For some, the time of sowing seeds for seedlings is a long-awaited and nice chores, for some it is a difficult necessity, while others are wondering whether it would be easier to buy ready seedlings at the market or with friends? Be that as it may, even if you gave up growing vegetable crops, for sure, you will still have to sow something. These are flowers and perennials, conifers and much more. A seedling is still a seedling, no matter what you sow.
A lover of moist air and one of the most compact and rare orchids, pafinia is a real star for most orchid growers. Its flowering rarely lasts longer than a week, but it can be an unforgettable sight. You want to look at the unusual striped patterns on the huge flowers of a modest orchid endlessly. IN indoor culture pafinia is rightly ranked among the difficult-to-grow species. It became fashionable only with the spread of interior terrariums.
Pumpkin ginger marmalade is a warming sweet that can be prepared almost all year round. Pumpkin keeps for a long time - sometimes I manage to save a few vegetables until summer, fresh ginger and lemons are always available these days. Lemon can be replaced with lime or orange to create different flavors - variety in sweets is always nice. The finished marmalade is placed in dry jars; it can be stored at room temperature, but it is always healthier to prepare fresh products.
In 2014, the Japanese company Takii seed introduced petunia with a striking petal color - salmon-orange. By association with bright colors southern sunset sky, the unique hybrid is called African Sunset. Needless to say, this petunia instantly won the hearts of gardeners and was in great demand. But in the last two years, the curiosity has suddenly disappeared from store windows. Where did the orange petunia go?
In our family sweet pepper they love it, that’s why we plant it every year. Most of the varieties that I grow have been tested by me for more than one season; I cultivate them constantly. I also try to try something new every year. Pepper is a heat-loving plant and quite whimsical. Varietal and hybrid varieties of tasty and productive sweet peppers, which grow well for me, will be discussed further. I live in central Russia.
Meat cutlets with broccoli in bechamel sauce are a great idea for a quick lunch or dinner. Start by preparing the mince and at the same time heat 2 liters of water to a boil to blanch the broccoli. By the time the cutlets are fried, the cabbage will be ready. All that remains is to collect the ingredients in a frying pan, season with sauce and bring to readiness. Broccoli needs to be cooked quickly to retain its vibrant color. green, which, when cooked for a long time, either fades or the cabbage turns brown.
Home floriculture - not only exciting process, but also a very troublesome hobby. And, as a rule, the more experience a grower has, the healthier his plants look. What should those who have no experience but want to have a home do? indoor plants- not elongated, stunted specimens, but beautiful and healthy ones, not causing a feeling of guilt with their fading? For beginners and gardeners who are not burdened long experience, I’ll tell you about the main mistakes that are easy to avoid.
Lush cheesecakes in a frying pan with banana-apple confiture - another recipe for everyone’s favorite dish. To prevent cheesecakes from falling off after cooking, remember a few simple rules. Firstly, only fresh and dry cottage cheese, secondly, no baking powder or soda, thirdly, the thickness of the dough - you can sculpt from it, it is not tight, but pliable. Good dough with a small amount of flour you will only get good cottage cheese, but here again see the “firstly” point.
It is no secret that many drugs from pharmacies have migrated to summer cottages. Their use, at first glance, seems so exotic that some summer residents are perceived with hostility. At the same time, potassium permanganate is a long-known antiseptic that is used in both medicine and veterinary medicine. In plant growing, a solution of potassium permanganate is used both as an antiseptic and as a fertilizer. In this article we will tell you how to properly use potassium permanganate in the garden.
Meat salad pork with mushrooms - a rural dish that can often be found on festive table in the village. This recipe is with champignons, but if possible, use forest mushrooms, then be sure to cook it this way, it will be even tastier. You don’t need to spend a lot of time preparing this salad - put the meat in a pan for 5 minutes and another 5 minutes for slicing. Everything else happens practically without the participation of the cook - the meat and mushrooms are boiled, cooled, and marinated.
Cucumbers grow well not only in a greenhouse or conservatory, but also in open ground. Typically, cucumbers are sown from mid-April to mid-May. Harvesting in this case is possible from mid-July to the end of summer. Cucumbers cannot tolerate frost. That's why we don't sow them too early. However, there is a way to bring their harvest closer and taste the juicy beauties from your garden at the beginning of summer or even in May. It is only necessary to take into account some of the features of this plant.
Poliscias – great alternative classic variegated shrubs and trees. The elegant round or feathery leaves of this plant create a strikingly festive curly crown, and its elegant silhouettes and rather modest character make it an excellent candidate for the role of the most large plant in the house. More large leaves do not prevent it from successfully replacing Benjamin and Co. ficuses. Moreover, polyscias offers much more variety.
Pumpkin cinnamon casserole is juicy and incredibly tasty, a little like pumpkin pie, but unlike pie, it is more tender and just melts in your mouth! This is the perfect sweet recipe for a family with children. As a rule, kids don’t really like pumpkin, but they never mind eating something sweet. Sweet pumpkin casserole is a delicious and healthy dessert, which, moreover, is very simple and quick to prepare. Try it! You'll love it!
A hedge is not only one of essential elements landscape design. It also performs various protective functions. If, for example, the garden borders a road, or there is a highway nearby, then hedge simply necessary. “Green walls” will protect the garden from dust, noise, wind and create a special comfort and microclimate. In this article we will look at optimal plants to create a hedge that can reliably protect the area from dust.
