Oxeye Daisy or Dog Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

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

 

 

In Australia, Oxeye Daisy is found in NSW, ACT, VIC (where it is a declared noxious weed), SA and TAS.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

Oxeye Daisy is an upright perennial that spreads by seed and rhizomes. It is much larger than a White Daisy that tends to grow as small, flat rosettes. The Oxeye Daisy at first grows as a rosette, and then produces upright, leafy flower stems.

• Leucanthemum vulgare starts as a rosette. It then grows long stems that have small, lance shaped leaves.
• Over the Summer the above ground plant parts die. It then regrows each year from the remaining roots.
• The dark green rosette leaves are on stalks. They have a spoon shape and a slightly jagged edge.
• The stem leaves of Ox eye Daisy are also dark green, but do not have stalks. They have up to 15 jagged teeth, and are alternately arranged.

 

Category: Broadleaf (Dicot).

Photosynthetic Pathway. Oxeye Daisy is a C3 weed.

Flower: The flowers of Leucanthemum vulgare have 15 to 35 white petals. These surround a yellow button shaped centre up to 5 cm across. It flowers from late Spring to the early Summer.

Height: Dog Daisy grows up to 1 m tall.

Leaf length: The basal leaves of the Oxeeye Daisy are 4 to 15 cm long. The leaves are shorter towards the top of the plant, and are only 7.5 cm long.

Reproduction: Oxeye Daisy reproduces from seeds and rhizomes, and produces up to 26,000 seeds in a season. The seeds germinate in the Autumn or Spring and are then spread by animals, vehicles and water.

• Up to 80% of the seeds remain viable for up to 6 years.
• Temperatures of 25°C are ideal for Oxeye Daisies germination.

 

Comments: When you crush Dog Daisy it has a strong sour smell.

Habitat:  You find Oxeye Daisy in disturbed soils on roadsides, and waste areas. It favours moist, loamy soils with high nutrient levels.

 

 

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 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 this weed 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 Oxeye Daisy to grow lateral branches and rhizomes, and is effective in combination with the use of herbicides. Mowing tends to produce a more uniform plant with a 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 the 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 Oxeye Daisy.

• Renegade. This stops Oxeye Daisy from germinating 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 to control Oxeye Daisy and water quality is an issue, then add Manta Ray to your tank mix.