RE: [compost_tea] Thrips

From: James Lopez <jameslpz_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:01:01 -0800 (PST)

I have a big problem with trips on my  Chrysanthemum I usually sp=
ray and drench the soil every two weeks with vermicompost tea.   
James

--- On Sun, 1/22/12, Tatia Veltkamp <tatiav_at_comcast.net> wrote:

From: Tatia Veltkamp <tatiav_at_comcast.net>
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] Thrips
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, January 22, 2012, 2:29 PM
















 



  


    
      
      
      They are definitely thrips.  They are western flower thrips.=
Someone from my extension office came out last summer and actually sent=
 them off to be tested.  I can actually see the thrips.  I have s=
ome pretty good pictures of them that I took thru my microscope.  But =
the symptoms too are typical of thrips, where there are parts of the plant =
leaves that have kind of silvery lines or spots, where they have eaten and =
I can see where they have pooped – black dots sort of.  I have=
 been making compost tea and spraying on the leaves but also soil drenching=
.  I know you can’t do too much of that, but I wasn’t =
sure how often I should do that or if that would help at all.  They ar=
e not exploding in growth like in the summer, but my greenhouse gets pretty=
 warm and humid this time of year, so the thrips like that.  It cools =
down a lot at night, too, so I think that is helping to stunt their populat=
ion.  I see them on my hollyhock also, but they
 really like the milkweed.  Tatia  From: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.=
com [mailto:compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bill Wyatt
Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 3:03 PM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Thrips    Aphids or thrips?  I se=
e lots of aphids on milkweed but have never heard of thrips on them althoug=
h it is certainly possible since they target many hosts.  What are the=
 symptoms?  What type thrips if they are thrips?


On 1/22/12 1:44 PM, "Tatia Veltkamp" <tatiav_at_comcast.net> wrote:
 
 
   

Hi,
I don’t get to follow everything on these posts and am still very m=
uch a newbie, but am learning a lot on here.  I grow milkweed in 1 gal=
lon and 4” pots to feed Monarch caterpillars.  I have trouble =
(LOTS) with thrips.  They also love the milkweed.  I found in the=
 summer there are plenty of predators that take care of the thrips if I mov=
e the plants outside.  But I have to grow almost year round and find t=
he thrips appearing at about 6-8 weeks on the plants (I grow from seed) in =
the greenhouse.   I cannot use chemicals so the plants are safe f=
or the caterpillars, although I’ve tried some of them too and they =
don’t work. I’ve done some soaping and that helps (a little=
), but I’m wondering about using compost tea as a foliar feed if th=
at would help.  Since part of the thrips’ life cycle is in the=
 soil, I’m also wondering if I should be adding worm castings or co=
mpost to the top layer of the soil to help with any microbes that might
 attack them there.
 
I realize that I am not going to get rid of the thrips.  But I=
m trying to learn how to control them, so they don’t take over.=
  Has anyone dealt with thrips successfully in a greenhouse?
 
Thanks so much for any insight you might have!
 
Tatia
Albuquerque, NM

    
     

    
    






  










Received on Mon Jan 23 2012 - 04:55:59 EST

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