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Here is how to get rid of thrips in the garden using a few DIY ideas that you can prepare at home and most importantly, without hurting the plants.
Most market bough sprays claim that they are not harmful to plants, but in the long run, they do. That is why we will be using natural remedies to fight those thrips.
Why There Is Thrips Infestation in My Garden?
The answer is you have a lot of weeds and moist areas around the garden that you have never cleaned.
Those thrips love the moisture and fresh plants. They suck the juice of those plants, fruits, vegetables, and flowers and make them dry.
And sometimes they spread a plant disease that may destroy the whole garden.
If you think I will cut the plants and remove all the infested leaves, then they will be gone. No, it is not that simple. They will build the nest and destroy your plants again.
So the best and the safest way to kill those thrips is by using one of the following remedies.
You can not see them in the naked eye until they become large in numbers. But you can regularly clean the weeds around it so that the garden remains neat and clean.
Make sure the plant gets good sun heat. That way pests will not be able to live there. So here we go.
1. Spray Neem Oil
Neem oil is super safe for plants and never damages the leaves. So get a few neem leaves or fruits, make a mixture with water, and then fill the spray bottle with it.
Then daily spray the mixture in the infested area. Do this for a few days, and you will see those thrips infestations are gone or they are lying dead there.
2. Use Sticky Traps
Sticky glue traps are widely popular in garden pest management. But it may not be super effective if you have a larger infestation.
Because you can not purchase a lot of those traps and place them around the infested area. A few are okay, but not 50.
That is why use this glue idea if your infection is not that huge and the glue trap will not hurt your pocket.
Just place the trap near the plants or near the infested leaf and they will get stuck there and die out of hunger.
3. Attract Predator Insects
If you plant a few marigolds in the garden, then ladybugs and lacewings will come, and they will eat those thrips and their larvae in a few days.
We call these predators nature’s pest controllers.
You can also buy them from your nearest pest market and release them in the garden for quick thrip removal.
4. Make DIY Garlic Spray
Garlic is super powerful in repelling thrips. Just make a pest with garlic mix it with water and spray all over the infested area.
The odor will not let the thrips live on your plants and they will leave or die out of hunger as they can not suck the plants anymore.
5. Use Reflective Mulch Covers
You can buy some reflective aluminum-coated mulch to cover up your garden soil to prevent thrips from reaching your plants.
Lay some of this mulch around your garden especially if you a moist soil year long.
The reflective coating will confuse them and make them fear the area. It is not that common but some people use it to battle pests in their garden.
6. Essential Oils Spray
Essential oils like peppermint, rosemary, and thyme are known as pest repellents in the garden world. Get a bottle of any of these oils, mix it with water, and then spray for a few days on those infested areas.
You can also add liquid soap to kill them faster. The oil smell is also good and will reduce the garden odor overall especially if you are on due in your weekly cleaning schedule.
7. Try Pruning the Branches
Yes, I have said earlier then if you remove a few of those plants or cut the leaves, those thrips will not go away.
That is true, but if you prune a few branches then their population will reduce and then you can kill them with the above ideas.
The main idea here is to reduce their population and eventually with time, repel them. Otherwise, pruning may not help much in the long run. I hope you got my point.
8. Make a DIY Soap Spray
I already have told you to mix soap with the essential oil. But this time do it raw. Just make a liquid with regular soap with water and spray it all over the garden and other infested areas.
The bubbles in the soap will suffocate those thrips and eventually kill them. You can also use liquid soap for this as they work the same.
9. Blast Water to Them
You can not see thrips in the naked eye unless they are large in number. That means they are tiny and weak to any strong forces.
So blast water to your plants using a water gun or a pressure washer and wash them away from those leaves.
But keep in mind that it may also kill your plants. So blast at a rate that does not harm those plants. Okay!
10. Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth Powder
Diatomaceous earth is a natural pest killer. People think it is chemical, but it is not as it is made from fossilized remains of diatoms.
Just sprinkle the powder around the plants and those thrips will eat and die out of dehydration.
My Recommendations
Get one of these thrip repellent and kill them all.
- Sticky Traps to Kill All Kinds of Garden Pests (Best Overall)
- Garden Pest Killer Peppermint Powder (Most Affordable)
- Garden Insect Killer Spray (Premium Quality)
Last Words
So this is how to get rid of Thimps in the garden using a few simple DIY hacks. There is no need to buy anything fancy here. Just use soap, essential oil, garlic, or a glue trap. So save your garden and destroy them. Good luck.
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