So just found out my string of hearts has thrips after ages of being misdiagnosed! Saw the bugs today and will have neem oil tomorrow, the plant is currently isolated. This is my first thrips infestation so trying my best, advice is much appreciated! Unfortunately lots of leaves have been lost due to this, would anyone possibly have any ideas on good ways to help regrow these leaves? Thank you!
Oh no, not the thrips! They’re such a thorn in my side. I fought them for ages before I finally found out that the reason they’re so tough is that they lay eggs INSIDE the leaves. So the eggs are essentially immune to treatment until they hatch. So it’s super important to treat for at least a month straight, even if you stop seeing adults before then. I’ve been starting to hear people on here who aren’t a fan of neem, so I’ve been reconsidering. However, I did already fight them off with a homemade mix of (approximate because I always eyeball) 1 TBS of neem, 2 TBS rubbing alcohol, 2 TBS hydrogen peroxide, a couple drops each type of essential oil. I recognize most people don’t have an aroma arsenal lol but picking one or two of: peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, lemon, lavender. If you’re using neem, you’ll want to add a few drops of castile soap to help emulsify the mixture. If you don’t have essential oils, getting a castile soap scented with one of those I listed is the second best way to get the benefits. Put all those ingredients in a spray bottle and fill the rest with water. My bottle holds about 2 cups so if you have a larger one, scale up the amount of additives. For regrowing, I think PlantyAnn is referring to keike paste, which works really well for me
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