Thrips On Monstera: 3 Common Signs & Guide To Remove

Thrips are nuisances that might damage the condition of your Monstera in the long term. Pests are well-known for harming healthy plants, resulting in discolouration, withering, and growth retardation. It’s critical to take action against the insects right when you detect them. How do I identify and get rid of thrips on Monstera?

This article will guide you on recognising thrip infestations and keeping these tiny flying pests away from your Monstera plant. Let’s get started!

What Are The Signs Of Thrips On Monstera?

Because thrips syphon the sap from the Monstera’s leaves, the damage might manifest in various ways. It could be the remnants of the early punctures where pests release their eggs. Monstera plants may lose nutrients and turgor pressure due to disturbed sap flow, which can cause long-term damage.

The following are the primary indicators of thrip infestations on your Monstera to look out for:

Discoloration On Leaves

You’re probably aware that brown or yellow leaves might result from various factors. Pests may be a hazard if you detect this browning or yellowing around specific spots of the monsteras, accumulating in the centre of the leaves rather than clustered on the margins.

Curling Or Drooping

Once the caterpillars syphon the plant sap, the pressure exerted from inside the leaves and root tissues is reduced. If your Monstera leaves are curling, droopy, or wilting, they may suffer from a thrips infestation.

Black Spots On Leaves

Little dark-black or brown patches can appear if thrips are buried into the leaves and stems to produce eggs! Inspect for the presence of pests or other evidence that your plants may have an infestation when you notice these dots.

How Do Thrips Damage Monstera Leaves?

Thrips are tiny, slender pests with frayed wings and asymmetrically shaped mouthparts. Their bodies are transversely constricted and measure approximately 2 mm in length. Thrips are not carnivores; they feed on plant sap. Most of them live by sucking and perforating the contents of plants. Thrips do not eat the plants; they damage them by piercing the tissue to lay their eggs. Pregnant female thrips infestations pierce the tissue of the plants before laying their eggs. The caterpillars hatch a few days later and start feeding on the Monstera plant’s fluid right away.

Monstera plants cannot adequately carry nutrients and water throughout the stem without these plant fluids. The youngster proceeds through two additional larval stages before pupating and becoming a grownup thrip. Thrips have a life cycle of 45 days on average in warm weather. In the wintertime, though, the procedure may take up to 40 days. A thrips infestation needs warm weather, preferably 80 to 85°F. They can, nevertheless, survive either at 50°F or at 90°F. These pests have a 45-day life cycle on average. However, they might create more than 15 generations of descendants in one lifetime.

What Are The Causes of Thrips On Monstera?

Thrips have evolved to eat many plants, allowing them to flourish in practically every environment. Thrips are more likely to cause problems in gardens with a variety of weeds around them. They frequently act as the starting point for garden infestations. Thrip havens are probably lawns with a plethora of soil debris. Thrips overwinter in leaf tissue, not soil debris.

How To Get Rid Of Thrips On Monstera?

Do your Monsteras get thrip infestations? If yes, don’t worry, as there are various ways to save your plants from these harmful pests, as shown below:

Bug Traps

Insects in general, like thrips, are attracted to the sticky surface of bug traps, not specific colours. The thrips will be drawn to these traps and become stuck inside. All of them will eventually fall victim to traps, which save your Monsteras from bugs. You can buy these traps at the grocery store or make them yourself with a sheet of coloured paper, honey, or sticky glue.

Insecticidal Soap

Insecticidal soap suffocates thrips; it does not degrade their outer shell. The pests will dehydrate and perish as a result of this method. Because these soaps derive from water, they dry fast. They will have little impact on the pests after they are dried.

Lint Roller

Many expert gardeners recommend lint rollers because they physically remove thrips from the leaves; they do not act as bug traps. Grasp the leaves in your hand and gently rub the lint roller throughout their surface. The pests will stick to the glue, making physical removal easier.

Neem Oil

Neem oil is a typical therapy for plant bug infestations! It’s an excellent way to test this solution on a tiny section of your Monstera plant before treating it all. Because this oil has a funky odour, it’s advisable to use it outdoors or in the basement if at all feasible.

Because it only kills bugs when it’s wet, it’s preferable to use it in the early mornings rather than during the warmest times. As a result, the spray does not evaporate too rapidly. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the container and add a few drops of laundry detergent. Spray your Monstera plant with the solution and let it dry.

Trim or Prune Damaged Leaves

After getting rid of thrips from your plants, you may see some damaged leaves. It is not necessary to trim or prune damaged leaves after getting rid of thrips.

Can Monstera Recover from Thrips?

The level of harm produced by a trip assault determines how quickly your plants can recover.

Minimal Damage

Early detection is helpful. If you catch a thrips infection early enough, your plant will recover quickly when the pests haven’t done any extensive damage. After eliminating the insects, provide your plant with the proper humidity, temperature, sunlight, fertiliser, and water. It rapidly resumes its good growth.

Partial Damage

If a segment of your Monstera plant is ruined but the remainder is not, you might save the healthy chunk by washing it. You’ll need to check for thrips and cultivate an entire stem from the roots.

Extensive Damage

Sadly, once your Monstera plant has already been severely harmed by insects, it will appear excessively and widely damaged and will die. It’s best to toss this unhealthy plant to avoid the infestation spreading to your nearby healthy ones.

How To Prevent Thrips In The Future?

You can do several things to keep thrips away from your Monstera. Let’s take a peek at these ways to secure the plant from insects from the beginning.

Identification and Isolation

First and foremost, you need to know how to identify pest infestations right from the start to avoid extensive spreading damage. It’s often a good idea to quarantine new plants for several weeks before introducing them to others. Because it’s usual for bug infestations to start with new species, it’s a great way to keep them apart for a while.

Before purchasing a healthy young plant, look for evidence of bug infestations at the shop and avoid buying ones that appear sick. Moreover, if your Monsteras have already been infected with bugs, protect the recovering and infested ones far from your healthy plant.

Maintain Cleanliness

Keeping the plants clean and clear of dirt is the most effective strategy, as filthy leaves attract bugs. Also, Monsteras feature big leaves that collect dust easily. Once or twice a week, wash the leaves with a moist towel to tidy them. This also ensures that your Monstera plant looks fantastic.

Use Neem Oil

It is a natural insecticide that has no adverse effects on plants. It suffocates bugs and keeps them away. Combine neem oil and liquid detergent in a gallon of water before using them. Neem oil can be used directly on the plant; you don’t need to test on a small section.

This oil helps protect your Monstera plant from thrips by forming a protective coating. The spray can last for around two days on the plant.

Remove Weeds on Soil

Weeds provide a welcoming environment for thrips, offering shelter, food, and places to hide. Weeds, unfortunately, can flourish and thrive just about everywhere, even your beautiful Monstera.

So, try to keep your plants’ containers tidy and clean by removing all weeds that have sprouted, making your plants healthier and happier. After dismissing all weeds, apply a 20-20 nitrogen fertiliser. This all-purpose plant food will help your plant stay healthy. However, be careful not to overfeed your plant, as this can lead to repotting shock.

Conclusion

That’s all about ways to identify and remove thrips on Monstera, so consider saving your beautiful plants from infestation. In general, all the recommended methods are practical and easy to apply. Prevention is better than cure! So, it’s best to apply neem oil, maintain cleanliness, and isolate healthy plants right from the start of an insect infestation.

Hopefully, this article will be helpful for your gardening. Thanks for taking the time to follow this post!

If you are unsure how to make a DIY trap at home, you can watch this video: