Mechanical Control

Mechanical Control: Prune out, bag up and throw infected plant materials in the trash. Some arborists suggested cutting down the Myoporum and letting it re-sprout, it grows back vigorously and in some cases can be healthier.

It has been observed that in situations where older bushes had recently had been heavily pruned back (assuming because of thrips damage as there were plants in the nearby landscapes that had major damage) that were flourishing with unaffected to minorly effected new and semi-new growth. This appears to be good control method if one does not mind hacking back their myoporum every time they get bad thrips. It seems that younger shoots are more resistant to thrips, probably due to the hardy nature of Myoporum that has made it such an invasive weed as well as a desired landscape plant.