't had any issues. But I know Sunlight supply has multiple distribution centers in the west including CA, CO, and Vancouver, so maybe it gets contaminated along the way. Maybe it's shit from the start but I don't have issues down here in SW CO.
A soil cooking conveyor belt sounds friggin awesome, post pics of that please when its finished
A soil cooking conveyor belt sounds friggin awesome, post pics of that please when its finished
greenhaus1927
New member
I've also been using sunshine mix for the last 3 years straight without running into thrips. *knock on wood* Might be coming out from a different location? Spider mites on he other hand....
You guys may also consider buying cucumeris or swirskii for preventative thrips control. Cucumeris is cheaper by a ton so ou can just throw a whack in there, swirskii does better in heat and also goes for whitefly larvae, it seems to do better with both pests present.
vancityj
Member
About five or so years ago I suspected that the bales of Promix HP I was sourcing might be contaminated with thrips after consecutive infestations about seven days into veg. For what it's worth, I did contact Premier to ask them about this, and they assured me that thrips couldn't survive in their soilless product as there was no food source (foliage) readily available for them, and the bales are generally stored before shipment. After hitting all plants thoroughly 3/4 times with spinosad, the thrips were eradicated and didn't return.
O
OG Tree Grower
I agree they came in with the sunshine 4
Also I can't belive this hasn't been mentioned.
Sm-90. Add it to your nute regime and never see a thrip,gnat or aphid again
Tynehead Tom
Well-known member
my little grow store doesn't have sm-90 and they never heard of spinosad either.
I asked for actinovate for the greenhouse mold and no dice on that either.... hell I bought their last bottle of natria (serenade) weeks ago and they still haven't restocked.
Asked for a Vortex brand inline fan..... they got some knock off she say is "probably" made in the same factory as Vortex..... LOL
I need to get my ass on the long drive to the big city for real grow store
As of tomorrow, all my indoor rooms will be empty, my plants in veg isolated to a sealed, hepa filtered chamber for many weeks of quaranteen till the thrips are gone. I will absolutely and ruthlessly kill plants that maintain an infestation with thrips from now on. They seem to just love the Black Tuna, GG4 and Forum so this could be an problem LOL
I've gone weeks now without seeing mites so confident I've eradicated the ones that came in from outside on the cuttings I took from greenhouse.
All my rooms are getting sealed and will get bug bombed every 3 days for 2 weeks, finishing with a 72 hour Ozone saturation of my entire house. Wife and I are gonna go away for a few days with the dogs LOL I have one mother of an Ozone generator and it will absolutely gas my whole house hahaha Good bye garden nasties..... hello nice clean rooms for winter
I asked for actinovate for the greenhouse mold and no dice on that either.... hell I bought their last bottle of natria (serenade) weeks ago and they still haven't restocked.
Asked for a Vortex brand inline fan..... they got some knock off she say is "probably" made in the same factory as Vortex..... LOL
I need to get my ass on the long drive to the big city for real grow store
As of tomorrow, all my indoor rooms will be empty, my plants in veg isolated to a sealed, hepa filtered chamber for many weeks of quaranteen till the thrips are gone. I will absolutely and ruthlessly kill plants that maintain an infestation with thrips from now on. They seem to just love the Black Tuna, GG4 and Forum so this could be an problem LOL
I've gone weeks now without seeing mites so confident I've eradicated the ones that came in from outside on the cuttings I took from greenhouse.
All my rooms are getting sealed and will get bug bombed every 3 days for 2 weeks, finishing with a 72 hour Ozone saturation of my entire house. Wife and I are gonna go away for a few days with the dogs LOL I have one mother of an Ozone generator and it will absolutely gas my whole house hahaha Good bye garden nasties..... hello nice clean rooms for winter
better bud
Member
thrips are socialist, they sneak into your grows eat and destroy everything in their path and have no benefit to mankind
Ya but he’s not wrong tho (about thrips or socialism)
