History of the Shamrock
The earliest reference to the shamrock was in the 5th century when St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity to the Druids. There is no proof that this really happened, however, the shamrock continued to become a part of Irish legend and history. Today in Ireland, the three-lobed leaf is a symbol of Ireland and is proudly worn as a “good luck” badge on St. Patrick’s day.
The “lucky clover” is not the same as the Shamrock plant sold at the grocery stores around St. Patrick’s day. The word shamrock is derived from Celtic word, “trefoil” (three-leafed), or “little clover”. Trifolium repens is the small white clover that is found in lawns and also used as a green manure cover crop. Irish experts consider this to be the true shamrock. Although, others may argue that the yellow flowered (Trifolium dubium) is the real deal. Both are difficult to grow indoors.
The shamrocks sold in grocery stores belong to a large family of Oxalis with over 800 varieties, native to Chile and South Africa. They grow from small corms or tuberous roots which produce delicate, clover-like leaves that are light sensitive and close on cloudy days and at night (nyctinstic movements). The leaves range from a green to purple with flowers that come in a variety of colors; white, cream, yellow, pink, purple and red.
Oxalis regnelli, sold as the shamrock plant, has white flowers and green foliage. Another version, O. triangularis has purple leaves with pinkish to white flowers.
CARE
Indoors – keep in a well-lit location (east or west window) away from hot and cold drafts at temperatures of 60-70F during the day and 55-65F at night. They should be kept barely moist at all times and not allowed to stand in water as that will cause root rot. Fertilize every 2 -4 weeks with a houseplant fertilizer. The plant is relatively pest free.
When finished blooming, the plant may start to die back. Allow it to go dormant for 1-3 months keeping the corms cool and dry. After dormancy, repot and or divide (optional). When signs of new growth emerge, begin to water, fertilize and move to a sunny spot.
Oxalis regnelli and O.triangularis are hardy in zone 6-10. Hardier varieties can be grown outdoors as a nice ground cover. Not only does it make a great houseplant, but the unique foliage can add great accent and color to your outdoor container plantings.
Troubleshooting: Tall & lanky plant – needs more light, too warm (temps over 75)
Yellowing plant – watering too much.
May the luck of the Irish be with you!
Happy St. Patty’s!!
From the reader archive
Useful reader questions
Rust My purple Shamrocks have been growing happily in my Richmond, Virginia garden for years. Recenty, however they have developed a heavy coating of a yellow-orange powder which completely covers the underside of the leaves. In a few days, the affected leaves…
Read M. Powell discussionI purchased 2 oxalis; one from a plant store (purple), one from a grocery store (green). The one from the grocery store was at first quite bushy with flowers. The one from the plant store was not as bushy. Both had flowers.…
Read Maggie discussionI need a little help. My daughter gave me an oxalis triangularis (sp?) for Mother’s Day 2002, it was started in an old soup can at school. 2 years ago i finally got up the courage to repot it into a “real”…
Read Kris discussionComment on Plant & Gardening Tips, for topic: Shamrocks (Oxalis) After reading this thread, I am assuming my pink-flowered oxalis has P. oxalis rust. These plants are in beds at the foot of Madame Galen trumpet vines which shade our arbor in…
Read C Brink discussion
Brown margins on leaves
If the edges of my Shamrock are turning brown, what does that mean? It is growing and seems to do well except for the browning. Thanks
Droopy stems
To Dawn B: we too had problems with drooping long stemmed leaves and blossoms .we fashioned a four legged affair topped by a thin square of scrap panneling with a circular 8″ dia hole. we slit a old garden hose to line the edge for friendly corners. hose length Pi x dia , roughly 3×10 in or case.the legs were 3/4 sq wood stock screwed to bottom of the sq. panel,they are 2-3″ longer than depth of pot. we lowered the pot thr u the hole from above ,the rounded edge collared the stems ever so gently.good luck .it worked swell for us
Fungus gnats
My Shamrock Plant is doing well – except it has somehow has attracted these small gnat-like insects. How can I get rid of these? I was thinking of handling it systemically with a product?
Dormancy
Question: my purple shamrock plant is a few years old and is dormant, I think, for the first time. I’ve stopped watering for the most part and keep the room dark. I’m noticing that the corms are sticking out well above the soil line and the leaves don’t look very healthy. I don’t want the plant to die – what should I do? Thanks!
Are the white tubers stemming from the corms of the purple Oxalis viable for planting/flourishing or should I toss them after harvesting the corms? Are they poisonous (oxalic acid)?
How deep and how many
my oxalis needs to be repotted. all i read so far has not mentioned how deep to set the corms. please inform me of any rule of thumb.
Dormancy
My poor purple shamrock now only has one stem left. I’ve had it for about 3 years, and it seems to go up and down from an abundance of leaves and flowers to just a few. I assume that is typical because it always bounces back. This time, I’m not so sure because there’s no sign of new growth. Is there anything I can do to save it, or is it time to look for a new one? This was my favorite plant!
My 10 year old shamrock has developed whitish, grayish spots that seem to be fungal in nature. When new leaves appear, they are perfect, but soon “catch” the fungus from existing leaves. There are no aphids, flies or other insects that I can observe. Otherwise the plant seems to be healthy, and produces abundant white flowers. Any solution to my problem?
I am going to replant my “Shamrock” or Oxalis and have never did it before and I have a few questions. You mentioned the planting depth should be 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep but do you plant the “Tuber” or “Rhizome” vertical or horizontal in the pot?? Kind of a weird question but I really dont want to kill my little friend. Oh, do you seperate the little seeds off of the tuber as well and plant the seeds that that way? My Sham and I would appreciate your help and I have bookmarked your page for future referances. Thanks for the help. 🙂
How long will it take for a dormant shamrock to start to grow, and how can I tell if it is dormant or just dead?
