How To Get Rid Of Oxalis
Oxalis, while pleasant to look at with its unique white or yellow flowers and clover-like leaflets, can be an obstacle to a beautiful, uniform lawn. This perennial weed is one the most challenging weeds to remove from your garden or turfgrass.
Key Takeaways
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Oxalis is often confused with clovers or black medic.
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This weed can quickly take over lawns because of its rapid and aggressive growth.
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Oxalis is best dealt with by using a pump sprayer and a selective herbicide that is safe for cool and warm season turfgrasses.
Oxalis Identification And Inspection
Characteristics Of Oxalis
In order to select the oxalis weed killer, you'll need to be able to identify this invasive broadleaf weed. Also known as yellow woodsorrel, oxalis stricta can reach heights of 6 to 12 inches and features leaflets that are very similar to clover. There are several types of Oxalis, such as oxalis corniculata, but we'll focus on the common variety here. Notably, Oxalis has leaves that are much more heart-shaped than clover or black medic.
Additionally, this weed's leaves sprout from the plant's green or purple stems. Depending on the variety of oxalis, you may notice purple, yellow, or white flowers. To protect itself, Oxalis folds its leaves up at night. You should be able to properly identify oxalis with this information, but if you are unsure or have questions, our team is always ready to help you.
Oxalis Inspection
Locating oxalis, or where it might grow, on your lawn or your property is crucial to eradicating it. An often overlooked component of oxalis inspection is observing the conditions where oxalis can flourish.
Parts of your property where conditions exist like poorly-drained soil, areas without full sun coverage, and a generally moist environment, are the most likely places where you'll see Oxalis sprouting and spreading. Search for this plant low to the ground as its spreads like a carpet across the soil.
When searching for oxalis weeds in your lawn, garden beds, or landscape beds, you should be able to quickly spot its tell-tale shamrock leaflets and vibrant flowers among its thick carpet-like clusters.
Control Oxalis
How To Get Rid Of Oxalis
As with any weed killers and herbicides, the first thing you'll want to do before beginning your oxalis weed control program is to suit up with the proper protective equipment. You'll want to cover any exposed skin with long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, a mask, gloves, and glasses. These are essential to protecting yourself from any chemicals you come in contact with.
Once you've located oxalis weeds on your property, it's time to eliminate them with a powerful herbicide such as Q4 Plus Turf Herbicide. It offers great broadleaf weed control and powerful knockdown on grassy weeds with its potent combination of four active ingredients. Generally, the earlier you catch the plant in its growth cycle, the better chance you have of eliminating it quickly with herbicides.
Because oxalis is known for being one of the most stubborn broadleaf weeds, it may be necessary to treat your lawn multiple times to completely eliminate it. Always check product labels to ensure you are using a weed killer that targets the correct plant you are trying to kill.
View our safe products for your specific variety of grass:
Oxalis Selective Herbicide Recommendations
Q4 Plus Turf Herbicide: This selective post-emergent herbicide will kill oxalis and many other pesky weeds after they have sprouted. It uses Dicamba, 2,4,-D, Quinclorac, and Sulfentrazone to shunt growth and kill the root system of targeted weeds. It can be applied in weather up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit and is rain-fast in as little as 6 hours.
Bonide Poison Ivy & Brush Killer BK-32 Concentrate: Don't let the name confuse you - this weed killer also works great on Oxalis and over 240 other stubborn broadleaf weeds. Particularly, it excels at killing vines without harming ornamentals and surrounding trees.
Non-Selective Herbicide Recommendations
Warning on non-selective herbicides: Non-selective weed killers should be used with an abundance of caution. These products are designed to eradicate all plants - wanted or unwanted - in the vicinity of the application.
Eraser 41% Weed Killer Herbicide: Eraser uses the same effective active ingredient as the well-known Roundup, but it has the maximum allowed dosage of surfactants included in the mixture. Surfactants help the weed killer stick to Oxalis much better, resulting in faster, more noticeable effects. This broad-spectrum, non-selective herbicide is a bacteria-based contact herbicide that features no residual soil activity.
Oxalis Prevention
As with many other broadleaf weeds, keeping a healthy and lush turfgrass is key to preventing Oxalis from taking over your lawn. Regular aeration and dethatching of your turfgrass can help in yellow wood sorrel prevention. Allowing oxygen, water, and fertilizer down into the roots of your grass will greatly boost its overall health and allow it to crowd out oxalis much better.
Water your lawn deeply and infrequently to create strong turfgrass roots without creating an overly moist environment for Oxalis to thrive. A good rule of thumb is 1-2 inches of water per week.
Finally, make sure you mow your lawn high to ensure that Oxalis isn't able to receive enough sunlight for photosynthesis, preventing it from spreading or seeding itself on your property. With healthy turfgrass and preventative measures like regular mowing, appropriate fertilizing, and aerating, oxalis can easily be eliminated and kept at bay.
Recommended Oxalis Prevention Products
Hi-Yield Weed & Feed 15-0-10: Hi-Yield offers a powerful combination of lawn fertilizer and herbicides to save you time and trouble. It uses a mix of 15-0-10 fertilizer and a blend of Trimec herbicides to develop a strong and healthy turfgrass while controlling over 200 broadleaf weeds, including Oxalis.
Do-It-Yourself Pest Control Can Help You Eliminate Oxalis
Eradicating oxalis from your property can be a long and drawn-out process without the proper tools and know-how. With the right products, however, you can make short work of oxalis, returning your lawn to its former glory in no time. Make sure to use these oxalis prevention tips and our recommended products for lasting results that will keep Oxalis at bay.
The DIY Pest Control team is here to answer any questions about oxalis and other broadleaf weed problems you may experience. Contact us today for more information about oxalis control, or browse our product line-up of selective and non-selective herbicides! We have everything you need to get rid of oxalis weeds in your lawn so you can enjoy a healthy, lush yard all season long.