Oxalis is another one of those very tough and hardy weeds that is hard to kill, and which loves to live in our lawns and gardens. With over 800 types of Oxalis around the world, not all are bad and not all are weeds, and in Australia we have about 30 types of Oxalis.
Many people who think they have a Clover infestation will instead most usually have an infection of Oxalis in their lawns, as both weeds can be easily confused with due to their trifoliate leaf.
Oxalis will be easily distinguishable by having heart shaped leaves and small flowers which can be of any number of different colours which can have brightly coloured and more traditional looking flowers.
Clover on the other hand has rounded or oval shaped green leaves and has those white ball shaped flowers we are all accustomed to, and it’s these white ball type flowers which bees love the most. The leaf of the clover will also be serrated, whereas the edge of the leaf of oxalis will be smooth.
Also known as: wood sorrel, false shamrock, yellow sorrel, pink sorrel, sourgrass, purple oxalis, creeping oxalis and other names
Killing Oxalis In Our Lawns
Oxalis is a very tough weed to kill, and it will often require several herbicide treatments to eradicate it. If using a herbicide for Oxalis, follow manufacturers recommendations for dilution and application. The manufacturer will also often include information regarding how often we can reapply the herbicide to our lawns.
If the herbicide does not kill the Oxalis in the first treatment, which it most likely will not, and the weed may even look like it wasn’t even affected at all, then following reapplication guidelines from the herbicide manufacturer we would then spray the lawn again. And unfortunately we may need to spray it again after that and after a suitable interval between treatments.
Oxalis will have corms in which is stores much energy, in that even after weed treatment may look like it is killing this weed, it can seem to come back to life again due to these energy reserves, which is why multiple treatments may often be necessary.
Removal of Oxalis by hand is another option, though care should be taken as this weed will have sent forth creeping stems amongst the lawn thatch, so we should take care to remove all of these runners as well. A small hand digging tool should be used to get all the roots of the Oxalis removed from the soil also if hand pulling.
Oxalis in garden beds should be easily removed by hand and a small digging spade, with the weeds disposed of into the bin and not into the compost heap.
Glyphosate is a broad spectrum herbicide which will kill Oxalis, however great care must be taken in the use of this herbicide as it will kill any plant it comes into contact with, including our lawns. If treating with Glyphosate we would very carefully use a small container of the herbicide and then use a small paintbrush to paint the leaves of the weed, being especially careful not to let any Glyphosate drop onto the lawn or onto any other garden area. Be very careful if using Glyphosate anywhere in your garden.
Professional Weed Sprayers
A professional weed spraying contractor will have access to herbicides which are not available to the homeowner, and which are more potent to use to combat Oxalis, and so if we’re having continued troubles battling this noxious weed in our lawns then we should maybe consider hiring a professional. Just bear in mind however that even a single professional treatment may not be enough either, multiple treatments may still be necessary to permanently kill off Oxalis from our lawns.
Permanent Removal Of Oxalis
Like anything else, we can remove Oxalis permanently from our lawns and gardens so long as we’re determined enough to do it, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or chemicals either.
If we put the required effort into this task, we will win.
We can spray, and in-between waiting times until the next treatments we could also hand pull Oxalis from our lawns and gardens. Or just hand pull the weeds altogether, with the use of a small digging tool.
By keeping on top of the problem we should see each week whether any new Oxalis is growing in our lawns, and we attack that and pull that up too, as soon as it’s seen. If we’re determined and if we’re willing to put the effort in, which is really not that much effort at all more than to remain vigilant during the removal phase, we will defeat Oxalis without any real great dramas.
With Oxalis, it’s never a case of treat and forget, it’s always a case of treat and continue to monitor, and to act again and again until the mission is completed.
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