Do purple shamrocks, if planted outside, spread as bad as green shamrocks?
I posted a comment weeks ago saying that I had moved and my shamrocks were spotting and seemingly dying quickly…
I just wanted to update you and tell you that I continued to pull the spotted stalks and then had to go out of town for a few days – when I returned, I found them healthy again and thriving!
Thanks for your help 🙂 Robyn Maitland
Hooray!That’s great!
CUpdate on my shamrock – all the leaves died and now I have 10 new leaves :))
One question – my plant had an upper layer of moss which I removed so some of the corms are exposed slightly above the soil – shall I add some soil to cover the corms or is it ok for them to be exposed?
Drooping long stems
I HAVE A PURPLE SHAMROCK AND THE LEAVES ARE SO LONG AND THEY’RE DROOPING NOT MATTER HOW MUCH OR HOW LITTLE I WATER THEM. SOMEONE TOLD ME TO CUT THEM ALL DOWN AND THEY’LL COME BACK. IS THIS TRUE? I’M AFRAID I’LL KILL IT IF I CUT IT BACK.
Shamrocks (Oxalis) Can anyone tell me if the sap from the common Oaxlis could make skin burn &tingle? Inadvertantly got some sap(i think) on my lip whilst weeding today. Very unpleasant!! Shiona
Shamrocks (Oxalis)I have had a purple oxalis in my front garden for years and have basically ignored it. It comes back bigger and better every year. This year I have noticed that the leaves have an orange spots on their underside. What is this? Help
Kim, San Antonio, TX
I received a pot of purple oxalis as a gift a few months ago— the plant was a sample of a larger plant that had been growing for quite some time. I have never seen it grow flowers, and it usually has only around ten leaves (the plant is not very dense). But the leaves it does have are large and healthy-looking. Could the problem be that it’s so warm this time of year, or should I let it go dormant for a month? How can I tell?
Shamrocks (Oxalis)
I was given a root mass of oxalis regnellii…separated the rhizomes and have repotted 1 rhizome per large coffee mug (with rocks in the bottom for drainage) to give as gifts. Little plants are growing well and started blooming with 2 weeks of being planted in mid-August. I have 2 questions: I would like to be able to tell the gift recipients how long they can expect it to take before they would need to divide or repot their plants. Since the plants started blooming immediately, I would also like to know when you think their normal “growing season” is–summer or fall? Thanks for your help!
Shamrocks (Oxalis) My shamrocks are years old. I never remember them going dormant. The inside plants both have developed the white spots similar to your description of chlorotic ring spot. They’re in an east window with African violets and orchids. Neither of these seem to have the spots. Do I discard the shamrocks? What about the other plants? Thanks.
When my shamrocks came out of hibernation last year, they got really “leggy.” They have Western light, and lean like crazy. Would they be happier in the ground (in central Florida), or should I wait until the next dormancy? Or might they need a bigger container than the 7″ clay pot they’re in?
Shamrocks (Oxalis)
Comment on Plant & Gardening Tips, for topic: Shamrocks (Oxalis)
After reading this thread, I am assuming my pink-flowered oxalis has P. oxalis rust. These plants are in beds at the foot of Madame Galen trumpet vines which shade our arbor in the hot Texas summers. For the past 3 or more years the trumpet vine leaves have turned yellow, developed brown spots, and dropped and thus no shade for us. Are these two problems related?
Rust
My purple Shamrocks have been growing happily in my Richmond, Virginia garden for years. Recenty, however they have developed a heavy coating of a yellow-orange powder which completely covers the underside of the leaves. In a few days, the affected leaves wither away. I do not see insects, so I assume the powder is a fungus. it does not seem to be affecting any other plants in the garden. However, purple shamrocks located in various areas are all affected. What should I do? I prefer the most eco-friendly approach possible.
Chlorotic ring spot virus
Hello- I purchased a green shamrock plant about 4 months ago, since then it has grown very well and has bloomed constantly. Recently I have noticed that the leaves look “pitted” and some of the leaves have white spots on them. I have inspected the leaves for insects but have not found any. I have the plant sitting on a southeast window ledge where it seems to get plenty of sun light. Are these white spots considered chlorotic ring spot disease and if so any suggestions? Thank you
I need a little help. My daughter gave me an oxalis triangularis (sp?) for Mother’s Day 2002, it was started in an old soup can at school. 2 years ago i finally got up the courage to repot it into a “real” flower pot. It flourished! Which is quite a feat for me (i have a black thumb). Anyways, now the pot has become too small and the corm (?) is beginning to stick out above the soil. I know i need to divide it and repot both into their own pots, but i’m an idiot when it comes to this. I have NO IDEA what to do or how to do it. Unfortunately the only info i’ve been able to find just says to divide the corm, how many inches, etc. I need to know how to divide the corm. Any help would be awesome because I’m afraid it’s not going to last much longer the way it is. Thank you!
Great page. I have had my green Oxalis for 3 years – I don’t think it has ever gone completely dormant, until just recently when I thought I’d killed it. I was moving, and it wilted in the heat – then it was outside for some fresh air and a rainstorm broke all the stems. 1 little shoot survived, but died shortly after. The plant appeared completely dead, and dried out pretty well.
