Unfortunately, as anyone who has been growing herbs or vegetables for a while knows, insects are a major part of every household garden. Regardless of whether you are growing in-ground, in above-ground planters, or even growing in indoor herb garden kits, insects are often an unavoidable nuisance.
Some are good and encourage pollenation, others are pests that can be destructive and are notorious for causing huge amounts of damage to the plants. Even if they are necessary for the journey of plants growing in the most fruitful manner, sometimes the harm may simply outweigh the benefit. In such cases, while it is a hassle to remove all the insects, it may be beneficial to ensure that your herb garden continues to produce a bountiful harvest.
One of the most significant issues with insects occurs when you cannot physically remove them from your garden. While some insects are vital for your beautiful garden, some insects, such as thrips, damage the growth in an alarming way.
For this reason, it’s a good idea not to over-react and start spreading general pesticides that don’t differntiate between helpful insects and harmful ones. Not to mention, insects tend to return once they sense the danger is over so when the pesticied has worn off, they might come right back.
As a result, removing them permanently can be even more time-consuming and agonizing. Below are some questions we tried to answer for you regarding eliminating thrips from your herb garden.
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What Are Thrips And Why Do They Invade Herb Gardens?
Thrips are minuscule insects approximately the size of a sewing needle that devours a range of plants everywhere around the world. Their scientific name is Thysanoptera.
The usual reason why they are in your garden, to begin with, is that you likely purchased a plant that was already infected or infested with thrips, and you didn’t notice them because they are so small. Once you introduced that plant to your indoor or outdoor garden, they started spreading to the other plants.
Thrips love munching on leafy and green plants, and so if you have a lot of green plants in your garden, you should probably cross-check the roots and leaves properly to focus where they first came from before damaging your garden entirely.
Steps To Take To Get Rid Of Thrips In Your Herb Garden
How do you get rid of thrips in your garden? Thrips are usually very tiny to notice, and trying to find them physically may be extremely difficult.
Are Pesticides A Good Way To Get Rid Of Thrips?
It is often recommended to have some insecticide to get rid of the thrips, but before doing so you need to really understand what type of pesticide to use. This is important because some insecticides also kill plants, which may harm your garden and other plants growing nearby.
The goal is to get rid of the thrips, not kill your plants.
Additionally, if you are growing an herb or vegetable garden, the goal is to eat the harvest so filling your plants with pesticides can have negative impacts on you and your family’s health.
Washing Your Plants Can Remove A Light Thrip Infestation.
It is also important to note the degree to which the infestation has affected your garden. This means that if your garden has not been highly damaged to an alarming degree, it may not be wise to use the pesticide at all. Rather, washing the green plant leaves should be the solution to reduce the infestation of thrips in general.
This process usually involves keeping your plants that are very leafy aside and washing the leaves individually to remove the thrips. The process may take two to three weeks to make good progress. Even if it is lengthy, it should be helpful in the long term and it won’t involved spraying chemicals on your herbs or vegetables.
Calling In A Professional To Evaluate Your Thrip Infestation.
However, suppose your garden is heavily damaged at a rate that it cannot be reversed by just washing the leaves. In that case, it is suggested that you call in a local pest management company to have a thorough look at your garden, outline the problems, and understand exactly what to do to solve this crucial problem caused by thrips.
Sometimes it takes the help of a professional to get your thrip infestation under control.
Triage Your Garden By Getting Rid Of Thrip-Infested Plants.
It is sometimes advised to remove thrips-infested plants from the rest of your garden, in order to prevent further invasion by healthier plants. This triage approach doesn’t feel good becasue you have to get rid of the plants that you adore and love so much, but getting rid of them might help save the rest of the plants in your garden.
Try to spot the thrips in the roots and the leaves specifically. Using a magnifying glass may help to spot them easily.
Also, look out for weary and dry plants, as it can be a significant sign that thrips have invaded the plant. Dry leaves and plants with blades that are a little out of normal can also be a sign that your plant has a thrip infestation. These plants should be removed immediately or set aside from the rest of the garden plants to protect other plants from being severely damaged.
Using Other Insects To Control Thrips.
For long-term removal of thrips, it is generally recommended to involve the insects that will eat up or kill the existing thrips, hence removing every trace of their existence in your garden. In addition, such beneficial insects will help your garden bloom and remove barriers such as thrips, enabling your garden to grow to its maximum potential.
Insects such as pirate bugs can be good candidates for getting rid of thrips. Because they are carnivorous in general, they will invade any existing thrip infestation in your garden and become an active threat to any new thrip infestation in the future.
As a result, they’ll be making your garden thrip free in the long run, removing them permanently without causing any damage to the existing plants in the garden.
Removing Thrips From Your Garden Can Be Frustrating, But Stick With It.
Removing thrips from your garden can be very easy as long as they have not done very serious damage to your garden. The solutions mentioned above should be the ticket to having a thrip-free garden as long as you follow them correctly and effectively.
It is highly dependent on how much you know about your own garden and the plants you have been caring for. If you are someone who is a beginner, it is crucial to first understand the activity of thrips, how they enter your garden, what mistake you made, and how to get rid of them, along with being careful in the future as well.
Have experience trying to remove thrips from your vegetable or herb garden? Be sure to share your experience in the comments so others can benefit from your tips.
