How to Transplant Oxalis

Oxalis plants grow well as houseplants.

Oxalis plants are also called shamrocks because they have clover-like leaves. These houseplants grow 6 inches tall. The leaves are available in shades of green, red and purple. Oxalis flowers are white, yellow, pink or red. Irish shamrocks (Oxalis acetosella) and good-luck plants (Oxalis deppei) make good potted plants. The leaves of these oxalis plants fold up at night or during overcast days to open again in the sunlight. Oxalis plants like moist soil and cool temperatures when they are actively growing. Oxalis plants propagate by bulb offsets that are divided and transplanted during the summer while they are dormant.

Things You'll Need

• Plant pot
• Soap
• Bleach
• Finely shredded bark
• Potting soil
• Newspaper

Instructions

1. Wash your plant pot with soapy water. Rinse the container with 1 part bleach and 9 parts water. This sterilizes the plant pot, eliminating hiding pests and plant diseases.

2. Mix 1 part finely shredded bark and 3 parts potting soil. This mimics the oxalis plant's natural growing medium. Fill the plant pot with your potting mixture, leaving a space of 2 inches between the soil and the rim.

3. Dump your oxalis bulbs out of their plant pot onto a newspaper-covered table. Divide the bulbs by gently pulling the offsets away from the parent bulbs.

4. Place the bulbs on top of the potting mixture in the plant pot. Cover the oxalis bulbs with 1/2 inch of potting mixture. Do not firm the soil over the bulbs.

5. Pour water into the top of the container until water drains out the bottom. Place the oxalis plant pot in a dark, cool area until new growth begins.

Tips & Warnings

• Oxalis plants can be grown in a wide shallow container. They offer color and interest all winter long.

• Oxalis plants become dormant during hot weather. Temperatures over 75 degrees F will trigger the oxalis die-back. Stop watering and feeding the oxalis plants when they go dormant. Place the oxalis in a cool, dark place for two to three months. Cool weather will awaken the oxalis and it will start growing again.

References

• Michigan State University Extension: Oxalis---Shamrock
• Iowa State University Extension: The Lucky Shamrock Plant
• University of Illinois Extension: The Lucky Shamrock Plant
• University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture: Plant of the Week: Shamrock: Oxalis regnellii