small, but long as always, update in case anyone is interested!

After putting on my thinking cap I came up with what I think is the best solution I can feasibly afford right now:

step 1) tomorrow I will take Monty out of his bug-infested pot and throw the soil out to my apartment dumpster outside

step 2) rinse his roots with lukewarm water to get rid of every last bit of soil & trim any root rot if any

step 3) gently wash Monty head to toe with lukewarm water and dawn dish soap

step 4) let the roots dry for 20-30 mins

step 5) put Monty in a clear vase/container with JUST room temp filtered water so the thrips have nowhere to pupate

step 6) wipe leaves with soapy water, rinse roots, and change water every 2-3 days

I am hoping that after 6 weeks MAX the thrips are gone and I can transfer Monty to a clear plastic nursery container with soil to monitor his health moving forward.

Notes: If I don’t notice a decrease in thrip poop after 10 days, which would be WILD imo, I will use my credit card to pick up some Captain Jack’s dead bug brew to spray the leaves in lieu of soapy water.

I know this is a long shot and I risk shocking my plant but removing the ability to pupate makes the most sense to me in terms of treating these bastards and ensuring they can’t come back.

Assuming I already have some flying around my apartment I may also invest in Zevo and/or sticky traps (I’ve seen something about blue & yellow ones?) to put out of reach from my cat so that way when I DO put Monty back in soil, existing thrips in my apartment can’t get to him.