IPM question: Which of these 10 do I need to stop applying in flower (and when)?

I have been battling thrips and would like to ask about which I can continue to cycle through my spraying -- or need to turn off at some point during flower?

1. water
2. dilute nutrient solution
3. wood vinegar
4. pyrethoid
5. baccilus
6. potassium soap
7. neem
8. Beauveria bassiana/Metarhizium anisopliae
9. top dress neem cake
10. top dress starkle G (dinotefuran, a third Generation chemical in the neo-nicotinoid)
(Also I tended to put a drop per quart of potassium soap in all the sprays as a surficant)

If you are only fighting thrips Spinosad works great. I use captain jacks liquid concentrate in irrigation water if a problem shows and if I'm fighting thrips actively I will fog them with it once but in bloom I'd go more towards a product like green cleaner or lost coast plant therapy. Always blast bottoms of leaves before tops so its easier to get to them, the bottoms is where the bugs usually hangout anyways. Thrips will lay in your soil if I'm not mistaken too hence the root drench. A root drench of spinosad will kill any larvaes or babies hanging out in there though, just wouldn't recommend spraying it on your buds..

Unfortunately I am not in a country that has access to Spinosad or any of these products you recommended.

I do have access to a fogger machine however.

Do you have access to Dr Bronners Peppermint Soap?
Are you in soil?
If soil, is it natural?
If soil and natural, place another pot of dirt with chopped up vegetables and fruits mixed in, in your grow area.
A bulk of the thrips will move there. Toss and replace pot regularly.

If you can get caustic soda, Sodium/potassium hydroxide, you can make a natural agent to kill them.
Let me know and I can walk you through it.

Overgrowtho said:

Unfortunately I am not in a country that has access to Spinosad or any of these products you recommended.

I do have access to a fogger machine however.

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What about BTI(bacillus thuringiensis)? I was able to source that in Thailand. Cost pennies compared to the states. I ordered powder and diluted form.

Hit me up if you're not able to find it! Cheers!

I'm sorry, I see you asked about potassium soap. Yes it will help and can be used while growing

BTI isn't very effective with thrips. Great for fungus gnats tho and I use a product called Gnatrol for those.

Chopped up fruit and veg won't attract them either. Thrips are endemic here so I've dealt with them many times in the last 20 years and have a few running around now from a buddy's cuttings.

Thrips do not live any part of their lives in the soil either. Like mites they live and breed in the canopy. Some specie of thrips can fly but mine don't.

The potassium soap/insecticidal soap with 10ml/L neem or canola oil works great for thrips. Every tiny bit of plant needs a spray every 3 or 4 days for 4 treatments to get rid of them for sure tho. Don't shake hard to mix in the oil tho or it all turns to foam and needs time to go liquid again so tilting back and forth as you spray keeps the oils mixed in.

I use Safer's End all concentrate mixed according to directions with the 10ml of canola per litre but any brand should work fine.

Currently I just hunt them down with a big magnifying glass tho the adults are easy enough to spot with my prescription reading glasses on. They don't magnify but sharpen things up well enough. Only finding a couple per plant every couple days when I do a really good search.

Good luck!

astrodude said:

Dr Bronners Peppermint Soap?
Are you in soil?
If soil, is it natural?
If soil and natural, place another pot of dirt with chopped up vegetables and fruits mixed in, in your grow area.
A bulk of the thrips will move there. Toss and replace pot regularly.

If you can get caustic soda, Sodium/potassium hydroxide, you can make a natural agent to kill them.

Click to expand...

Yes I can get Dr Bonners Peppermint (although +50% the USA price)
I am in peat based soiless media
Yes I can get caustic soda - please advise.

OldMedUser said:

The potassium soap/insecticidal soap with 10ml/L neem or canola oil works great for thrips. Every tiny bit of plant needs a spray every 3 or 4 days for 4 treatments to get rid of them for sure tho. Don't shake hard to mix in the oil tho or it all turns to foam and needs time to go liquid again so tilting back and forth as you spray keeps the oils mixed in.

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At what point in flower do you stop applications?

OldMedUser said:

BTI isn't very effective with thrips. Great for fungus gnats tho and I use a product called Gnatrol for those.

The potassium soap/insecticidal soap with 10ml/L neem or canola oil works great for thrips. Every tiny bit of plant needs a spray every 3 or 4 days for 4 treatments to get rid of them for sure tho. Don't shake hard to mix in the oil tho or it all turns to foam and needs time to go liquid again so tilting back and forth as you spray keeps the oils mixed in.

