Oxalis Triangularis: Ultimate Care, Propagation Guide and More

  • By: admin
  • Date: November 22, 2022
  • Time to read: 14 min.
Spread the love

Oxalis triangularis, formerly renamed as shamrock true shamrock purple shamrock and the love plant, is a beautiful purple plant that can be kept indoors.

This plant combines unique foliage for beautiful purple color with photophile characteristics. Would you please learn about indoor care plants, plant propagation, and more in the guide to grow them?

Oxalis triangularis Fertilizer Needs

Room plant oxalis with purple leaves and delicate small pink flowers. Hard light. Horizontal orientation, selective focus.

You need only feed the Purple Shamrock while it’s actively growing from spring to summer. Stop feeding if the plant is in dormigation in the autumn and winter.

Salt stains can develop over time in the soil. The excess salt can cause burned foliage. The soil needs periodic maintenance of this.

Oxalis triangularis is not a good plant for the novice to grow. However, it’s an excellent choice for intermediate or advanced growers.

In return, the purple color this houseplant will give you makes it worthwhile for the gardener who has plenty of patience and knows how to care for these plants.

The result of having grown Oxalis triangularis would be well worth your efforts. You’re sure to have success with growing Oxalis triangularis if you follow these guidelines.

You may use granules in slow-release if you choose to continue feeding on the soil. Use a nongreasy and water-like mixture of water-soaked plants to water. Continue this process until the soil is dry to a depth of 2-3 inches.

Sunlight: The purple shamrock does not like the direct sun so keep it in bright, indirect light. Keep it outside on your deck or porch during the summer months and move inside for the winter as temperatures plummet in fall or when you plant your garden.

Indoors, please place it in a well-lit area with dappled natural light coming through one window in spring through autumn. In wintertime, keep it near a sunny window indoors.

Please choose a location with bright, indirect light free from drafts in the home or office as it grows best with dappled sunlight.  

The Purple Shamrock will grow well in semi-shade but can dry out rapidly if young and small, so keep it protected from the direct sun, especially from mid-day heat on, to avoid burning of foliage. 

To ensure your Purple Shopper ” looks good and its growth, fertilize all 2 to 3 weeks. It’s likely just you.

Soil conditions for Oxalis triangularis

Oxalis triangularis ” has excellent performance for growth in standard potting mixes well-drained. Many types of soil are too hard and drain poorly, leading to problems with rot.

For maximum effectiveness, use potting soils with or without additional slow dispersive fertilizer and a rich compact mix for optimum results.

For best results, use soil with 2 parts of peat moss, 1 part loam, and 1-2 mattings potting mix. Use good quality recommended for African violet soils to get better growth.

Most Oxalis triangularis ” grows in the shade or semi-shade, so choose a location with bright indirect light if you are growing it indoors. It’s okay that you have a lot of direct sunlight as long as it is placed away from doors and windows that receive direct exposure.  

In fact, the more indirect sun you can provide your Purple Shamrock ”, the deeper purple color will appear on its leaves.  That means fewer reds, purples, pinks & white colors, which appear when the color fades because of light. 

Provide your Oxalis triangularis with less water in the wintertime as it’s on dormancy and more water when actively growing in spring to summer.

Water only if the soil is completely dry, so you do not develop root rot. When growing, water thoroughly, then allow the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry out before watering again.

Keep it outside on your deck or porch until temperatures fall below 50F degrees [ 10C ].   It will look its best in full sun all day long until

The biggest thing to remember is that soil needs to drain correctly and not lose evaporating moisture at the same time.

Do you see water on top of the soil’s surface slowly draining, and the mixture is too heavy? If this is what you have, you can make a lighter mixture when arranging your Purple Shamrock.

Light conditions for Oxalis triangularis plants

The Purple Shamrock is best grown in bright light. It will grow with little to no sun at all if kept indoors and can survive in a wide range of light conditions, including full shade, but it begins to lose its color when grown this way.

It grows well under fluorescent lights, so you may want to try growing it this way if sunlight is unavailable.

