Content
- Help, my orchid has thrips!
- How do I recognize thrips?
- What can I do against thrips?
- How can I prevent infestation in the future?
- The essentials in brief:
- Tips
A treatment with detergent water helps against thrips
Help, my orchid has thrips!
Even with the best care, it can happen that your orchid is attacked by pests. That could be the tiny thrips, for example. Then it is important to react quickly to prevent major damage.
How do I recognize thrips?
Thrips show a similar damage pattern as spider mites, namely silvery spots on the leaves. However, the Gespinnst of the mites is missing. The flowers are rarely affected by these pests. Look at the underside of your orchid, where the thrips like to sit.
What can I do against thrips?
Once you've recognized the tiny pests, you should take action. First, quarantine the affected plant so that the thrips can not pass on to other plants. If only a few leaves are affected, then wipe them thoroughly with a dishwashing detergent solution. Since the next generation of thrips may be on the rise, you should repeat the treatment a few times at regular intervals.
With a strong infestation with thrips a showering of the orchid is meaningful and easier to carry out. First, pack the pot in a plastic bag so that the pests that have been rinsed off can not fall into the pot or onto the substrate, otherwise a renewed infestation is inevitable.
If several orchids are affected or the infestation occurs again and again, then think about the use of beneficial organisms. Because even thrips have natural predators. These include predatory mites and lacewings, both of which you can purchase from specialist retailers.
How can I prevent infestation in the future?
In warm and dry air the thrips feel particularly well. Therefore, they occur especially during the heating season in late autumn or in winter. So that they do not appear at all, you should ensure a higher humidity. Put on a humidifier or sprinkle your orchids now and again with lime-free water, which will do the plant good.
The essentials in brief:
Tips
Prevention is better than fighting thrips. Always keep the air sufficiently moist.