I was so thrilled when 1 new shoot appeared a few weeks ago. Since then I have watered it and put it in the sunlight. It still only has 1 shoot. Is now a good time to repot (hasn’t been repotted in 3 yrs), or should I wait till it goes dormant again? What can I do to promote more growth – it still just has 1 stalk.
The tips of the leaves of my oxalis are ruffly as if they’ve been nibbled on – there are a couple of small holes in the leaves too. I looked for pests, but can’t see anything on the leaves. There are a couple of small puckers in the leaves too, but otherwise they appear a nice dark green. Is there a pest? Please advise!
Shamrocks (Oxalis)
I have recently taking a cutting of my very successful oxalis triangularis to France where it is growing nicely in a couple of pots inside. However I noticed on my last visit that it seems to have become ‘French’! By that I mean that the leaves seem to shut down between 12-3pm (even though it is in a bright spot) as if it is taking a ‘siesta’, something my plants have never done in the UK. Can anyone explain why this might happen?
Many thanks
Shamrocks (Oxalis)
Oh – and to add to the above – the leaves were puckered/curled when they emerged from the soil. This has not progressed after they unfold.
Are the leaves of the shamrock (oxalis) plant edible? Can they be used as garnish on a salad for St. Patrick’s Day without making anyone ill?
Help,shamrocks have taken over my backyard. They are taking over all flowerpots. Shamrock is growing in the flowerbeds,in borders,everywhere. Where did it come from? Can it smother my potted plants? Should I enjoy this plant or be concerned? I have never purchased a shamrock plant,where did it all come from? Thanks!
I wanted to send a picture of the issue on my Oxalis shamrock, but I don’t see any links to that. My plant was healthy, is blooming and still sending up new leaves. I had divided and transplanted the bulbs a couple months ago when I thought it was going to die and I would lose the whole plant. I did not know it goes through a natural cycle as a houseplant. However, now leaves, one by one that looked healthy, are starting to turn green then brown and even turn a dark blue in spots around the edges, and eventually the whole plant dies. I have been using my aquarium water to water all my house plants. I also have a coleus that is also developing problems…looks like tan scabs on the underneath of the plant. Since this is happening to two plants at the same time, I am inclined to think it’s the fish water….maybe over doing it…thoughts? Sorry for the book. I don’t usually have problems with my plants in house.
Hi Pam
Could it be a matter of watering too much?
Hi, I’ve repotted my shamrock and now the leaves are droopy and the leaves don’t open…HELP
I got small oxalis root several years ago.It was blooming and I enjoyed it .Now leaves of the plants become rusty and get dryed.I removed leaves but it started again.Please give me advise what should I do? Thank you.Nelya
My shamrocks,that came from the grocery store this past St. Patty’s day, were doing great until now. They have yellow spots on the top of the leaves but under the leaves is a bright orange powder. What can I use to kill whatever is hurting my plant?
I just recently acquired some shamrock seeds. I have planted these seeds and the shamrocks are already growing nice and tall. Actually they are getting so tall that they are starting to fall over. Do these plants require a stake and being tied up?
I’ve had my purple shamrocks for 6 months and still only have about 10 stems and have never seen flowers. Is that normal and what should i be feeding them?
Rust on shamrock
I live in Virginia and have several purple shamrock plants in different locations through out my yard that develope small orange spots or pustules on the under side of the leafs. It eventually makes a hole in the leaf as if an insect is eating it. I followed your advise on previous posts and remove infective leaves as soon as I see the orange spots as well as increase the air flow. The problem is everytime new leafs come up they develope the orange spots and I have to pull them off. Is it possible the whole root is infected with something.
HELP
we have pink shamrocks. the flowers and the clover-like leaves are beautiful!
I have recenty started a purple shamrock from one of my neighbors plants. So far there’s 4 shoots, each with a purple, shamrock type leave on the end…how long till the bulbs(tubulars) multiply so it starts to look like a real plant instead of 4 leaves in a pot??
Aphids and slugs
Hello. I have recently discovered aphids on my Oxalis. What should I do to get rid of them? Also, I have run across slugs eating my purple Oxalis. Is there a treatment to keep them off? Thanks.
I have a purple oxalis which i think is 3 years old.The leaves are turning pale and will not open during the day.Some of the corms are a little above the soil surface.It was very dense in the spring and summer it is now september and it is getting very sparse. Can you please help me as my daughter gave me this plant and I absolutely love it.Thanks for the help
After reading all this, I still need help! I have both green and purple oxalis. I’ve had the green one for a couple of years and it’s never gone dormant. Up until about two months ago, it was growing so much, I split it into two pots. I figured it might have to re-adjust after re-planting, but now it has white spots (which I’m reasonably certain is not caused by chlorotic ring spot), and the leaves are crumpling. They look like deflated balloons. Now the purple plant is starting the same thing. Should I let them dry out and go dormant or cut them back? It seems to still be growing, the leaves have good color, but it just looks terrible.
My purple oxalis is turning green.HELP
Dividing oxalis tubers
I repotted my purple oxalis from a 5″ pot and discovered roughly 30 tubers. Some are 1″ to 2″ long. Is it ok to break them in half and repot? I saw above that 6-9 tubers can be potted in a 6″ pot. I’m looking forward to having several pots of the purple oxalis. I like it much better than the green. However, it grows well for me too.
Thanks for all the helpful advice!
Good growing.
