Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common sorrel
Plant·Rumex acetosa
Full sun
Sun
Medium
Water
Well-drained soil
Drainage
Zones 3–9
Hardiness
Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) is a plant. It grows best in full sun and has moderate water needs.
Through the year
DormantLeafing outFloweringDying back
Works well with
from wiki dataNo companions recorded.
WHAT IT NEEDS
Wants full sun
Needs moderate water
Needs well-drained soil
Prefers soil pH 5.5–7
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Prefers loam, sandy loam soil
Tolerates some soil compaction
Draws up potassium, iron from deep in the soil
Adds a moderate amount of organic matter to the soil
WHAT IT GIVES
Gives mulch biomass (medium)
Gives shade (low)
Provides potassium
Provides iron
HOW IT GROWS
SIZE & SPACING
Herbaceous
Height30–100 cm
Spacing30 cm (min 20 cm)
Root depthMedium
Width30–60 cm
Width figures are rough estimates, the most variable measurement in our data.
AI estimate · accuracy improves as growers contribute corrections.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
Propagate by seed, division
Difficulty
Establishes in about 1 yr
Self-seeds readily on its own
Where this comes from
Parsed11 Sept 2026
ConfidenceNot recorded
Photograph Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0