Oxalis triangularis care and repot- purple shamrock - butterfly plant
Grab your own Oxalis here: geni.us/OxalisTriangularis
This has been on my wish list for some time so I was very pleased to pick this up from Nell & Green Botanics my local Houseplant store yesterday.
So today we are going to take a look at this beautiful plant and go over some care tips for it, and also repot it, not because it needs it, it should be fine in here for a while but just because I have a nice for it and I want it to look nice!
This is actually quite an interesting houseplant, and one of my favourite parts of this houseplant hobby for me is learning about the new plants I buy and this one is a good example because unlike many houseplants it actually likes to be on the cooler side and loves the bright light so it’s like the opposite to many houseplant species! Most houseplants can’t get too cold, or not too bright etc, this one will actually prefer the cooler temps so if you have a colder spot in your house, porch or conservatory then this might be a good option.
I love the delicate look of the leaves, especially the variegated version that has even deeper red markings on it so I’m still looking out for one of those, let me know if you have one you want to donate to the channel!
Care Guide:
Origin: Brazil
Can go inside or outside even in the UK, just not frost hardy
Light - bright sunny spot - also semi-shade is also fine.
Water - regularly - a few times a week but let it dry out a little before watering again. Less water in the winter.
Temp - cooler temps 15c -20c 60f - 80f doesn’t’ like temps over 25c or 77f
Special Note: Oxalis can occasionally go dormant in the winter - not every year but if it dies back and looks like it's dead, don’t throw it away! They do this to regain energy, just stop the watering at this point, wait until the leaves all die back and cut them off and in a few months, it will spring back into life with renewed health and vigour!
Many people will assume that they have killed their Oxalis and throw it away! I’m sure many perfectly healthy plants have been check in the trash needlessly over the years people have been keeping these as houseplants, so just hold onto yours if it dies back - it is important to stop the watering though, because if it’s not active it’s not taking up any water and it will just sit there and rot the plant and then it really will die! So just leave it alone and it will come back when it's ready!