Anybody knows what is wrong with my purple shamrock? Help!

So what I would do is put it in a clear plastic bag knotted and with small holes. Those leaves won't heal but it will stop someone from nibbling on them.....or you may fine bigger holes in the bag....that someone else added...

 

Hmmm I could try- thank you for the suggestion! I was also thinking of repotting and splitting the plant. One pot would stay inside and I would take the other one outside and see how that one holds up.

 

D-G: I am ariving a little late to this post. I think that first oxalis suffered sun scald...had it received more direct sun than it was used to?
My oxalises do go into dormancy every now & then. It seems to happen if I am remiss re the watering or if I move them to a lower light spot. They look like they are dying, the leaves thin out, etc. If you let them rest a bit, then repot with fresh soil, water etc, they bounce right back. They have little corm like root things thay you can split up if you want.

I like your idea of planting one outside & keeping one as a house plant.

Re the oxalis with the morh-eaten leaves, do you have a cat that eats greenery by any chance?

 

If only I could get rid of the oxalis that grows everywhere in my garden.

 

Yes! I agree Odif! They are a scourge aren't they?

I think the plant O-D has is oxalis triangularis, very cool deep maroon/purple leaves. Looks great in a pale green pot.

 

Hi Cayuga Morning - thanks for the reply. No...no pets at the house. What I ended up doing was I cut off all of the "sick" stems and now waiting for all of them to regrow from bulbs. A few little ones are already showing (see pic) but today I found several tiny snails around the new stem...could they have been eating the leaves of my purple shamrock?

 

Wow, snails! Is this plant outdoors? Obviously I would get rid of those snails!

 

Hi all, some issues with my purple shamrock plant returned. Leaves have rusty patches on the sides. Anyone seen this before?

 

D-G I think that has happened to my oxalis when I have been remiss with the watering. Did you let it dry out & it wilted ?

 

My oxalis has same symptoms. It is infested with a white insect with a pointed body. The leaves turn brown on the edges and curl. I cut it back and it grew back fine, but now is infested again. Before I toss it, I’m wondering if you know what it is. They do not fly (like whiteflies), they don’t weave webs (like spider mites). It’s not scale or powdery mildew. The closest thing I could find was thrip larvae in early stages. But no adults… it the last photo you can see there are several sizes of these bugs. I found a few photos of Oxalis with same symptoms online, but no one seems to know what’s wrong. These pests are so hard to see I think people don’t realize there are insects eating the plant. I had to use a loupe to see them. I've reached out to a horticulture friend, will post anything I find out

 

HI all, well I figured out the culprit. Thrips. The larvae are so tiny you can barely see. But I found some adults in the saucer of my coral bells, which have the same leaf damage.
I pulled the oxalis bulbs and washed them off, will store them for a while in peat moss and then replant when I'm sure all of the thrips are gone from the house.
Ughhhhhhhh!

 

If you are in the US,,go to the Dollar store and buy some Sargeants flea and tick shampoo for dogs ! Mix 1 TBSP per pint of water and dip the entire plant in it. then repot as normal ! You can also use this as a spray if you have bugs again ! Will not hurt the plants ! I use the same chemical on my vegetable garden but stronger ! If you want the organic equivalent get the cat spray ! Its approved organic ! Make sure it the Sargeants brand ! Not sure about the other brands !

 

@mart ...that is great. I will use the idea in the greenhouse from now on. I love it...

 

Sargeants flea and tick shampoo for dogs as well as the spray has permethrin as the active ingredient ! Cat spray has pyrethrin as active ingredient ! Pyrethrin is an approved insecticide for organic gardens,, its made from chrysanthemums ! Permethrin as in the dog spray and shampoo is a man made version of it !
I have used it for years because its the safest thing I have found and takes very little to kill the bugs ! I buy it at the feed store in an undiluted state ! Its the same thing as is found in fly spray for horses ! Also is great as a flea spray for dogs ! Can be used on most animals except cats ! Have no idea why,, I have used it as a dip for barn cats but can not recommend it for such !
If you buy the undiluted version at the feed store,, yell at me and I can tell you how to mix that ! The Sargeants is already a diluted version !