Drooping stems
HELP — I HAVE OVER WATERED MY PLANT AND THE STEMS ARE DROOPING WHAT CAN I DO? PLEASE HELP I LOVE THIS PLANT
Oxalis toxicity
We came home from shopping and found that our 16 pound cat had eaten 12 leaves of the Oxalis regallii (the leaves are small). We know that, in small quantities, the leaves may be used by humans in salads, however, our cat did not consider the leaves as salad. We have already contacted our Vet and they do not have much information as to the toxicity of the Oxalis leaves regarding ingestion by cats. Can you help us.
Bob Arthur
what soil type(s) do oxalis like in pots? PH?
Oxalis like a neutral to slightly acidic soil- a ph of 6.0-7.0
Hello there. I have had a green shamrock plant for two years now and it has always done very well, even in the window in my dorm room. However, I’ve noticed that it’s starting to look a little “sad” – even new leaves are droopy and purple, and there aren’t near as many shoots as there were in the summertime, when it was flourishing. However, there’s quite an abundance of white blooms on it, which gives me hope. I’m really attached to this plant, so I’d appreciate any insight. Thanks!
Dormant?
A friend gave me her Oxalis plant before she moved to Arizona. She could not take it on the plane. It had originally been her mom’s. It bloomed right after I brought it home and I took that as a good sign, but since then the leaves have been dying off and getting fewer. Should I just let it go dormant?? Is that what it is trying to tell me?? I don’t want it to die. What should I do?
Okay…I absolutely love my purple shamrock plants. I have a couple questions on care though….i live in albuquerque and in the summers here it gets pretty hot, i wanted to plant some oxalis bulbs in my front lawn in a flower bed this summer. when is a good time to do so, if this is even something that would work? Also what is the smallest size pot they should be planted in? I have a couple bulbs planted in very small like 2inch pots because they are “cute” haha. anyhow thanks for the help!
Purple shamrock hardiness
Also, if i plant the bulbs outside in a flower bed….will the bulbs freeze and die in the winter and not come back the next year or will they come back when the weather is nice…..and when is a good time for me to plant the bulbs in the flower bed?
Pill bugs
I have a very old Shamrock that has grown very well. From time to time it’s leaves become lighter and not very happy. In the past I have given it a “haircut” and trimmed all the leaves off. It always recovers nicely. Today after it’s “haircut” I noticed a couple of roly-poly bugs on the pot. I kept it in the sink and washed the bugs down the drain. I kept watering the plant every few minutes and managed to “flush” out about 20 of these bugs. Do you think the bugs were the problem or has it been going dormant?
I have a beautiful green oxalis (indoor houseplant) that I’ve had for several years and it has never gone dormant. It now seems like it is bursting out of it’s pot…the center cluster of leaves/flowers are perky and pretty, but the outside leaves are droopy. I’ve had a number of people tell me that I need to divide and re-pot, but I’m afraid of killing it! I know you’ve answered a number of questions on how to do this, but could you give me idiot-proof directions? Even after reading all of the above, I’m still confused. What is a corm? What is a tuber? What do these things look like? When I take my plant and ease it out of it’s pot and dump it on the table, then what? You said to repot when it is dormant, but my plant has never been dormant. I’ve seen, too, that the corms/tubers/whatevers need to have “eyes.” What does this mean? I am really dumb with this stuff…it is a miracle my plant has survived this long with me caring for it and I am so scared to re-pot it. Any help would be much appreciated!!
P.S. I live in eastern PA and it is now COLD here…even though my plant is inside, should I wait till spring?
I will tell you one thing about my shamrocks. I had this one pot of
shamrocks that I bought at walmart that is pretty healthy and when I
pulled off the dead leaves, I accidently uprooted just one of them
and planted it in another pot which at the time was just one leaf.
Now this one leaf has grown into dozens full of blooms. I noticed that
during Lent that my shamrocks bloom the most during the year. Now
that I’m getting new windows tomorrow I’m worried that it might hurt
my plants since it will only get up to 48 degrees. How do I keep them warm?
judy tooley
Drooping leaves
Now that my shamrocks have made it through the windows
being changed. I noticed when I got home today that
the one I started last year is drooping. It’s been
very healthy up until now. Is there something wrong?
I also bought a new purple shamrock with the big leaves.
The ones that are drooping are the green ones with a
slight purple underneath.
judy tooley
Type of Oxalis
Hi. I just bought a shamrock for a friend living in coastal San Diego. She’s not sure what type of care to give it and, frankly, niether am I. I’m not actually sure what variety of shamrock I bought (I was in a rush), so I’m not sure if it is oxalis or trifolium. Do you know how I can tell the difference and give some advice on how to have her start caring for it, depending on which one it is. The plant had its little white flowers and an abundance of green leaves on it already when I gave it to her and the flower definitely resembles googled pics of oxalis more than trifolium, but I’m not sure.
James.
Dormancy
Hi! i bought a very small shamrock planted in a glass vase about two years age.There were only four stalks them and I thought it would never get bushy. Now it is starting to get fuller but not as much as hoped. Is this a very busy plant or sparse. It does have very pretty white flowers on it.I have noticed it doesnt seem to go dormant as its supposed to. Is it a full bushy plant normally and does it have to go dormant?
I purchased 2 oxalis; one from a plant store (purple), one from a grocery store (green). The one from the grocery store was at first quite bushy with flowers. The one from the plant store was not as bushy. Both had flowers. The plant shop told me to “deadhead” the flowers to keep them blooming. I did and now neither has flowers. The store purchase has thinned out a lot, The plant store one, not as much. Does “deadheading” mean pulling the entire stem out (which I copied from the plant store lady)? Or should I just let the stems die and drop off at their own pace?
I bought them because I read in a magazine that they are easy to care for, but this does not seem to be the case. Will the purple one continue to grow purple leaves? Some of the newer sprouts seem to be more greenish in color.
