Marianne's Response
What is this invasive weed and how do I get rid of it?
The last couple of years this weed has been coming up in a flower bed, not in my lawn, in Port Townsend (although my sister in Bonney Lake gets this in her lawn). It is extremely hard to just pull out as it only breaks off and the roots seem to go on forever. What is the best way to deal with this, both in my flower bed, and in my sister’s lawn?
Posted by Debbie Nighswonger on September 20, 2022
Marianne's Response
This weed looks familiar as it also pops up in my lawn. It is purple oxalis and is spreads from seed and roots. It does need sunlight to bloom and seed so you can control it by dropping clumps of compost on top of it or digging it out roots and all and removing the surrounding soil to get rid of seeds. Then reseeding the area with lawn seed. In flower beds smother it with two to three inches of bark or woodchips. It arrives most likely from nursery stock so check new plants for seedlings before bringing them home from the nursery. Keep at it and you can control the invasion but it is tough to totally eradicate oxalis. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
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