Q: Some of the leaves in my privet patch seem to be discolored; They are light, pale, and washed out. What do you think is wrong?

A: Well, I want to look closer. If your privet hedge is looking a little pale, get a magnifying lens and check to see if the leaves look stippled. And by that I mean, do they look like they've been spray painted with aerosol paint - little teeny specks on the leaf? If you notice something like that, look even closer. Look on the top side of the leaf, flip the leaf over, look on the underside. Is anything crawling? Our privet hedge has thrips - it has privet thrips. These are tiny little insects. You may find them on your privets, you may find them on the gladiolas, you may even find them on your hollyhocks. They're very skinny insects, but tiny, so if you see a speck, give it a poke. Does it move? If it moves, you may have a thrips problem. Thrips are very easily controlled, so you're in luck. You can use a natural control called horticultural oil. Look for this in your local garden store and spray it on your plant, making sure you get excellent coverage. Use it on the top and upper surface of the leaves. You may need to repeat this spray in about ten days, but often one spray will knock them down enough so that your hedge can recover. Privet thrips are thrips on any ornamental. Try horticultural oil - it's a great control.


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