I got a Triangularis plant a bit over a year ago. It used to be pretty thick and would frequently produce flowers, but it always had some issues with its leaves being brown and dry around the edges. It started dying more and more, then i left it with my mom when I moved. She didn’t water it much and it didn’t get a ton of light and i think it went dormant. When i got it again, it didn’t look good at all, but i figured it would be ready to come out of dormancy and started watering it. It looked like it was starting to get going again and had a number of little sprouts, but then it kind of gave up. Then nothing for about a month. Finally, I decided to give up. But when I was throwing it out, I saw that the tuber things are still firm and look healthy aside from a lack of roots. It’s spring now, should I try to let them go dormant in a closet or something, or repot them now and see if it does anything? They’re currently out of the soil.
Folded leaves
Hi,
I am worried about my Oxalis – it has just been through a dormant period in which we kept it dry and let it rest; now it has started to grow again and has quite a lot of leaves and flowers. The plant looks healthy and the leaves have a good colour, but they are not opening up in the light and I don’t know why. Please help! I am not really sure how to look after the plant properly and feel I am just muddling through.
transplant shock
Hi,
I just repotted my Oxalis plant (my first time repotting anything) and not only are all the leaves drooping but the stems as well, and the corms seem to be at odd angles. I noticed that I had broken a few of the stems too in my clumsy attempt to move it to a slightly bigger pot. Is this just transplant shock or have I killed it? I would really appreciate any advice you can give me, because I am at a total loss.
Thanks for the response. You’ve been keeping up since 2005! Anyway, I repotted and I’ll hope for the best. Thanks again!
Hello,
I bought a purple Oxalis last year and it flowered well. It was a hard winter (Scotland) and now there is no sign of it (outside). By this time (end of May) should it be showing or is it dead?
You know something Rupert? I live in the part of the
United States where temps get to just above zero like
last winter. I never had that problem since mine are
inside as houseplants. We have some kind of wild
shamrocks that grow here. They have very tiny leaves
and are a pale and almost yellow color. Just give
your purple shamrocks time. If they don’t come up,
just look for some more.
judy tooley
Hello Lisa, You can repot this plant! I promise, Gently dump the whole plant dirt and all on a flat newspaper covered are. Careful not to mash the top of it. SHake the dirt off of the roots and see how many extra tubers you have. Separate them gently and put into other pots at least 6 inches across and 6 to 8 inches deep. Dirt in the bottom 2/3 rds the tuber and enough dirt to cover the tops even after you’ve watered them. Add a little liquid fertilizer and the should do just fine.
I bought purple oxalis with less than 10 leaves, new leaves are forming,but also I see lots of flower buds. Do I need to pinch the flowerheads for the plant to establish first?
hi, i have a clover of some kind, but unsure what type, but it has very very long stalks. i read somewhere this meant that it was going to die. some of the leaves have turned yellow, so i’ve removed them. i’ve also just repotted it, so might not have helped it. what do you think is best to do? i hear other people commenting that their’s is multiplying and bushy, what do i need to do so that mine does this, as at the minute it is going up a lot but no signs of any new stalks growing? it is sat in my window, but my flat doesn’t get much sun so its never in direct sunlight. thanks.
Hi Pam. Don’t use aquarium water on your houseplants. We use chemicals in aquariums to encapsulate amonia and condition the water for the marine life that isn’t really good for houseplants. Even if you don’t add treatments to your aquarium, amonia from the fish is too concentrated for potted plants to handle. Likewise, treatments for controlling disease, insects and fungus on plants shouldn’t be allowed into your aquarium or it will harm your aquatic friends. Be sure to cover your aquarium and turn off your pump while applying dusts or misting treatments to plants indoors.
I went on vacation & my neighbor overwatered my plant. She had it sitting in water for more than 2 days. The leaves are droopy, wilting & slimy. I had to repot it as it was sitting in mud. It still looks very ill. Any suggestions? Should I force a dormant period, by keeping it in the dark now?
My purple shamrock has been doing beautifully all summer, but in the past week it has been dropping its leaves. It’s as if the stem becomes weak around the top and the foliage just falls off. So, I have all these stems sticking up. Any ideas?
Hi, I have a purple Oxalis plant I got about a year ago. It has never done very well. (I do have a green one I’ve had for years and rages). It seems to sprout a few stems and then the purple leaves tierh and turn brown. Recently they few that grew seemed to stay for awhile however now they are turning green. I have one purple stem and about 5 green ones. Anything I can do to encourage the purple to come back?
Thanks
Paul
I bought a purple shamrock (oxalis) plant some months ago, and unfortunately it died due to lack of watering. I just tried replanting the bulbs about three weeks ago and so far no shoots. Have I completely killed the bulbs (rhizome/corm/whatever it’s called)?
I have an indoor shamrock plant that I have had since 1981. It is a large plant and looks beautiful except for the white spots on the leaves that have developed in the last couple of months. The plant is still growing and seems healthy but the spots are not going away. I would be upset at losing this plant after all these years.
HOT WATER…. not boiling but HOT! Kills the fungus gnats so they don’t hatch. I used hair spray to slow down the flying gnats so I could kill them! Took abt a week to get rid of them. Nothing else worked and I threw out another plant before reading abt the HOT WATER routine.
Good luck.
What about the affect of hot water on the roots?
