Thrips

While damage symptoms are the most noticeable indicators of Thrip infestation, they may not appear until after the plant has sustained considerable harm.  As they say, prevention is always better than cure, and this is particularly true when dealing with Thrips.  Finding the best insecticide for Thrips is a must.  At first, the damage can mimic mites and can be misleading.  The control methods are not the same and without proper treatment, these thrips can take out a whole crop.  Growers of any crop should be aware.  This insect seems to have a fairly broad host range.  These tiny insects fly and hop from plant to plant, rasping the plant with their mouthparts and sucking the sap.  Feeding on the plant restricts the plant's growth and reduces crop yields.
 

Efficacy testing shows Protection Plus,
the best natural thrip insecticide,
kills 90% of thrips on first contact.

Thrips are very hard to kill for a few reasons that we should go over. Thrips crawl and fly, and when they start to fly, you will find them on objects all over the room. Their life cycle starts in the soil so you will need to treat the soil to kill the eggs, larvae, and adults living there. Before applying any pesticide, make sure the plants are fully hydrated. Flush the plants well with water and show a good amount of run-off. Wait 1 hour before application. Professional Pesticide Applicators Note: Many infestations come from stress caused by excess fertilizer in the growing medium. Check EC/PPM of the last few ounces of run-off from the pot. It must be the same EC/PPM as the water you used to flush with. Repeat the flush procedure until you get matching numbers, then treat for insects.
 

• Before applying any pesticide, make sure the plants are fully hydrated.
• Flush the plants well with water and showing a good amount of run-off.
• Wait 1 hour before application.

Professional Pesticide Applicators Note: Many infestations come from stress caused by excess fertilizer in the growing medium. Check EC/PPM of the last few ounces of run-off from the pot. It must be the same EC/PPM as the water you used to flush with. Repeat the flush procedure until you get matching numbers, then treat for insects.

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Protection Plus -
Kills Thrips on Contact

• Earth-friendly: natural, food-based ingredients
• Lower cost: Eliminates excessive treatments and the need for product rotation
• Guaranteed pure: Quarterly testing to be free of over 400 forbidden ingredients to ensure our products are safe and natural for tough hemp and cannabis testing requirements
• Free of all Proposition 65 ingredients
• Residue-free, non-oil based formula doesn’t clog pores or hamper plant growth
• Industry high kill rates

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HOW TO BUY

Protection Plus Thrip Insecticide Protocol

1. We recommend you spray the surface of the soil to penetrate ½ inch down to where the insects are living and breeding. Treat all plants in the greenhouse or home.
2. Spray the leaves and stems for crawlers and breeders, making sure that every square inch of the plant has been treated. Treat all plants.
3. Hang sticky fly traps (blue and yellow) throughout the growing area, including areas of the greenhouse or home that has grown plants or exposed soil. These traps will help you keep an eye on the situation.
4. Infestation application or to gain quick control of the crop. Spray three times on day one, wait for the spray to dry between applications. Then, spray once a day for the next three days, then spray once every three days until you observe a pest-free crop. Note: Since you chose the infestation application method to gain quick control of your crop, you now know you are prone to extreme pest attacks from incoming plants, guests, workers, or a source unknown. If you have pest issues you also have plant quality and harvest quantity issues. In the end, the company that supplies the market with the most consistent produce wins. Just like buying fertilizer, weekly pest treatments are part of the cost of doing business.
5. Alternate application for this pest: Apply Protection Plus once a day for three days and then go to spraying once every three days until the infestation is under control.
6. Spray the plants every 7 days throughout the plant’s life as part of your IPM (Integrated Pest Management program). This will assure you that there will be little chance of pest problems.
7. Dosage should stay at 4 ounces (120 ml) per gallon of water. These insects are hard to control.
8. Since the thrips fly, they will go airborne when they feel the spray hitting the leaves of nearby plants. If the plants are in a vegetation state then you might want to spray over the plants so when they do go airborne, you will hit them with the spray. If your plants are in bloom, you will have to determine the severity of the infestation. If the thrips are placing the blooming crop in danger of failure, then you will have to kill them. As we have addressed before, by just spraying water on delicate buds you will notice some cosmetic imperfections. Most plants in the early stages of bloom growth will out-grow any cosmetic imperfections.
9. If possible, use an airless sprayer. They emit a very consistent fine spray without a lot of pressure behind it. This will allow the plant’s leaves to not move around so much that you miss hitting the pests. 100 ft super light-weight hoses and extra reach attachments are available. Use the orifice supplied for fine mist applications. Make sure the sprayer is rated for food crops.