Hello, I’m Oxalis

Botanical Name for Oxalis

Oxalis acetosella

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I am called Oxalis because I contain high levels of Oxalic acid. I’m also known as Soursop because of the sour taste of my leaves. As I have a similar leaf structure I am sometimes confused with clover. My leaves are bright green, with three distinct lobes. Sometimes I have a paler green halo design on the leaves. I have a deep nut or corm, which makes me hard to eradicate. My flowers can be quite attractive, with pink/purple nodding blooms, which I can produce year-round when permitted. I also come in white and yellow flowering varieties.

As a weed, I spread through both my underground corms and my flowers which set and disperse seeds. I can be very difficult to eradicate. If you just pull me up by my leaves, I release the leaves, but leave the underground nut. Unless you also dig out this nut, I will replace those leaves and grow stronger in the process.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I grow best in moist, free-draining.soils that are deficient in calcium. And I really love soils that are high in copper!

CONTROLLING OXALIS

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I like to grow in moist, free draining soils that are deficient in calcium. Try hand weeding. Just make sure you dig deep enough to remove all my underground nuts, as I can reproduce from any corm left behind. This can be a difficult job as the nuts can be 20cm or more below the surface. I am very good at releasing my leaves to trick you into believing you have killed me, but return even stronger. When you allow me to flower I spread even further through my seeds.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.