Sunday, February 10, 2008

The new war-front in my garden “The clover leaf weed”


It seems to me that we gardeners are always at war with something in our gardens. Last summer was the invasion of the snails, this winter is the dreaded “clover leaf weed” (I am not sure if that is its real name but that is what everyone calls it around here).
This weed has taken over my garden in a couple of weeks. It is all over my back yard, in all the flower beds, in the walking paths, and in the grass. Fighting this sneaky enemy is not easy. Pulling it by hand doesn’t work since the bulbs grow deep in the ground. Using pesticides is out of the question since I don't agree with adding chemicals to the environment. The only effective tool is my hand fork. The job is tedious and long but effective. Today I spent a couple of hours on my knees and was able to do only my herb and tomato garden.


After a couple of hours of work this is what it looks like now

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi. This is an oxalis, also called wood sorrel (not sure of the species because of where you are) and part of the problem with it is the underground runners and those little bulbils; but also the flowers turn to seeds inside a springloaded pod. So you're correct--it's a tricky little sucker to eradicate. Some are very desireable ornamentals, but others want to take over the planet.

Jeanette said...

Hi Rusty its definetly Oxalis..It seems to be everywere Its a noxious weed here also, It seems to spring up over night i spent hours weeding the garden on the weekend I used a hand trowel to try get to the roots but I bet theres still a lot of the bulbils still there....

Brenda Maas said...

I hated that stuff when I was gardening in Canada. It just takes over in a couple of days it seems like. Really noxious. Good Luck with it.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Yep that really is a difficult weed to get rid off as Jodi described. I have them too in my garden and I know what a pest they really are. Good luck with getting rid of them Rusty!

gintoino said...

It seems Oxalis hare everywhere rusty.
I too have them in my garden. Been trying to get rid of them for the past 2 years, but it's not easy...
I guess the only thing to do is keep pulling them until one miraculous day they are gone ;-)

Surya said...

We have plant similar to your clover leaf weed in Indonesia, but the leaves are smaller. In East Java, people usually eats clover leaf weed, called 'pecel daun semanggi'.

Carol Michel said...

It looks kind of pretty, but I agree, it is quite invasive and must be stopped!

Silvia Hoefnagels . Salix Tree said...

Oxalis, I have one in a pot. I had no idea it was so invasive. Mine hasn't done anything bad yet, it's just stayed in the pot. I think it's pretty, so hope it stays a good little plant in my garden.

Anonymous said...

That oxalis is horrible. The only way to get rid of it is to dig up the little bulbs. I have had some come up in my containers, and I wonder if it was in the potting soil I used. I know how hard it is to get rid of.

Jan Always Growing

Anonymous said...

Hi, I have just read that the oxalis is extremely responsive to spaying with vinegar - but your lawn must be dormant! I'm giving it a try today.