Oxalis flower (sour) is a herbaceous perennial and annual of the Sorrel family, numbering more than 800 species and growing in South Africa, South and Central America, and Central Europe.
Homemade clover of happiness
The Irish national symbol, the flower of St. Patrick - the country's most revered righteous man, is characterized by high decorative qualities and is quite popular in indoor cultivation.
Oxalis (in Latin oxys) is called for the sour taste of leaves, in Europe it is called clover of happiness, in Russia - rabbit cabbage.
A specific feature of oxalis is its ability to slowly fold leaves and close flowers with the advent of night, in cloudy weather or when touching it. In Europe, oxalis indoor is popular as a gift for the New Year tree: it is believed that a flower with purple, green or burgundy leaves will surely bring good luck and prosperity if it settles in the house a day before the New Year.
Popular Indoor Views
Having many types, in indoor cultivation, sour acid is represented by two of the most popular: triangular and four-leafed.
Triangular sour (otherwise violet), whose homeland is Brazil, is a tuberous plant with three-lobed purple leaves located on long petioles. It is for the leaves that are externally associated with the quivering wings of a butterfly that the purple oxalis flower is also called "Madame Butterfly." Flowers at the pet are small, lilac, light pink or white. Propagated by the rhizome method.
The four-leafed sorrel (Deppe), called by the English the “lucky clover”, or “the iron cross”, is characterized by four-lobed reverse heart-shaped leaves of light green color with a brown-red middle.
The flowers are raspberry red, with a yellow base , collected in inflorescences. By flowering, beginning in August, the four-leafed sour is happy for a rather long period, until October.
Oxalis in all its diversity
In open ground, you can grow a Bouvy oxalis flower, characterized by dark pink flowers placed on thin long peduncles, and leathery green leaves. Flowering occurs in May.
Ternate leaves of common sour - a perennial rhizome plant with a height of about 10 cm, are very similar to clover. The flowers are white, located singly. Creeping shoots, in the process of growth actively fill the free space, so the plant is widely used as a ground cover.
Ferruginous sorrel - a winter-hardy culture that forms low bushes, about 15 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs in mid-summer (June-July). The flowers are silvery, quite large, with streaks of pink. Gray-green leaves consist of multiple oval-shaped lobes.
Multicolored oxalis is very beautiful in cultivation with its white flowers decorated with a red border around the edge.
Shaggy oxalis - a stemless flower about 30 cm high, forming tubers. The leaves consist of 5-9 leaves, on the bottom of which red spots are clearly visible. Purple-red flowers of several pieces are collected in umbrella-shaped inflorescences. The flowering is plentiful, occurs in August-October.
Attractive dark pink, in the middle yellow flowers, against the background of other types of oxalis, poor oxygenation stands out. The plant is shallow, with ternate leaves located on thin petioles. The flower is optimal for growing in open ground, prefers sunny areas.
Red oxygenate is a perennial culture, up to 40 cm high, with triple leaves, closer to the base with fleecy, and attractive red flowers.
Volcanic acid - a stunted (no more than 15 cm in height) plant with small yellow flowers. It grows well, occupying free territories. Forming a solid grass carpet, ideal for alpine slides and flower beds. It can be grown in indoor floriculture and open ground.
Weed plant due to the active uncontrolled growth is considered carob acid. It is characterized by small yellow flowers and cherry-brown leaves.
Of the available types of oxalis, giant oxalis stands out in impressive size. The culture, capable of reaching 2 meters in height, has straight shoots, drooping branches, three-lobed leaves and attractive yellow flowers.
The nine-leaved sorrel is a low plant that forms solid silver-green rugs decorated with white-pink flowers. The flowering period is May-June.
Ortgis acidic acid is a grassy low flower with pubescent stems and apical ternate brownish-red leaves, characterized by a reverse heart shape. Small yellow flowers , up to 1.5 cm in diameter, are collected in inflorescences. Yellow. Such acid is common in indoor cultivation.