When growing Oxalis triangularis plants outdoors, give them as much bright light as possible. Plant the purple shamrock outside during early spring or wait until after the last frost before planting outside.   In warmer climates, it can stay outside all year long.

It will be an excellent addition to any garden looking for color in the shade under trees and shrubs that don’t block out too much light.   It can also be used as ground cover if placed into a raised bed or large container with a rich soil mix of peat moss & loam mixture.

If you like, you can plant Oxalis triangularis in containers situated near windowsills or on patios where more indirect sunlight is available for keeping a healthy growth rate.  

The Purple Shamrock looks its best when kept outdoors during the growing season, so it may need to be brought indoors during wintertime weather in colder regions. This plant has an excellent performance in standard potting mixes well-drained.

Some types of soil are too hard and drain poorly, leading to problems with rot. For maximum effectiveness, use potting soils with or without additional slow dispersive fertilizer and a rich compact mix for optimum results.

Place your Oxalis triangularis ” outside on your deck or porch for 6-8 hours of sunlight daily during the summer months and place indoors near a sunny window in autumn when the temperatures begin to get below 50F degrees [ 10C ].

Keep your Purple Shamrock outside until the fall frost comes.   You can keep them inside in pots with drainage holes and placed on saucers filled with pebbles or stones.  

The plant can also be left outdoors at temperatures less than 50F degrees [10C ] without any problems.   

Propagating new plants

Close up of flowers and leaves of purple shamrock, Oxalis triangularis.

Oxalis triangularis propagates dividing offset s to create additional plants.

This is most recommended when the shamrock is at its dormant stages.   Leaves may start to die back naturally.  

Cut the stems and place them in a pot filled with moistened soil. Potting mix is best for this purpose, but you can also use small containers or cups instead.

Allow the cut pieces to dry out for a few days, then water thoroughly and keep in a warm, bright place with good indirect sunlight in wintertime and direct light during the growing season.

You can also take stem tip cuttings just below the leaves when they are about 1 inch long.   Place these tips into some vermiculite that has been lightly watered first so it won’t dry out quickly, then cover all of them up with more vermiculite and keep this mix around 60-70F degrees [16-21C].  

During the growing season, the soil mix should be kept moist and warm.   After a few weeks, roots will develop at the tip of the stem cuttings.  The stems with the roots can then be transplanted into pots, or you can plant them directly outside in your garden.

If you like, you can use seeds to grow more Purple Shamrock plants from seedlings rather than using stem cuttings. This is not difficult provided that you follow these steps: you must first allow some of the leaves to naturally die back for the seeds to mature and produce new plants for a second generation by gently removing all dying leaves on top of it. 

  Then lightly water, cover up with wax paper to keep in high humidity, and then place the pot or container into a warm sunny place where temperatures are around 70F degrees [21C]. After a few weeks, new plants will develop from seeds on top.  

You can also collect seeds outside by placing them into some vermiculite and keeping the seedbed moist, covered with the wax paper still to maintain humidity for several more weeks before planting your new Purple Shamrock plant outdoors.

Place the seedlings that you have grown indoors in bloom pots when they reach about 1-2 inches tall.   When planted outdoors, they should be kept at least 2-3 feet apart, either in rows or as part of a shrub garden, depending on how large your space is.   

Before repotting or separating offsets, make sure to allow the foliage to die naturally and do it not too soon when trimmed.

I also filmed my experience growing the Purple Shamrock and discussing the care that this superb plant requires.

Oxalis Triangularis Care Guide

The false shamrock is part of the family of the Wood Sorrels. If the plant is not watered enough or the plant grows too cold, the leaves will lose their life.

Every few years, the plant can die back naturally during the summer months.  A new one can then grow from the piece of the root that remains in the soil.  You should also dig up your Oxalis Triangularis at this time, too, so you can re-pot it into a bigger flower pot with fresh soil mix and water well.

If you have given your plant some extra care for many years, since it was small, it may sometimes start growing two leaves on each stem instead of only one or three!

This occurs because genetic mutation causes extra growths or orthogonal leaf formations to appear at various times.