I use Safer's End all concentrate mixed according to directions with the 10ml of canola per litre but any brand should work fine.

Good luck!

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BTI believe it or not kills almost all larvae and Thrips lay their larvae in the soil. I second this option along with Spinosad, both can be used together without issue in my experience. I've had to hit hard sometimes when Fungus Gnats and Thrips start zooming around.

BTI stands for Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis

Leaf damaging and plant species of thrips lay their eggs in plant tissues

Overgrowtho said:

At what point in flower do you stop applications?

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As soon as there are buds forming I wouldn't spray or you'll taste it in the finished product. Most products are like that so you really need to be checking during veg and doing any spraying before flipping to flower.

Get yourself one of these Sherlock Holmes style magnifying glasses and spend some time hunting the bastards down. Just a light rub is all it takes. when you see one just grab the leave between your thumb and fingertip and rub gently. Don't try to sneak up on them as they can spring away. I swear they can read minds. As soon as you spot one then think about getting it they start running before you've made a move. They like to lay right in the main vein on the leaf or right where all the fingers meet. The females lay the eggs in the leaf tissue and the actively feeding ones seem to like being in the light so don't hang around under the leaves so much which is nice but you do find some and mostly the tiny babies under there.

calvin.m16 said:

BTI believe it or not kills almost all larvae and Thrips lay their larvae in the soil. I second this option along with Spinosad, both can be used together without issue in my experience. I've had to hit hard sometimes when Fungus Gnats and Thrips start zooming around.

BTI stands for Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis

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You are confusing thrips with fungus gnats. Thrips may hibernate over the winter in the soil but don't lay eggs there or use the soil for part of their reproductive life cycle.

I know what the f'k bti is and have used it for years. BTK for caterpillars.

I was at a garden centre a couple weeks ago when we had to go to the city and they wanted $35 for a 6 pack of those mosquito dunks ffs! I got some Gnatrol that works with one low dose. Just add to water and pour it in when you feed or water the plants. Problem gone.

Overgrowtho said:

Yes I can get Dr Bonners Peppermint (although +50% the USA price)
I am in peat based soiless media
Yes I can get caustic soda - please advise.


At what point in flower do you stop applications?

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Latest from the man himself....Master Cho

I use dr. bronners for 35 years as the wetting agent instead of canola oil.
Dr. Bronners & LABS are our daily foliar spray.

astrodude said:

I use dr. bronners for 35 years as the wetting agent instead of canola oil.
Dr. Bronners & LABS are our daily foliar spray.

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The insecticidal soap is the wetting agent. The canola oil suffocates the little f'ers. They can't develop an immunity to either product so there is no need to switch products like a lot of guys say. Canola oil is used in a lot of bug spray products and about the only thing it's good for. I did get a jug of it to use as a heat bath for my lab still so there's another use. I wouldn't eat the crap myself.

Pyrethrin is deadly poisonous.Look at @xtsho formula for citric acid foliar.I believe.its 2 teaspoons per gal to be applied in low light.GL

OldMedUser said:

The insecticidal soap is the wetting agent. The canola oil suffocates the little f'ers. They can't develop an immunity to either product so there is no need to switch products like a lot of guys say. Canola oil is used in a lot of bug spray products and about the only thing it's good for. I did get a jug of it to use as a heat bath for my lab still so there's another use. I wouldn't eat the crap myself.

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I didn't know that, my buddy just told me he uses Borax, do you think that has a possibility?
I will try the canola next time they stop by the farm!

Dr doom total fogger. Just not in flower. Or only early early flower before buds are formed

astrodude said:

I didn't know that, my buddy just told me he uses Borax, do you think that has a possibility?
I will try the canola next time they stop by the farm!

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Don't know about borax for bugs but can be used to treat a boron deficiency tho I got some boric acid from the drug store for that a few years back.

Just 10ml/L of canola oil is all you need. Same with neem oil if you have that tho it doesn't seem to work any better and is less sustainable than canola/rape seed oil.

So lets update this list and add:

11. BTI (I assumed this is the same asBeauveria bassiana/Metarhizium anisopliae but I guess thats wrong now?)
12. Conola oil
13. Citric acid

And the questions remains: should all of these not be applied in flower? or which ones are safe to apply?