Oxalis – Indoor House Plants

A happy indoor oxalis will produce lots of flowers during the winter if kept warm enough. Keep them on a window sill that doesn’t get direct full sun and they will brighten the dreary late winter or early spring days.The Oxalis is a great houseplant, easy to care for, and one of the few houseplants that actually blooms all year long. It has clover shaped leaves that fold up at light. The 5-petaled flowers appear on tall stems above the foliage and may be white, pink or red, depending on the species. They will grow to 6”-12” in height.The most common species grown as a houseplant is Oxalis triangularis which has three common names, False Shamrock, Purple Shamrock and Love Plant. The plant is also a little bit magic, because it can revive itself from the dead! Rather than being intrinsically linked with the soil like many other plants, Oxalis is linked to the soil by its tiny bulbs. Forget to water it, temperature drops too low or its living conditions are generally poor, everything above the surface will wilt and die back to take refuge in the bulbs below. As soon as good conditions are restored the plant comes back to life incredibly quickly. This is great for those little accidents where we forget to water our plants for several months at a time, not so good for those who live in temperate regions of the world where this plant can be viewed as a weed.

How to grow and maintain oxalis:

Light:

Oxalis prefer bright indirect light. They can tolerate some direct sun.

Temperature :

Cool to average (55-65F) nighttime temperatures are good, and not warmer than 75 during the day.

Planting:

If planting into the garden space them 12 to 15 inches apart. If planting into a container allow for adequate air ventilation on deck or patio.These will grow up to maximum of 6 to 8 inches tall and 12 to 15 inches wide.

Watering:

Water the plants thoroughly letting the excess water drain through the bottom of the pot. Be sure to keep excess water out of any tray underneath pot. Keep moist, during the spring and summer repeating twice a week all summer long. Water less in winter allowing the soil to dry a little.

Fertilizer:

Oxalis are not heavy feeders. You can feed every 2 weeks in the spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted in half.

Lighting:

Partial or full shade is best in summer. In the winter inside the home, bright light is sufficient.

Blooming:

They will bloom in summer through fall. In the home where kept warm they may bloom some in the winter.

Winter season:

If outside in a cold winter area where it does freeze but stays above 5F, just leave them alone. They will lose their leaves and go dormant waiting for the next spring. If you live where it does not freeze or bring them inside the home during the winter, they will probably lose their leaves gradually. Reduce your watering if that occurs. They will come back in about 4 to 6 weeks.

Pruning:

They should be groomed after each major flush of blooming. Just cut away the old flower stems leaving the leaves alone. This really stimulates them to re-bloom even off season. For heavier pruning, these can be pruned completely to the soil level at anytime their foliage turns brown. They will rest for about 4 to 6 weeks and start right back up.