How to control thrips on gladioli

Gladioli are bulbous flowers native to Africa and the tropical Mediterranean. They create a festive atmosphere and adorn ornamental lawns and flowerbeds in gardens and parks. Florist collections showcase a fabulous variety of gladiolus varieties and colors.

But, unfortunately, this magnificence can be destroyed by a large army of insect pests.

How to get rid of thrips on gladioli

The main pest of the flower is the herbivorous gladiolus thrips. These small, elongated, dark-colored insects, no more than 1.5 mm long, have fringed wings along the outer edges. They reproduce through larvae. They travel considerable distances and reproduce intensively in hot, sunny weather. Over the course of a summer season, they can produce up to seven generations and infest a significant area. These pests feed on plant sap, damaging the foliage and inflorescences of gladiolus, transmitting various diseases, and thereby causing significant damage to flower crops.

You can identify an infestation by looking at your flowers. Plants infested with the insect parasite appear weakened, flowers become discolored and dry up, buds fail to open, and flower stalks become thin and distorted. Under these conditions, looking into the leaf axils or opening the bud is enough to detect larvae and thrips.

To get rid of thrips infestations, control the pest by spraying with insecticides. Treatments should be carried out every 2-3 weeks, beginning before the first flower stalks appear and ending two weeks before the tubers are harvested. To eradicate thrips, autumn work includes collecting and burning all plant debris and deep digging of the soil in the area where gladioli are grown. Planting gladioli in the same spot is not recommended.

How to treat gladiolus bulbs to kill thrips

Gladioli are susceptible to thrips not only during the growing season but also during storage. First, the corms are dug up before a sustained cold snap in the fall, before the insects have migrated from the stems into the ground and attached themselves to the base of the corm, hiding under the scales. Thus, the parasite can be carried into storage along with the dug-up corms and infect all planting material. Overwintering under the scales, the thrips feed on the sap of the corms, rendering them useless for planting.

When storing raw materials for the winter, all tubers are carefully inspected, and any spoiled ones are discarded and destroyed. As a preventative measure against parasites, the remaining corms are soaked in a solution of the insecticide-acaricide "Karbofos" (40 g per 10 liters of water) for 30-40 minutes. Then, rinse the tubers with clean water and dry thoroughly. Only then can the raw materials be refrigerated. The acceptable storage temperature is 5-7°C.

A preventative measure to get rid of thrips is to soak the tubers in water at 50°C (122°F) for 5 minutes. Then dry thoroughly. Care must be taken to maintain the correct temperature to avoid "cooking" the planting material.

If you're unsure whether the insects have been completely eradicated, you can also treat the bulbs with an insect repellent spray (such as Dichlorvos). Place the bulbs in a plastic bag, spray the spray, and leave it for 30 to 60 minutes, tightly sealing it.

In the spring, before planting, the corms should be sorted again and treated for prevention. Root treatment with the biological preparation "Fitosporin-K" will help protect gladioli from bacterial diseases.

Anti-thrips preparations

To combat gladiolus thrips, chemicals are used to completely destroy a wide range of insect pests, their eggs, and larvae. The following pesticides have proven effective: Karate, Karbofos, Confidor, Inta-Vir, Fitoform, and Actellik. Decis is currently considered the most effective.

To prevent thrips from developing a strong resistance to insecticides, they should be alternated. Early morning spraying in warm, windless weather is especially effective. On cool, cloudy days, the benefits of such treatment are minimal because thrips do not appear on the leaf surface.

Other processing methods

In addition to industrial insecticides, herbal formulations are used to treat gladioli and their bulbs against thrips. These formulations are no less effective and completely safe for humans and the environment.

• Before planting, tubers can be soaked in garlic juice for 2-3 hours.
• A piece of cloth soaked in alcohol is placed in the container with the tubers and sealed tightly for several hours. Due to lack of oxygen, the thrips emerge from under the covering scales and die.
• Spraying plants with infusions of tobacco dust and shag.

By following simple agricultural practices and pest control methods, you can grow beautiful, eye-catching gladioli.

Reviews

I encountered a thrips scourge. Unfortunately, none of the folk remedies I mentioned helped, but the smell of garlic lingered in my nose for a long time. However, treating the flowers with Decis proved effective; the results were visible after the first spray. I agree 100% that this is the best insect repellent available today.