Oxalis pes-caprae

How to grow Oxalis pes-caprae growing and care:

Well-drained soil, some varieties need cool weather

How to care:
Add fertilize once a year, mulch when the plant go to dormant

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seedling / Seed / Bulb/ Vegetative Reproduction

How to propagate:
Better to separate the bulbs in the dormant season, the main problem that the bulbs are small and hard to find, so if not possible to find the bulbs, take the plants and dived them, be aware the that the bulbs might be very deep and need to dig gently and dry to get the plant with the bulbs if not mostly the plant will die

Is it necessary to use vegetative reproduction?
No, but easier to start from bulbs than seeds

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Invasive, contain oxalic acid

Recommended planting season?
Spring to summer above 5C (41F) or autumn to winter in hardiness zone temperature less than 0C (32F)

When to plant bulbs?
Spring above 5C (41F) or autumn in hardiness zone temperature less than 0C (32F)

How to plant bulbs?
Planting in moist soil, rich soil, keep the soil moist and watering

How to plant:
Planting dig hole bigger than deep as the current root ball plus extra 90-200% bigger the plant small the percentage, put in the hole organic matter, hummus and dried leaves and mix it with some soil, put the plant and loos little bit the root ball above the hole, plant and cover it and don’t push the soil too much strong but not too much lightly because the plant might fall into the hole with the watering, after this put mulch to keep moist on soil, put water, for the next two weeks put every day (better in the morning), bulbs need to plant 2-5cm deep (1-2 inches).

Pests and diseases:
Powdery mildew, fungal

Pruning season:
Autumn above 5C (41F) or summer in hardiness zone temperature less than 0C (32F) or

How to prune a Oxalis plant:
For design and dead parts

Size of the plant:
10-30 cm, 4-12 inches

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Fast growing / Medium growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water / Big amount of water

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun / Half Shade / Full Shade (with light)

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
Yes

Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes, start with pot size that will be 3-6 liter (0.8-1.6 gallons), every time that plant arrive to full capacity need to switch to bigger until arrives to desirable size, better to use this method because the soil lose the viability over time and it’s efficient of care for the tree, when the plant big need to switch part of the soil, drainage it’s important and need to make holes, rich soil and organic matter, possible to take the bulb out of the soil in the dormant season

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Autumn / Winter / Spring

General information about the flower
Fuchsia-pink with 5 petal the petals emerged together in the base of the flower, the size of the flower 2-4 cm, the flowers grow on cluster

Uses of Oxalis pes-caprae flower:
Salad, eaten raw

Edible leaves

Leaves harvesting season
Autumn / Winter / Spring

How to harvest the leaves?
After established can be cut from the base of the plant

Information about leaves:
Green in obcordate (heart shape) the leaves grow in group of the 3 heat shape connected in the base of the heart and create radial shape

Uses of Oxalis pes-caprae leaves:
Salad, cooked

Edible Roots

Information about bulb:
White to brown in tear shape small size, the taste is sour

Harvesting bulb season:
Spring or autumn

Uses of Oxalis pes-caprae bulb:
Cooked, eaten raw, salad, pickles

How to grow Oxalis pes-caprae from Seeds

Sowing requirement:
Moist soil and humidity

Saving seeds and care until sowing:
Dry and dark place, keep the seeds in refrigerator

Sowing season:
Spring above 5C (41F) or autumn in hardiness zone temperature less than 0C (32F)

How to plant:
Planting in moist soil, better peat soil or other soil the keep the moist

Planting spacing:
2*3cm (0.8-1.2 inch)

Depth of Sowing:
0.5cm (0.25 inch)

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Important to keep the soil moist with high humidity don’t let it dry

Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water / Big amount of water

Germination time:
3-5 weeks

Condition of seedling:
Moist soil, high humidity and half shade

Do the seeds require burying?
Yes

Chilling hour’s requirements:
At least one month in temperature that under 5C (41F)

Scientific name:

Oxalis pes-caprae