How to grow Oxalis tuberosa

Oxalis tuberosa grow and care –  herbaceous geophyte of the genus Oxalis also known as Oca or New Zealand yam, Oxalis tuberosa perennial summer deciduous plant, roots edible plant but mostly also as ornamental plant, can grow in mediterranean, subtropical or temperate climate and growing in hardiness zone 3-9.

Oxalis tuberosa tubers information about leaves and flowers

Tubers edible, the tuber small and color pink, yellow or white.

Leaves color can be purple or green in obcordate (heart shape) to triangular, leaves grow in group of the 3 heat shape connected in the base of the heart and create radial shape.

Flower color yellow with 5 petal the petals emerged together in the base of the flower, the size of the flower 1-2 cm, the flowers grow on cluster on the top of the stems.

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How to grow Oxalis tuberosa 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:
5-30 cm, 2-12 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

Indoor care

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
Yellow with 5 petals the petals emerged together in the base of the flower, the size of the flower 2-4 cm, the flowers grow on cluster

Edible Roots

Information about bulb:
Pink, yellow or white in shapeless, the taste is sour

Harvesting bulb season:
Spring

Uses of Oxalis tuberosa bulb:
Cooked, eaten raw, salad, pickles

How to grow Oxalis tuberosa – oca from Seeds

Sowing requirement:
Moist soil and humidity, seeds are rare

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 tuberosa

How to grow Oxalis tuberosa

Oxalis tuberosa plant

Harvesting Oxalis tuberosa tuber

Oxalis tuberosa pink tuber

Oxalis tuberosa yellow tuber

Oxalis tuberosa

Categories

Blooming Seasons
  • Autumn flowers
  • Spring flowers
  • Winter flowers
Edible Parts
  • Edible Roots
Culinary uses
  • Cooked
  • Eaten raw
  • Pickles
Flower colors
  • Yellow flower
Climate
  • Mediterranean Climate
  • Subtropics Climate
  • Temperate Climate
Harvest Season
  • Spring Harvest
Ornamental parts
  • Ornamental flower
  • Ornamental leaves
  • Ornamental plant
Plant growing speed
  • Average growing plants
  • Fast growing plants
Plant life-form
  • Deciduous
  • Geophyte
  • Herbaceous
  • Perennial plant
Plant Uses
  • Edible plants
  • Ornamental plants
Planting Season
  • Autumn Planting
  • Spring Planting
  • Winter planting
Plants sun exposure
  • Full sun Plants
  • Part shade Plants
  • Shade Plants
Watering plants
  • Big amount of water
  • Regularly water
Hardiness zone
  • Hardiness zone 3
  • Hardiness zone 4
  • Hardiness zone 5
  • Hardiness zone 6
  • Hardiness zone 7
  • Hardiness zone 8
  • Hardiness zone 9

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Oxalis tuberosa (oca) (Oxalis tuberosa) is a compact, bulbous wood-sorrel that is tailor-made for pots – small, shallow-rooted and tidy, it suits a windowsill, a small container or the front of a balcony display. The grower confirms it grows well indoors, and it makes a genuinely good houseplant – a neat, low foliage-and-flower plant for a bright spot.

Quick Details

  • Container Size: About 3-6 L (0.8-1.6 gal) to start (the grower’s guide), potting up as it fills
  • Indoor Suitability: Good houseplant for a bright spot
  • Best Spot: Full sun / half shade / full shade with light
  • Soil & Drainage: Rich, free-draining mix with drainage holes; drainage matters for the bulbs
  • Watering in Pots: Average to generous while in leaf; ease right off as it dies back into dormancy

Indoors & On the Windowsill

  • As a houseplant: The grower grows it indoors successfully. Give it a bright windowsill; it also tolerates lower light, though flowering and leaf colour are best in good light.
  • Dormancy indoors: Oxalis naturally rests after flowering – foliage dies back and the pot looks bare. Keep it cool and nearly dry through dormancy, then resume watering to bring it back.
  • Note: Oca is grown mainly for its edible tubers; the leaves and raw tubers contain oxalates, so cook the tubers and keep foliage away from pets and small children.

On a Balcony or Patio

  • Light & shelter: Happy on a bright balcony or patio in a small pot; being low and light it is easily blown over, so group pots or use a heavier container in exposed spots.
  • Watering: Small pots dry quickly in sun and wind – check often while the plant is in active leaf.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

  • Pot & drainage: Start around 3-6 L with good drainage holes (the grower stresses drainage for the bulbs). Use a pot with strong drainage holes and skip a standing water saucer – constantly wet feet are the quickest route to root rot.
  • Potting mix: A rich, free-draining mix with organic matter, as the grower advises.
  • Potting up & soil refresh: Each time the plant fills its pot, move up a size until it reaches the size you want; because potting mix loses vigour over time, refresh part of the soil when you pot on.
  • Feeding: Potted plants exhaust their food faster than those in the ground, as watering leaches nutrients out; feed lightly but more regularly through the growing season.

Grower’s Container Tip

  • Pot up in stages: The grower starts in a small pot (about 3-6 L) and steps up to a larger one each time the plant fills the current one, until it reaches the desired size – this keeps the soil fresh and makes care efficient. In the final large pot, swap out part of the soil every few years; from the side of a big pot it is easy to replace some soil without disturbing the whole plant.
  • Lift the bulbs for dormancy: In the dormant season you can lift the bulbs out of the soil, store them, and replant when growth restarts.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

  • Bloom Season: Autumn through spring – a cool-season, short-day bloomer
  • Flower Appearance: Small yellow five-petaled flowers, 1 to 2 cm across, in clusters at the stem tips
  • Edibility: Grown for its edible tubers (oca) – the flowers are not the crop and are not used here

Detailed Blooming Overview

Oca is an Andean tuber crop, and its flowering is tied to shortening days: as autumn arrives it produces small yellow flowers at the same time as it begins forming tubers underground. In many gardens it flowers only sparingly and rarely sets seed, so it is grown and increased from its colorful tubers rather than from bloom.

Flower Characteristics

  • Small yellow flowers with five petals, 1 to 2 cm across.
  • Carried in loose clusters at the tops of the stems.
  • Open in sun and close in dull weather or at night.

Bloom Care & Thinning

  • Managing the bloom: No special bloom care is needed – flowering does not affect the tuber harvest, so simply let the plant grow on.
  • Pollination: By bees and other small insects, though seed set is uncommon.