Oxalis Triangularis has been a favorite garden plant among avid gardeners and farmers in cooler temperate areas and southern areas down to warm zone 10. It is grown all over the world for its beautiful foliage.  

A wonderful new addition to any garden space, in our opinion!

If you are not careful, do not throw them away as they can probably grow back. Instead, you hang on to it as it’s likely to grow back unless it’s too cold or not irrigated as much as required. The plant grows from a tuberous rhizome and plants from bulbs.

Care through Dormancy

Purple Shamrock enters dormancy, which normally happens during summer.

This time allows corms to relax and recharge before another period of growth. When the leaf begins turning brown and dies back, keep watering down after the affected leaves and allow them to dry.

When the plant is dormant in winter, it’s okay to let the soil dry out completely.  

If you’re growing Purple Shamrock indoors, overwatering can be a problem for this plant.  It’s best to water it rarely compared to other house plants and only when the soil has dried out. If your own soil is on the dry side, then sprinkle some water over the top of the dirt sparingly.

This will allow new corms to grow and survive through dormancy in summer. If you water them and keep your plant above 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16C), the plant won’t go into a rest period prematurely.

If you live in a hot area where temperatures regularly fall below 55F, then you should protect your Purple Shamrock from hard freezes by mulching well around the base of them with straw or pine needles a few inches deep so that they are insulated during cold snaps.  

Put the plant in cold and dark conditions for 2-4 weeks to allow the plants to rest. After that, move it to an easier place. The regular application of water and fertilizers must stimulate new growth.

How often to water Oxalis triangularis

Oxalis purpurea, Oxalis triangularis, Natural background of blooming purple flowers in the garden on dark backdrop.

Purple Shamrock’s forgiveness can be better if you forget that you drink.

During the dormant season, the plant has suspended its growth to avoid drinking water if it is actively growing.  It’s safe to stop watering it completely during winter, re-watering only when new growth starts in spring.

During the growing season, you have to water it every three days so that the soil is damp but not soaking wet.  Fertilize once a month at this time.

How often to fertilize Oxalis triangularis Purple Shamrock?  

In the first week of May, apply a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer with 10% Nitrogen and 5% Potassium.

After one or two weeks, apply again if they turn yellowish leaves because of lack of Nitrogen (the second number on the label). After 3-5 days, yellowing should disappear completely. There could be an application needed for more Potassium and Phosphorus (the 3rd number on the label) if your plant is thriving well during warm weather.

After 2 weeks of that application, wait for three or four more weeks before adding any fertilizer by watering with an acidifying Nitrogen-based fertilizer (21-5-10), which means applying it regularly so that it’s spread around evenly every week.  It does not need to be done all at once, nor should you stop fertilizing because this plant can tolerate applications as infrequently as once a month, depending on how fast its growth rate is.

If you grow your Purple Shamrock in hydroponic media, here are some guidelines:   

Apply 10-20 ml of 1 Molar HNO3 per liter of water every week to inhibit algae growth.

Apply an NPK (21-5-10) solution weekly thorough watering with a powerhead for 20 seconds per liter.

Fertilize your Purple Shamrock by applying 30 ml of 1 Molar HNO3 per liter of water and leach it out by flooding the potting media completely once in two weeks or until the next application is necessary.

Pest problems

Spiders, mites, and mealybugs are the biggest threat to your Purple Shamrock indoors. If left untreated, this pest might destroy the Purple Shoppers.

Treat both pests by spraying a spray on both ends of the leaves with insect repellent and Neem soap. Repeats treatment according to the directions on their label.

Also, keep the environment drifting as clean as possible. Soil should be treated with an insecticide and kept at a level balance.

Purple Shamrock is very sensitive to chemicals, so if there is any sign of disease, treat immediately, but low – moderate amounts of chemical treatments on a weak scale will do no harm; just remember not to over-treat.

Sometimes spider mites can get out of control, and it’s hard to keep them in check. For severe cases, you need to contact your local garden shop for proper treatment.

