What a Creep!
Creeping Oxalis has small light green and purple heart shaped leaves, very similar in appearance to clover.
How to fight back against Creeping Oxalis (Procumbent Yellow Sorrel)
Scientific name: Oxalis corniculata
Creeping Oxalis has small light green and purple heart shaped leaves, very similar in appearance to Clover. (Oxalis, have heart shaped leaves while Clover has oval shaped leaves.) The flowers are small, about 3-4mm in diameter and bright yellow in colour containing five petals. Creeping Oxalis, as its name suggests, quickly runs along the surface of the soil and produces roots from the leaf as it goes and creeps under and through your lawn. When seed pods mature they dry out and explode, causing the seed to spread. It is a very invasive and nasty weed, so it is important to take action against it as soon as possible.
How to Remove Creeping Oxalis
Creeping Oxalis is difficult to remove as crowns break off leaving roots for re-growth. You can hand remove small plants or dig out sections where you need to if they aren’t particularly large. If there is a substantial spread of Creeping Oxalis through your lawn, you will get better results by spraying your lawn with a selective broadleaf herbicide like All Purpose Weed Control or Amgrow Bin Die. These herbicides are safe for use on most common lawn varieties like Sir Walter DNA Certified, Sir Grange Zoysia, TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda, Zoysia Australis, Kikuyu, Rye and Fescue.
If your lawn is particularly prone to Creeping Oxalis, we recommend looking into using a pre-emergent herbicide like Oxafert to help prevent the spread of its seeds. Oxafert will help create a barrier at the soil level which will affect the germination of any new Creeping Oxalis seedlings, stopping them before they start to become visible in your lawn.
Check out the Lawn Solutions Australia lawn care page for more helpful tips and advice here.