Dormancy
Hi my purple shamrock is more than 10 years old, and was fine until last fall. He start dying and when was sunny in my room ( he is keeping far away from window lights) all plant was growing- going to the window direction and then he start falling so I moved him opposite and after few days was this same, now only one leaf is alive but even he isn’t standing straight
The white flowers of my plant re dying. Is this normal? Will new ones take their place? Should I deadhead this plant and pinch off the dead flowers?
Rust
HI there,
I have had a pink shamrock plant in the garden for the past 20 years. For the past four years the plant is very green and lush in the winter, then in the spring this bright orange powdery substance appears on the underside of the leaves. The plant still flowers but the leaves die off from this orangey powder. Then the cold weather in the winter seems to get rid of the orange substance and the leaves look healthy again. What is this orange powder?
My mother-in-law had a purple shamrock plant and I fell in love with it, maybe my Irish roots were coming out. She found a small plant at a yard sale and bought it for me about month ago. At first it was doing really well with beautiful little flowers, now it seems to be failing, the stems are long with maybe only 12 flowers left. The new blooms aren’t even thriving. I have it in the small pot it came in with good drainage, the soil is somewhat moist, indirect lighting, we keep the house about 70 degrees. Please help my heart is breaking seeing this little guy suffering.
I have the same problem Bob, how is your cat after eating that small quanity of leaves?
When I bought a purple oxalis in April (it’s now mid-June), it was full of white blossoms. As expected, they are gone, and the leaves still look very nice. Now I am seeing corms emerging from the soil in the center. (Truthfully had no idea what they were until I read all of this helpful information online…). ALSO growing is a tiny little plant right in the middle of the other, taller stems! Not at all sure what to do with the plant now — obviously, it’s not ready to go dormant, so do I just let it go, exposed corms and all, and see what happens? Am lightly watering the plant once a week, and it is in a west-facing window partially shaded by the outside awning and/or slatted blinds. Any advice?
Try putting your purple and green shamrock next to the house. They love it. Leave them out all winter but cover with leaves. They will die down but will come up every year. If you want to dig some of them up in the fall and let the little corns dry out and plant in the spring. They like rich soil so I buy a bag of manure and put over them in the fall or early spring every two or 3 years. Forget the pots . I live in TN so they want freeze out but they would in pots if left out side.
dormancy?
I purchased two small Oxalis plants (one green and one red)several months ago. They seemed to be doing fine in their separate containers. I decided to combine them into a larger container. I used the soil they were in plus I added some more good soil to obviously fill the new/larger container. I fertilized and watered them slightly as I know they do not like to be wet. They are in a window facing south with a sheer curtain in front of them. All of a sudden it seems like they are dying the stems have become very limp and the leaves are just dying. I have been cutting them in order for more strength or whatever to be given to the ones that seem to be okay. HELP!!!!!! What have I done wrong. Hopefully I haven’t killed the plants.
Powdery mildew
Hi my purple shamrock seems to be doing well and growing fine, but there are tiny specs on the leaves that look to me like mold. after reading some of the other questions here, I went and checked it out. I picked up the pot it was in and it was sitting there was about an inch and half of water in the tray under the pot. It must be about 3 weeks old water so I dumped it out. Could this be the reason the leaves looked moldy? Does this mean I have been overwatering the plant?
Rust
I have a purple shamrock. this plant has survived and sometimes thrived here in hawaii. however, in the past 4-6 months it has been plagued with bright yellow/gold “stuff” on the underside of its leaves. Looks like whitefly but it’s bright yellow. Just before the yellow stuff, it’s leaves were being eaten by something (holes). I’ve tried a very diluted solution of liquid detergent and water sprayed to the back of the leaves. the leaves dried up, but when new leaves came back so did the yellow stuff.
What can I do? a fungicide? vinegar and water? Thanks for any advice.
Dormancy
I’ve had a purple shamrock plant for two months now and it seems like every week one of them are slowly dying. they turn pink and eventually the stem shrivels up and dies. what am i doing wrong ? is this normal ? please help.
spider mites
Great thread. Read the whole thing but none matched my issues/questions perfectly. I have a 38 year old oxalis a relative brought home from Ireland. It has done well, more or less, and has been divided countless times. Well, with my new camera, I eagerly took my first macro pic of one of the flowers and I totally have spider mites! Yikes. This piece of the original plant is in pretty bad shape and I think I will have to cut all foliage down to the tuber, ditch the soil, rinse the roots vey well, and replant in a clean pot. What do you think? Does this sound like a good idea?
THANKS!
Hello everybody, nice to hear everybody loves the oxalis regnellii and triangularis so much. I am a bulb grower from the netherlands who grow these types of oxalis big way. We grow over 10.000 m2 regnellii and 10.000 m2 triangularis especialy for pot-growers. If anybody has problems with these types of oxalis maybey I can help. Kind regards Marco Verschoor
Thanks Marco
Perhaps you can give Amanda some more advice.
Hi there!
Thanks so much for posting such helpful info on these plants. I read almost allll of the post & comments but I still have a couple of questions!
#1 I have a shamrock plant that’s green on top & purple undearneath. It is light sensitive & “goes to sleep” at night/in the dark. So, it looks green all day & purple all night. It’s gorgeous!! I’m wondering what type it is?
#2 The plant was given to me by my grandmother about 12 years ago & I’d like to repot it so it can have some fresh new soil & hopefully grow thick & healthy like it used to. However, I’m not sure what you mean my separating/diving the corms? Could you please be more specific?Thanks in advance for your time!