This pest is the most common indoors and outdoors for all plants, especially those grown under lower light conditions, such as the Purple Shoppers.

To prevent Spider mite problems before they occur, use yellow sticky traps to monitor infestation and keep your Purple Shamrock in a well-ventilated area away from doors or windows where it can get direct sunlight.

Some pests to watch out for include fungus gnats, whitefly (sometimes called greenflies), aphids, thrips, and scale. Fungus gnat larvae hatch in the topsoil of container plants, feeding on tender roots.

These tiny black worms are not visible without magnification and may feed undetected on small seedlings for days at a time before becoming noticeable once soil moisture dries up. Scale insects are immobile plant-feeding insects that suck juices out of host plants while remaining firmly attached to its surface with their needle-like mouthparts, where they hide under an armor shell composed of their own secretion.

Larger pests include snails, slugs, and snails that eat on your plants. They are generally found in the soil or mulch around container plants, where moist conditions provide them with a good living environment. The most common types of snails that damage indoor plants are the following:

Whiteflies lay their eggs on the underside of leaves which causes yellow stippling (damage to leaf tissue from feeding). After hatching, they insert themselves into stems and flower buds using needle-like mouths designed for sucking juices out of plant cells. This causes discoloration and stunts growth.

Then there are Aphids (plant lice) that suck juices from interior plant parts, causing stunting, yellowing, or browning foliage, twisted new growth.

Repotting Oxalis Triangularis

The plant only needs soil removal once each year to add fresh soil or create new plants from the further offset production.

The best time to repot is during the winter when the plant lies on dormancy. Move in larger containers if you have not separated the offsets, but you are merely refreshing the soil—just the instructions for planting the bulb.

Indoor temperature requirements

The prime inner temperatures for shamrocks requiring the lowest temperature are about 60 degrees from 60 to 75. When the daylight hours are longer than the night, you will need to increase the temperature.

During cooling periods of around 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, keep the plant away from cold air currents until they acclimated to their new surroundings. However, make sure that you do not expose your Shamrock outdoors during these times of low temperatures and frosty conditions.

The Purple Shamrock is in a perfect state for any living room surrounding you may provide it with if only a minimum level of caretaking is given on a day-to-day basis. It can flourish indoors with two or three fertilizing sprays per month using an indoor/outdoor type houseplant food diluted at half strength during spring and summer months when temperatures allow for the plant to be out of doors.

A nice humidity level of at least 50% is required for this type of Shamrock. Otherwise, it will suffer from leaf drop and stem dieback in periods of low humidity.

The Purple Shamrock is a beautiful decorative accessory when placed indoors that requires minimum caretaking and can bring cheer and happiness into one’s life with its many bountiful blooms produced over a long period. It has earned and grown in popularity since its introduction into the horticulture world some time ago.

Make sure the plant does not sit near a ventilation vent during winter when there may be higher temperatures for the plant in the home. Once the temperature in the house becomes too hot, plants wilt.

Humidity requirements

Purple shamrock is also less fussing with moisture levels than indoor plants when it comes to proper humidity levels. The

shamrock is one of the few plants that produce beautiful flowers and does not demand high humidity levels. It also requires less sunlight than most other plants and thrives well in indirect light.

The shamrock is a very hardy plant that does not require much care, though it will need constant watering when initially planted. It can survive even in the worst of conditions like high heat and low humidity.

 If you cannot provide the right amount of sunlight for your shamrock, don’t worry, as it can easily adapt to lower levels of light by growing shorter stems with larger leaves that are more protected from the sun’s rays.  

It is possible to grow shamrocks indoors under fluorescent lights, but they do best if placed near a sunny window. This site goes into greater detail about growing them indoors or outdoors.

If you live in a dry area, put it on a weekly planter watering schedule or as needed to keep the soil moist for indoor shamrocks.

A typical humidity level is sufficient in our house. How Can You Control Moisture: Increase your air humidity easily in your house.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Post

String of Turtles –Ultimate Guide For Plant Care

Next Post

Maranta Prayer Plant: Ultimate Plant Caring Guide