Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) is part of the daisy family and also known as Dog Daisy. It is an aggressive, perennial broadleaf herb, and forms dense stands, that smother the existing turf.

 

 

 

 

It produces a large number of seeds, and also regrows from rhizomes, which makes control of this weed difficult. On top of that, this weed is a host for Root-knot nematodes.

 

 

 

 After you read this, you will be able to:

• Identify Oxeye Daisy or Dog Daisy.
• Know what conditions favour Oxeye Daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare or Dog Daisy.
• Know the best cultural and chemical options to control Oxeye Daisy.

 

More information on lawn weeds is in our weed ID chart.

 

What weeds reveal about soil conditions is in our blog on indicator weeds. Oxeye daisy prefers to grow in soils with low P, and high K and Mg soils.

Thanks to the Atlas of Living Australia for the distribution map for Oxeye Daisy.

 

 

 

It is an upright perennial herb that spreads by seed and rhizomes. Oxeye Daisy starts life as a rosette. Long stems then grow that have small, narrow leaves. Over the Summer, above ground plant parts die off, and each year it re-grows from the roots.

The dark green rosette leaves are on stalks, have a spoon-shape, and have a slightly jagged edge.

The leaves on the stem of the Oxeye Daisy are also dark green, and are often stalkless. They have a lance shape, and are smaller and narrower than the rosette leaves. These leaves have up to 15 jagged teeth, and are alternate along the stem.

Category: Broadleaf (Dicot).

Photosynthetic Pathway. Oxeye Daisy is a C3 weed.

Flower: Oxeye Daisy flower heads have 15 to 35 white petals (ray flowers) and a golden yellow button shaped centre. This is up to 5 cm in diameter. It flowers from the late Spring to the early Summer.

Height: This weed grows up to 1 metre in height.

 

Leaf length: The basal leaves are 4 to 15 cm long. The leaves get shorter towards the top of the plant, with the upper leaves only being 7.5 cm long.

 

Reproduction: Oxeye Daisy reproduces from seeds and rhizomes. The seeds germinate in the Autumn or Spring and it produces up to 26,000 seeds. These spread by animals, vehicles and water, and are very long-lived. 80% are viable for up to 6 years.

Temperatures of 25°C are ideal for germination. High temperatures of 30°C or greater to do not favour this weed were damaging.

Comments: If you crush it, Oxeye Daisy has a strong sour smell.

Habitat:  You find this in disturbed areas such as roadsides, and waste areas. Leucanthemum vulgare favours high moisture, loamy soils, and high levels of nutrients.

 

 

 

 

The best option to control Leucanthemum vulgare is cultural control as there are very few registered post emergent herbicides. Currently no pre-emergent herbicides are registered to control Oxeye Daisy in turf in Australia.

 

• Hand Removal. You can hand pull small populations of Oxeye Daisy or remove them with hand tools. It is important you remove any roots from at least 10 cm below the ground to avoid re-growth. It is easier to do this when the soil is damp and loose.
• Maintain a full turf cover. Establish and maintain turf grass to outcompete this weed, as it cannot tolerate shade.
• Oxeye Daisy is not competitive with turf grass in high nitrogen soils, so fertilizing is a good way to control this weed.
• Mow. Don’t mow too low as Oxeye Daisy quickly invades bare ground. Mow once after it produces a flower stalk but before it flowers. It is important to mow again four weeks later to prevent flowering later in the season. Mowing stimulates lateral growth of branches and rhizomes, and is effective when you mow in combination with the use of herbicides. Mowing produces a more uniform plant with greater leaf area to absorb herbicides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glyphosate is effective but non-selective, so it kills everything it comes into contact with. Aim to apply in the Spring from rosette to bud stage of growth.

 

 

You need to get adequate foliar coverage of Oxeye Daisy for good results, so use a nonionic surfactant like Optispread 1000.

 

 

The following products kill all vegetation, and in the case of Numchuk, Renegade and Cortex Duo have a long term residual to prevent any regrowth of Ox-eye Daisy.

• Renegade. This stops germinating weeds for up to 12 months, and reduces the need for multiple herbicide applications.
• Numchuk Quad. Gives effective post and pre emergence weed control for up to 12 months.
• Cortex Duo. Gives a rapid knockdown and residual control for up to 3 months. Cortex Duo is safe to use around trees.
• Rapid Fire 800. If you use Glyphosate and water quality is an issue, then add Manta Ray spray adjuvant and pH buffer to your tank mix.