Issue #14

This Is How You Keep Thrips and Other Pests Away from Your Tradescantias

We all love our Tradescantias, but sometimes pests can cause a real headache! But don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be a battle you lose.

Tradescantias can be real thrips magnets, and there are plenty of other pests that would love to move onto your plants if they get the chance. However, it’s not hopeless—there are effective ways to prevent and get rid of them if they appear.

In this newsletter, I'll go over the best strategies to prevent and treat pest infestations. Read on to keep your Tradescantias thriving and healthy!

What Are Thrips?

Thrips are tiny insects that can cause a lot of damage to your plants. They feed by sucking the sap from the leaves, which can lead to a lot of damage on you plant. Thrips be very difficult to spot due to their small size, but early detection is crucial for effective control.

How to Identify Thrips

Thrips are very small, usually only about 1-2 millimeters in length, and can be yellow, brown, or black. They have elongated bodies and fringed wings, which are often difficult to see without magnification. Here are some detailed signs to look for:

• Unusual New Growth and Small Dimples: The very first signs of thrips are often unusual new growth and small dimples on the newest leaves. This can be easy to miss. Thrips attack the newest growth first, causing the new leaves to not unroll as usual or to have an irregular shape.
• Silvery Spots on the Leaves: Another early sign of thrips is silvery spots on the leaves. This happens because thrips suck the sap from the leaves, causing cell damage. These spots show up first on the back of the leaves, but eventually appear on the front as well. They can easily be mistaken for burn marks, so keep an eye out if you find the next sign.
• Black Dots: If you find tiny black dots on the leaves and stems, this is a sure sign of thrips—these are their droppings.
• Dead Leaves and Stunted Growth: Eventually, infested plants will stop growing and develop a lot of dead leaves and stems. Leaves might also curl or develop unusual shapes.
• Visible Thrips: You might see the thrips themselves; they look like tiny, slender insects moving quickly.

If you notice any of these signs, it’s time to take action to protect your Tradescantias.

Preventing Thrips

Thrips are a nightmare to get rid of once they've set up home in your plant. It's always best to do what you can to prevent them from finding your plants in the first place. There are many steps you can take to minimize the risk of a thrips invasion:

• Regular Inspection: Make it a habit to regularly check your plants for early signs of pests. Pay special attention to new growth and the undersides of leaves where thrips are likely to hide.
• Proper Watering: Make sure your Tradescantias are watered correctly. Overwatering can create a humid environment that attracts pests. Let the soil dry out slightly between waterings.
• Cleanliness: Keep your plants and their surroundings clean. Remove dead leaves and debris from the soil surface to eliminate potential hiding spots for pests.
• Quarantine New Plants: Always isolate new plants for a few weeks before introducing them to your existing collection. This helps prevent any hidden pests from spreading. I have to admit that I'm quite bad at quarantining my new plants, but I've also regretted that a couple of times. Like this Ivory Hill that came with thrips when I bought it...

• Healthy Plants: Keep your plants healthy by providing the right amount of light, water, and nutrients. Healthy plants are more resilient and less attractive to pests.
• Neem Oil: Neem oil can be effective on thrips larvae that live in the soil, but it's less effective on the adults. I would not recommend spraying neem oil on your Tradescantia. I did that once on my Nanouk, and the next day it had soft, sticky leaves. It survived, but it wasn’t happy.

What to Do When You Find Thrips

I know the feeling when you find that silvery spot—you just want to throw out that plant! But it's not always necessary. Depending on the size of the invasion, there are things you can do!

First off, assess the size of the infestation and decide how much you want to keep the plant. Sometimes, it might be easier to take a few cuttings and treat those rather than trying to save the whole plant. Treating a few cuttings can also increase your chances of really getting rid of the pests.

Isolate the Infested Plant:​
It's important to isolate the affected plant from the rest of your plants to prevent the thrips from spreading. Check all the other plants in the same room to see if it has spread. Thrips can fly, although not very far, so they can spread to nearby plants.

Prune Affected Areas:​
If you decide to keep the whole plant, trim off any visible infested parts of the plant. Get rid of the pruned parts in a sealed bag to prevent the pests from spreading.

Rinse the Plant and Give It a Soap Bath:​
Gently rinse the plant with water to rinse off as many thrips as possible. Be sure to target the undersides of the leaves and other hiding spots. I also recommend giving it a soap bath or spraying it with a soapy solution (1 tablespoon of castile soap per liter of water).

Repeat Treatments:​
You need to repeat treatments every 3-4 days until you no longer see signs of thrips. Soap will only kill thrips when in contact with them, so this method requires persistence. It also doesn’t affect the eggs, so you want to make sure you get them when they hatch.

Natural Predators:​
There's also the option of getting predatory bugs like ladybugs or predatory mites. It's a great way to combat pests without any harmful chemicals. This will also require less work from you since the bugs do most of the work.

Pesticides:​
If nothing else works, then there are pesticides. I would advise using this as a last resort. I cannot give specific advice on which to use since the availability differs a lot in different parts of the world. In Sweden, many pesticides can no longer be sold because they not only kill the pests but also all the other beneficial insects.

Monitor and Maintain:​
This is the last but not least important step. Thrips have a long life cycle, up to 60 days from egg to death. So it's important to keep your plant under observation for quite some time after you think you've gotten rid of all the thrips. Keep a close eye on the isolated plant and your other plants for any signs of thrips.

Wrapping Up

I realize this newsletter is getting quite long, so I'll save the discussion on fungus gnats and other pests for Part 2. Stay tuned for more tips and strategies on keeping your Tradescantias pest-free!

Thank you for reading! If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out when Part 2 is sent out.

Happy gardening, and see you next time!

Katja

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