Oxalis: home care
In home growing, oxalis is absolutely capricious and limited to the measures necessary for normal growth: watering, top dressing, spraying, comfortable temperature, the optimal indicator of which in the summer is 20-25 ºC. In winter, the plant has a resting time (1-1.5 months), in which cool conditions are recommended, not higher than 12-18 ºC. At this time, oxalis (the photo shows all the charm of this plant) stops growing, can drop leaves, thus suggesting the onset of a rest period.
Lighting should be intensely scattered, without direct sunlight, which can cause burns. Tolerant oxalis at home growing belongs to partial shade, however, with a long stay in it, it may lose the decorativeness of the leaves.
Watering and dressing
High-quality care for oxalis involves timely top-dressing with complex mineral fertilizers. You need to make them every 2-3 weeks, during active growth and flowering; while the concentration of the composition should be 2 times less than that indicated on the package.
The plant needs abundant regular watering in the summer (without stagnation of water) and its reduction with the onset of cold weather. As soon as new shoots begin to appear, the flower should be transplanted into a new substrate, returned to its usual place of growth, resume feeding and watering.
Plant transplant
Young flowers are transplanted every year into a mixture consisting of leaf and sod land, sand and humus in equal proportions. To avoid stagnation of moisture, the bottom of the pot must be covered with a drainage layer of expanded clay. For adult plants, this procedure should be carried out every 2-3 years.
Diseases and Pests
Oxygen - a plant that is quite resistant to disease. With improper care, it can be damaged by spider red mites, scale insects, aphids. It is necessary to fight them by using insecticidal drugs. Actellik is effective against spider mites, aphids can be overcome with a soap solution (1 teaspoon of water - 1 teaspoon of liquid soap), the scabbard is removed mechanically (manual collection), after which the plant needs to be sprayed with Aktara. After a week, it is advisable to repeat the treatment. Be sure to protect the soil in which the plant is from getting drugs.
If the watering is too hard, the sour can get Fusarium or gray rot. In this case, the drug "Fundazole" is effective.
Oxalis: breeding at home
Oxalis is a flower culture that can be propagated in several ways. By seeds ripening in the shell of a plant that easily explodes when touched, the sour is propagated under natural conditions, and when grown indoors, this method is unpopular because of its duration. In early spring, the seeds of the plant should be scattered on the surface of the soil, consisting of 4 parts of leaf humus and peat and one part of sand. Seeds do not close up. The planting capacity must be covered with glass in order to ensure the absolute humidity necessary for germination. Lighting should be scattered, temperature - 16-18 ° C, soil - constantly wet. For watering, it is recommended to use a spray gun. An important factor in the success of the event is the daily airing of crops. Germination of seedlings will occur within a month.
We propagate vegetatively
The easiest method of reproduction: to separate the nodules or daughter bulbs of oxalis during the spring transplant. Landing should be done in several pieces in one container, which is then determined in a shaded, cool place. The soil should be moistened occasionally. As soon as the first shoots appear, it is recommended to rearrange the pot with the future plant closer to the light. In a month and a half, a beautiful, luxuriously flowering bush will be standing at this place.
Also, oxalis flower can be propagated by nodules. To do this, waiting for the appearance of the first new leaf after a dormant period, the tuber should be removed from the soil, cleaned and washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then cut into pieces, cut the slices with crushed charcoal. Planting of oxalis, or rather received delenok, is carried out in separate containers, which should be determined in a place with diffused lighting. Twice a month, from the second week of planting, the future plant should be fed; moisten the soil after drying the soil surface.
Medicinal properties of oxalis
Oxalis (photo below) is a medicinal plant whose properties have been evaluated by traditional medicine since ancient times.
The ground part of the bush was treated for scurvy, wounds and ulcers were treated, and used as an antidote for poisoning with mercury and arsenic. The high content of vitamin C in sour acid helps to eliminate colds and strengthen immunity.