Don’t confuse this noxious weed with the popular St. Patrick’s Day’Shamrock' houseplant.
Here’s how to rid your gardens of this weed for good.
Eliminating them for good may require repeated digging or applications of non-selective herbicide formulas.
The Spruce / Cathy Fallone
Remove weeds before seeds form or you’ll be fighting a never-ending battle.
Want more gardening tips?
Eliminate Oxalis Weeds Manually
Digging by hand is a straightforward, non-chemical method.
You’ll need a sharp hand spade or weeding fork and a shovel or rototiller for larger patches.
Oxalis spreads rapidly and creates colonies, so eliminating it when it first appears is most effective.
Mature plants have better developed root systems with either numerousbulblets or rhizomes.
Plants regenerate from any part left in the ground.
Species that spread through bulbs have to be dug by hand.
A weeding fork is helpful for lifting tiny, rooted bulblets from the soil.
Foliage breaks off while roots, bulbs, or rhizomes remain to grow new weeds.
If seed heads are present, pulling causes them to pop and spread.
Always read product specifications and follow use and safety directions.
Here are some basic guidelines to consider.
Most are non-selective, indicated for broadleaf weeds, and available on the commercial market.
Check labels to see if oxalis is a specific target for weed control.
Leaves resemble clover, consisting of three distinctly heart-shaped leaflets.
Mulch flowerbeds and around foundation plantings like shrubs and ornamental trees.
Oxalis seeds are light dependent so preventing sun exposure helps reduce germination.
Both have three leaflets but clover leaflets are rounded while oxalis leaves are distinctly heart-shaped.
Clover also indicates acidic soil while oxalis grows in more alkaline soils.
Oxalis Control.Clemson College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences.
Oxalis corniculata.Plants For a Future
