thrips

[stellanoir]

Okay I love glads and acidenthera and have grown them for many years without a problem.

For the past few years my bulbs have been undermined by thrips.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrip

I naively thought the winter freeze would eradicate the problem.

It didn't.

It's so frustrating to nurture the bulbs and watch gorgeous foliage develop, then bud, and turn brown and not bloom.

So I wasn't going to plant them this year.

But then my cousin who is an astute horticulturist told me to soak the bulbs in summer oil for 20 minutes and they would again flourish.

I didn't even pull the bulbs last year. They were gonzo.

So I bought a slew of new bulbs on Saturday.

Has anyone else done this or had this problem?

Thanks in advance.

[LiberalEsto]

1. They like white flowers

and light-colored ones.

For roses, I spray with dormant oil in early March. A little bit of sesame oil mixed in water also helps later in the season.