Oxalis ID and planting
Hello Amanda, if the oxalis has white flowers than it is Regnellii, if the flowers are pink than it is called Birgit. The regnellii type is not extreme purple underneath. Check the flowers or mail a picture to me. 2) you can get all the bulbs out of the pot and wash them in water. Get the dark bulbs out; that are the old ones they don`t have the pointy top. After washing you can plant them in new soil or keep them at 5 celcius with a litle pot-soil in the fridge. Please note: make sure the soil has been washed off totaly because of fungus and other disease in the old soil. You can harvest the bulbs almost every time of the year but the best period is whem the leaves die (around oktober or november). The new bulbs will alway sprout.
Thank you so much for your replies. I orginally had the plant in a 8″ pot & I finally got brave enough to attempt repotting about 3 days ago. I separated all of the corms & found I found about 60, then I rinsed them all off & repotted them with fresh soil into 4 new pots. I’m really hoping I did everything okay & that they start to grow again. How long should it be before I see some new growth? Thanks again!
They do have white flowers & although it’s not true purple under the leaves it is a rich burgundy wine color. I absolutely love them & I’m really hoping for some new growth!!
Leaf emerge from rhizomes
Hi Amanda, in europe it takes around 2,5 weeks to see the first leaves comming. Maybe at your place it would be a litlle earlier. If you put the pots in a place where the temperatur is around 15 degrees celcius than you would see results sooner. If you can`t wait for the leaves coming out of the pot carefully take away the soil on top of the rhizomes and check if they are allready comming(after 1 week you must see results, if not than the temperature could be a litlle to low.)
Hi Amanda, you can mail a picture to me at: veetje@planet.nl Nice to hear all went well with replanting the rhizomes.
Scale on Shamrock plant
My mom has a Shamrock she has had for awhile the thing is really pretty. The only thing with it is it keeps getting attacked by these little scale-like bug things, they’re usually on the stems and the veins of the leaves. She cuts it back when they start to get really bad then the shamrock is fine for awhile then the scales come back and it starts to die again … i
s there something that will kill these things?
Hi Shasta
You can use a systemic insecticide which is applied on the soil surface.
transplanted oxalis
I have a oxalis with white flowers, the under side of the leaves are burgandy. It was too big, so i separated it into 3 small bunches and 2 large. The small ones are only 1 root per pot. I left the actual plant part on the roots when i transplanted. I could not find a main root, only many small ones. I watered and put them in a low light area. it has never gone dormant when it was one plant. Should i take the plants off and plant the roots.. or make the transplants go dormant? This oxalis is 25 years old.It was my mothers and i need to keep it alive, i hope i dident kill it.. i probly should have done more research before i attempted this :/
Hi Amy
Leave the plants as they are and see what they do. Some plants will do what they want. You don’t need to force them to go dormant. Don’t remove any leaves and stems as they provide food for the roots.
sorry, i made a mistake there. It HAS gone dormant when my mother had it, she let it go dormant sometimes. I went away for 3 months and dident water it, then i came home watered it and it grew back.but t has been growing fine for 4 months. i transplanted and seperated it just today.
Great Marco. I really like the purple oxalis but have a hard time with them. I have one plant which I’ve had for years. It never grows more than 1 or 2 stalks, small, weak stems, sometimes there are only 2 leaves, not 3. If a third stalk starts to grow, then another one always dies. I don’t overwater, I have changed the soil, plant is not in full sun. What is the prob? Maybe fertilizer?
Hello Justine, it`s probably a fungus you cannot fight. You can chek the bulbs; if they are turning totally brown on the inside with almost no life in the rhozome then I am sure its the fungus that also love hyacints. There is no solution to this. Best is to by some new rhizomes. Good luck. Kind regards Marco
Hi,
Love these posts!
I was kindly given a cutting of a purple oxalis with pink flowers a few months ago now. The lady who gave me the cutting had the plant split up and hers were and still are growing nicely, (even though she never feeds them!). Mine however started to look a bit thin and miserable. I’d let the soil dry out a little, careful not to over or under water it but this was to no avail. Soon it started losing its bright colour and developed white/yellow powdery spots on the leaves. I repotted the plant into compost/soil/sand (in order from top down). And on the thought it was a fungus I gave it a little ‘wash’ in some diluted tea tree oil. It got rid of the ‘fungus’ but also killed what little remained of the plant!
I let the leaves die naturally. Stopped watering and put it in a dark cupboard. It’s been in there about 5 weeks and this evening it has sprouted 5-6 new shoots! (Very pleased!) However, after reading these posts maybe I should have washed the bulb first?
Thanks for all the tips!
I planted 3 smaller shamrock plants in one large pot about 2 years ago. It grew tremendously for a couple of years, and then I was planning to be gone for 3+ months. I had read to cut the plant down to the dirt level, put it in a dark and cool location for the 3 months.
However, I now do not know how to get it to grow again. It is currently on my deck, in the sun and getting water when necessary.
Nothing so far. Any ideas?
Hello Rose, just check if the rhizomes are not dried out. If they still show clear white on the inside (break one rhizome) then they wil give leaves again. If not I am sorry to say: throw them away. Kind regards Marco.
Rust on oxalis
The underside of the leaves of my purple shamrock oxalis leaves are a mottled orange colour. Please can you advise of the best treatment to give my plants.
Thanks
Terry.
Long stems
I have both the green and the red leafed shamrock plants. Both of them have very long stems. Mine never die or go dormant. What can I do so the stems are shorter. I have transplanted them deeper into the soil and that didn’t help. I will appreciate any help I can get.
How long will the tubers keep before planting them? Thanks.
Shamrock dormancy
Hi,
Just read your posts now and it seems that you can be my only troubleshooter.
