Oxalis. Photo / Paul Thompson
Pests that suck
Green shield bugs (or 'stink bugs') can be a common pest at this time of year and they tend to establish colonies in leafy, productive plants like climbing beans, tomatoes and capsicums, tamarillos and passionfruit - another favourite spot is on the back of sunflowers.
These pungent smelling
bugs pierce the skin of fruits and suck on juices. Often these holes then become enlarged and can rot, causing taste of fruit to be impaired. Shield bugs are canny and hard to catch. As you approach they'll scuttle out of sight and often drop from the plant onto the soil below to make their escape.
Take advantage of this habit of dropping off plants by holding a plastic container with water in it underneath them before you tap foliage. The bugs drop off the plant but fall into the water and can't escape. They'll drown or you can dispose of or dispatch them as your conscience befits.
A brilliant tip for which our thanks goes to master gardener James Boshier of All Good Organics.
Get to your Oxalis now
Oxalis looks like clover and one of its common names is 'pink shamrock' - though not all varieties have pink flowers, you get white, yellow and purple. Clover does not produce the tiny bulbils you can see in the photo at the top of the page.
