QA

Quick Answer: How To Care For Purple Shamrock

Oxalis Triangularis care summary: To keep your Purple Shamrock plant healthy, grow in rich, well-drained potting mix and water when the top inch of soil becomes dry. Maintain moderate humidity, fertilize every two to three weeks, situate in bright light and keep indoor temperature between 60°F to 75°F.

Do purple shamrocks like sun or shade?

This plant grows well in full sun to partial shade, meaning roughly four hours of direct sunlight on most days. If you’re growing it outdoors and live in a hot climate, give it some protection from the hot afternoon sun. Indoors, the plant should be grown by a window that receives bright light.

How do you care for a shamrock plant indoors?

Shamrock Plant Care Tips Place the plant in an area that is room temperature and receives good air circulation and bright, but not direct, light. Soil should be kept lightly moist. Water sparingly and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Fertilize with a balanced houseplant food every few months.

Can you cut back purple shamrock?

Pruning oxalis triangularis is actually very easy, and it doesn’t take long to do maintenance. Remove spent flower stalks once the blooms fade. With clean pruning shears, you can snip off the stalk down at the plant’s base. In the summer, your plant may begin to go dormant.

Why is my purple shamrock drooping?

The most common reason for a drooping shamrock plant is lack of water. However, insufficient light, pest attacks and improper soil can all cause the leaves of a shamrock plant to wilt. This drooping can be accompanied by brown or yellow leaves.

Do oxalis come back every year?

Oxalis are perennial plants but can give the appearance of annuals by going dormant in winter or during droughts. Frost-tender oxalis are sometimes treated as annuals in cold winter areas.

How do you make oxalis bushy?

Move your plant to a sunnier location, with at least partial sun if you can, and it will respond by producing lusher growth and turn into a fuller plant. You should have this plant right in front of a window for best results.

Why is my shamrock plant dying?

Most of the time, when a shamrock plant appears to be dying, it is actually just in need of an off-season, or a time in which it can rest. It grows from a bulb and is a perennial, so if it is dying at the end of a growing season, simply cut off the dying or dead portions and wait for the new growing season to start.

Do shamrock plants spread?

Shamrock plants make great house plants. Their fast-spreading tuberous roots can spread like wildfire. However, when confined to a container, you can put this plant on your windowsill to enjoy the lush, clover-like leaves and charming little flowers up-close.

How do I get my shamrock plant to bloom?

New shoots appear when dormancy is broken. At this time, move shamrock houseplants to a sunny window or other area of bright light. Resume caring for shamrock plants to be rewarded with an abundance of the attractive foliage and blooms.

How do you keep oxalis bushy?

When grown outside, it is best to plant the Oxalis in an area that receives good sunshine throughout most of the day with partial shade occurring at some point during the day. You can give your houseplant a boost by letting it spend time outdoors when the weather is good.

How do you rest a shamrock plant?

While it looks like the plant is dying, your shamrock plant is really starting its resting or dormant phase. After all of the leaves have died, stop watering and move your plant to a cool, low- light area. Green shamrock plants need to rest for 2-3 months while purple shamrock plants need only about a month.

How do you overwinter a shamrock?

One method of storage is to remove all the foliage, brush the soil from the tubers, wrap when dry in newspaper and overwinter in a cool, dry place. Or, if in a pot, move the tuber-filled container to a place cool enough to keep the plants dormant, but warm enough so they don’t freeze.

Why is my Oxalis losing leaves?

If the leaves have steadily declined over the last few months, it could be to do with the plant’s response to a much-needed resting period. This is completely normal, and in some cases, all of the leaves may drop off. Simply keep the soil on the drier side until new growth appears in the early spring.

Why do Shamrocks close at night?

The leaves of O. triangularis move in response to light levels, opening in high ambient light (in the day) and closing at low light levels (at night). During this movement, the leaflets fold at the level of the central vein.

Why are the leaves on my shamrock plant curling?

If your plant is stretching or becomes lanky in appearance, it is probably not receiving enough light. Shamrock plants prefer to have their soil somewhat moist at all times. Generally, if the soil does dry out, this houseplant will spring back from a wilted state quite quickly.