I have a purple shamrock plant since past 5-6 months, it bloomed very quickly and is very gorgeous.i used to place it on my kitchen window where it received proper sunlight,but now we have a construction in kitchen and so the space is occupied by wooden cupboard,therefore i shifted it to my hall and hit has been 4 weeks since then it has grown pale and steams are falling down very rapidly.is it because of the place change?what should i do now.please suggest.also new leaves and stem has stopped coming and all flowers have died.please help asap.
Hi
I just made a mistake with my shamrock plant. It was growing long and lanky when I brought it inside after enjoying a full plant on my front porch with flowers all summer long. Will I lose the plant now?
Julie.
I have a beautiful green shamrock plant. check it everyday. Got up this morning and all the leaves are gone. It just has stems sticking up, I am so confused as to what happened to the leaves????? It was perfectly healthy yesterday???
I’ve had a purple shamrock for almost 20 years. It now has a white powdery appearance on the underside of the leaf. The plant continues to grow fine, it’s just not as pretty as it was with all these strange spots. Any idea what it is and how to get rid of it?
Hi,
I have a green oxalis shamrock plant that I have had for a number of years. Recently, it has developed white spots that have tiny black dots in them. They almost appear transparent. The leaves come in fine but then the white spot gets larger and the edges of the leaves shrink in a little. I thought it was maybe getting too much sun but it has been in indirect for awhile and the situation has not improved. Any ideas?? Thank you for your help!
Oxalis is susceptible to chlorotic ring spot virus transmitted by aphids.
The leaves of both pots of shamrocks remain closed. The plants are in the east window so they get a full-day of sun. Why are the leaves not opening?
I grow them outdoors in Albuquerque. Mine close their leaves when they get hit by direct sun which is extremely strong here because of our altitude.
Hello,
I bought and brought home a purple shamrock plant early this month. It has been happily living near a west window until it ran into some trouble. It began to get very droopy. Shaymus is much larger than he was when I first got him, so I decided to put him in a bigger pot. He was better for a couple more days and now he is super super droopy and tangled and his stems are yellow. What do I do? I really don’t want Shaymus to die.
One of the stems snapped on accident and I am wondering if I can plant it into soil if it will re root again ? It is a purple variety
.
I have had my shamrock for several years. We just moved from AR to KS and my shamrock has little black bugs and the leaves are sticky. Wondering what I can do to alleviate the bugs if that is the problem. Thank you
I have just inherited a south facing garden with a substantial clump of purple flowering OXALIS in one of the borders. It is crowded in by low lying conifers etc.
It is dominated by a MASS of flowers borne on very lanky drooping stems. The problem is the leaves seem to have virtually disappeared and those remaining are yellow and half ‘eaten’ (it would appear).
Should the plant be sprayed with a general purpose pesticide and/ or given an appropriate mineral supplement and cut back in the autumn?
For several weeks, the garden has been subjected to alternating hot sun and days of heavy rainfall.
Would be grateful if you could advise.
Hello, I have been searching everywhere online to find out what is wrong with my purple oxalis. The leaves are turning a very ugly light green! Do you know of anything like this and or what I can do to fix it?
My green shamrock has gotten darker in color, kind of dull dark green. Anyway to brighten it up again? I’m using Miracle Grow fertilizer.
My Indoor Shamrock is about 30 years old. It’s been healthy. Blooms, goes dormant then comes back. Beautiful! Now however it seems to be dying. It has white powdery spots on top of the leaves. Probably fungi or mildew. What can I do to get rid of the disease? This plant means a lot to us and I can’t stand the thoughts of loosing it.
Hi Rebecca
See the link for treatment of powdery mildew.
http://hortchat.com/info/powdery-mildew
My plant was getting too crowded in the pot. I put it in the cool, dark garage in October (in Wisconsin). Brought it into the house late November, divided the corms and replanted. I don’t see any activity yet (December 5)..
Does it need a full 3 months dormancy? Should I continue to water? I wonder if I planted the corms upside down…. How to tell the direction of the top of the corn? Any help is appreciated.
My Shamrock plant was rained on and the soil was soaked for 2 days. There wasn no plant yet, or roots so I removed the bare ryzomes, and it looks like they’re molding a little. They’re dark, kind of soft and a little flimsy. I rinsed them off and rubbed off some of the mold and put the ryzomes on a paper towl.
🙁 I’ve had him for 15 years. Will he die? Is there anything I can do to save him?
Hi there! I have a purple type oxalis that is very, very happy and healthy. In fact, after coming home from vacation where it was allowed to really dry out, but still got plenty of sunlight, it looks as though it’s had a baby! What I’m describing is sort of how spider plants develop new baby plants off of existing growth. My oxalis has a stem that has produced a tangle of new stems far from the base of the plant. I’m wondering if I can use this to propagate a new plant?
Thanks!
I HAVE A PURPLE SHAMROCK PLANT I JUST RECEIVED FROM A FRIENDWITH JUST ONE TUBER IN THE SOIL,WILL I GET MORE STEMS FROM THAT ONE TUBER THANKS
Hello. I took my shamrock plant in and had a gardening center make 2 pots of them. A few weeks later, I had a lot of fruit flies around both plants. I was told to buy a spray and coat the leaves of the shamrock. But that made the leaves wither and die! Long story short, I cut them off. Now I’ve got a lot of stems. Will the leaves grow back??
My healthy purple oxalis is starting to turn bright pink and wilty one by one…the bright pink turns to withered blue green and dead! Help! What do I do?
My purple shamrock seems perfectly healthy, receipt it’s turning mostly green on the top of the leaves. Still purple underneath… Ideas?