🚀 go-pugleaf

Roger wrote:

> Oxalis stricta (?) or common yellow oxalis annually invades my streetside
> ground cover plants for about six months, from November through May, and
> starves them of light, making for very spotty spring growth for the invaded
> prostrate rosemary, red apple succulent, myoporum, and miniature ice plant
> cover. They are persistent, nearly alien in their tenacity,  and seem to
> spread by seed, rhizome, and bulblets, so pulling does little good, even in
> our soft loamy coastal soil in N. California.  Since they die out from June
> to October, letting them take over means barren ground in the summer months.
> Is there any practical control solution outside of individually digging the
> thousands of plants?

Well, moving from Oakland to the North Bay solved my oxalis problem :-) 
  I guess just a small difference in winter low temps was enough.

When I was in Oakland I had a ton of oxalis and I found that pulling it 
did make a difference.  It pulls up really easily.  At least oxalis has 
pretty flowers and the stalks taste good.  It crowds out bermuda grass, 
which I consider a real plus.

But when I wanted oxalis gone, or at least reduced, I would pull it 
every couple of months.  By the next year, it was way down.  As long as 
you plant something else to take its place.

I believe oxalis is not in the clover family, though the leaves look 
similar.

I would not recommend chemicals for this.  Spraying streetside puts 
those chemicals into the storm drains which go right into the bay. 
That's a very big price to pay for asthetics.

You may want to do some searches to see if you can find out oxalis's 
ideal growing conditions.  Then maybe a small change in watering habits 
or pH might make them feel more unwelcome.

Cyndi
Petaluma