The SECRET to get rid of plant pests

It had been such a wild ride to get rid of Thrips in my plant collection. One of the worst houseplant pests you can deal with. This secret should help you finally get rid of indoor plant pests in your collection too. As long as you're consistent!

This recipe should work with most major common plant pests. Including:
Spider mites
Thrips
Mealy bugs
Aphids
Whitefly
*Scale (you need to use a hard tool to remove the protective shell first)

Beneficial insects
Throughout filming this video I tested a few different beneficial bugs, the most effective for me has been:
STRATIOLAELAPS SCIMITU: These live in soil and eat thrips larvae and fungus gnat larvae. They do extremely well as a preventative.
AMBLYSEIUS SWIRSKII (in sachets): These bugs eat early instar stages of thrips and have been the most hardy to low in home humidity.

Other recommendations:
Green Lacewings
Orius incidiosus (summertime only)

Check out Jeff's channel @EverythingPlants !

Secret concoction:
In 1L/34oz of water
2 tbls castile peppermint soap
2 tbls castile tea tree soap
1/2 tsp 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/2 cup 70% isopropyl alcohol

Use the whole batch immediately.

Alternative concoction
In 1L/34oz of water
2 tbls castile peppermint soap
(as directed) concentrated insecticidal soap

Safety: If you're using a fine sprayer the particles can get into your lungs. Because of the isopropyl alcohol content I recommend using a respirator. If you're using a concentrated insecticide you should be using full body PPE. Always follow the labels of pesticide/insecticide products.

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[KillThisPlant]

Guess what, thrips can go through parthenogenesis. A single female thrips can switch from sexual to asexual reproduction. So a single thrips can start an infestation. Cool 😭

Check the description for written instructions, safety tips, and more info on beneficial bugs.

[simonesicard]

Not pest related. ---- I love how much you engage and have cameos from the plant community. 😉

[EverythingPlants]

Great video, Lee! Thrips are the absolute worst....I sure hope there isn't too much damage on your beautiful Monstera. Thanks for the shoutout!

[mabonniejungle....]

Seen this video ages ago and since then this has been my one and only pest treatment. I now spray down every plant at the end of each month and I've been pest free for just over 1 yr 🌱 good luck and happy to have found your channel, Jeff is fabulous to watch, love his channel too 💚

[noconawolf]

You are so funny. I love watching your videos. Entertainment while absorbing information. Brilliant.

[JR-wmyn]

I find keeping my soil "living" helps prevent pests. So I do a rotation of soil enhancement. Not in any particular order: top dress with biochar/humates/glacial dust/worm castings, inoculate with bacteria/fungal spores (meant for plants), fertilize with compost tea and liquid seaweed (supposed to increase cell wall thickness to make more resistant to pests, and adding bios nutrients. No pests for 4 years now *fingers crossed*

[agneslazarenko]

That's a commitment. I'm so lazy though, let's hope the thrips don't eat all my plants, my cats, and me

[luemun]

You're so right about thrip extermination being all about time and effort. Just when you start to relax and think they're gone, they reemerge on a completely different plant 😤 The only thing I found worked on them is pyrethrum. I bought the concentrated version and mixed it a bit stronger than what they say on the packaging, then sprayed every plant (whether I saw signs of thrips or not) 1-2 times a week for 2-3 months. Now I haven't seen any thrips for a long time, but I still spray the plants about once a month just to be safe, and I've started treating every new plant I bring in and quarantining them for a few weeks as well. Still haven't gotten rid of the fungus gnats but at least they don't cause as much damage 🤷‍♀

[martynkal.]

As someone who lives in a home with damp & mould issues I'm always so nervous when I see plant people talking about raising humidity in their home 😅

[abbytonyardor]

Great video. I have always thought that when I bring plants in for winter they are pest free but sometime around February some sort of awful medieval spontaneous generation takes place lol. So this year I started soaking every plant with a neem oil, castile soap solution every seven days and so far it has been fairly effective. If I get a major infestation I repot the plant and dispose of the old soil and scrub the pot. My big problem right now is the mamalated stink bug and I am certain we have a few spider motes. My formula is 1 ounce concentrated neem oil. 1 teaspoons castile soap per gallon of water. Sometimes I add a few drops of peppermint oil and thyme oil. I have found you have to soak every part of the plant. I wish you much luck Lee. You are so good with house plants and I have learned so much from you. Thanks as always.

[eurydice]

New to your channel, my 8yr old daughter and I love you! 💚💚💚 We keep rewinding at about the 03:00 min mark and crack up at “What?!” Every time 😂🤣 also appreciate your plant tips 🪴

[ididit]

Thank you. I used the mentioned solution for as preventive measure last growing season once every 5 or 6 weeks with minimal to no outbreaks. I did get mealybugs in a plant section that I didn’t treat. I’m getting a little anxious now because I have almost double the amount of plants. I’m going to start now and see how it works out for me.

[martynkal.]

Love that you give credit and get other creators involved in your videos!

[laschlein]

if only i'd known of this secret concoction a few months ago. damn near drove my partner to move out with the foul smell of neem oil filling the house every week after discovering billions of thrips covering my previously thriving purple velvet. weirdly none of the many plants around her seemed to be hit with a thrip infestation, they just love those juicy fuzzy purple leaves. they will all be getting a nice tea soil drench though, and with that and my soon-to-be crafted portable plant shower replacing just accepting that the walls/floor around my plants as collateral damage when spraying (hi lazy), my marriage AND plant collection will be safe <3 lee you're a lifesaver

[mishy.]

Omg thank you!! I was just stressing about potentially needed to get rid of my schefflera yesterday because it has spider mites, and I was thinking there's no feasible way I could clean all the leaves individually, and I didn't want to use anything that smells bad on it. I am going to start doing this ASAP! Thank you! ♡

[ildikojones]

Thank you for sharing your experiences with thrips. I came across the clip about the homemade insecticide last summer and I have been using it. It works, and it smells wonderful! I hope you win this battle with the thrips really soon!

[healthyfitmom]

That plant shower is awesome! That is my main problem is committing to spraying consistently because of the mess it makes and because of how many plants I have in my affected room. I was spraying a mixture of dish soap, neem oil, peppermint and blended a few cloves of garlic ( sulphur is a bug killer) that I made tea of. It worked but the thrips came back a week later. The plant shower is a game changer!

[Anjfyi]

I've managed to get pesticides from America, that aren't available here in Canada that work well with Thrips. (Note: I'm using these for indoor plants so bees are not in danger, and I'm using it responsibly.) Spinosad with insecticidal soap + Imidacloprid granules have rid me of all my plant problems. Realistically these are the only way to do it if you have hundreds of plants like I do unfortunately. Showering works well, but would take too much time for the plant enthusiast with a ton of plants.

[otstan]

As I sit down at my desk this Saturday morning in San Francisco and sip my coffee, it is with great pleasure that I forgot you upload today. Ive decided to save it for later in the day when I return home so that I can enjoy it like fine wine, the edumacations is to be savored with all the senses. but no really lol ill be back

[mynameis]

Thrips (and spider mites) are torture to anyone with plants. 🙏 to you.