The name of the purslane plant comes from the Latin word Portulaca - due to the peculiar opening of the seed capsule. Our flower growers nicknamed it “rug” for its ability to cover flower beds with bright flowers.
Because of its ability to spread over a flowerbed, purslane is called a “rug.”
Purslane completely covers the soil with its stems, which is why it is actively used landscape designers in decorating rock gardens.
Flower growers especially value large-flowered purslane.
Purslane grows wild in tropical and subtropical areas of America.
Purslane - herbaceous annual plant height from 10 to 30 cm. The root is branched, spindle-shaped. The stem is fistulous, fleshy, branched, brown. The leaves are oval-shaped, green, dense in structure. The flowering period is from June to September. The flowers have a variety of colors: yellow, white, sometimes dark brown, located two or three flowers on a stem.
In addition to annuals, there are also perennial species purslane In total, there are 40 plant species in the purslane family. Most in demand Large-flowered purslane is used in decorative floriculture. Also found in gardens is a malicious weed - garden or vegetable purslane, which is grown as a green crop.
Features of cultivation
Purslane sprouts on the 4th day after sowing, now they need more sun.
Purslane seeds are sown in flower beds with maximum light, otherwise the plant will not bloom. At home, window sills that are located on south side. The plant grows well and blooms in the fresh air in window or balcony boxes.
Large-flowered purslane tolerates well hot weather. There are also no problems when the temperature drops, since such flowers are grown as annuals. Regular watering is necessary, from the beginning of sowing seeds until the end of the growing season, especially during dry and hot periods, and stagnation of water should not be allowed.
In general, representatives of the Purslane family are resistant to various pests and diseases. In rare cases, plants can be affected by the fungus Albugo portulaceae, this disease leads to the appearance of white spots on the leaves and subsequently to deformation of the shoots. In such cases, the damaged parts must be removed, and then the plants must be treated with a fungicidal preparation that contains copper.
The best time to purchase seeds is at the end of winter or early spring. When purchasing, you should carefully check the expiration date and integrity of the packaging. In gardening centers and flower nurseries you can buy seedlings in cups. Such plants should be selected without any signs of decay and compact forms.
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Propagation of purslane
Garden purslane is considered a weed, but it healing properties Hippocrates also appreciated it.
Purslane propagation occurs by seeds, sometimes under favorable conditions. weather conditions Self-seeding happens. IN summer time Purslane is propagated by dividing bushes and cuttings. The seeds themselves for seedlings are sown superficially in February, after which they are covered with film or glass, leaving them in the light. The first shoots appear after 7-14 days. You need to plant in pots with a diameter of 5-6 cm; the transplant is well tolerated. It must be grown in a fairly dry environment. Seedlings are planted on permanent place after frost, the distance between the stems is 15-20 cm.
As a rule, terry forms grow low. High germination of seeds can only be achieved if sowing took place in greenhouses in which all conditions for growing cacti are met, there is additional lighting, heating and a thermostat. IN living conditions this can be achieved by using an aquarium or simple box made of plexiglass, which is covered with plastic film. For additional lighting, a regular table lamp will do. The temperature in the greenhouses is maintained at 25-35°C. In very bright light the temperature may be higher. It is better to sow seeds in small plastic boxes with drainage. The growing substrate should not contain peat and organic fertilizers, otherwise the seeds will either die from a fungal disease or will not sprout.
The substrate must be placed on the water bath and sterilize. If there is no additional lighting with lamps daylight, then when the seedlings are freed from the shell, they must be exposed to sunny window, and in the evening and in the morning keep under table lamp, power 75-100 W. To grow strong shoots and get beautiful bright flowers, until the first leaves appear, the substrate must be kept moist.
With the arrival of warm and sunny days, seedlings can be planted in flower beds. It is better to carry out this event in the evening or morning, then transplanting seedlings will be less traumatic. It is necessary to water the seedlings as the soil dries out. You can reduce watering after the plant has completely taken root and the first flowers appear.
Purslane is grown by many gardeners. Most often it is planted in the ground in the garden - this is wonderful ground cover plant . The stems of the plant with leaves similar to Christmas tree needles are intertwined and perfectly cover the soil, and bright flowers: yellow, orange, scarlet, pink, white form a motley carpet on the ground.
Purslane is also grown in pots and flowerpots, which are used to decorate loggias, verandas and balconies, turning them into a beautiful “rosary”, because double purslane flowers really resemble small roses.
What kind of plant is this? What do you need to know about planting purslane and caring for it? What are the basic growing rules?
Purslane grandiflora
All decorative purslanes belong to the species Grandiflora purslane (Portulaca grandiflora). There are many varieties, they differ in the color of the petals and the degree of terry. Some manufacturers highlight hanging varieties, although ordinary ones can also be grown as hanging ones. Mixtures of seeds of multi-colored varieties are often sold; such planting looks very decorative.
This plant is perennial, but is grown as an annual, because in our conditions does not overwinter in open ground. The plant is a creeping succulent, its reddish branching stems rise 15-20 cm above the ground. The flowers open only during the day sunny weather. In the conditions of the middle zone, this is, of course, a disadvantage, but a clear advantage is long flowering.
Purslane blooms from mid-June to September when the first frosts arrive. Flowering is abundant, but every single flower It blooms in one day, then withers and sets fruit. If wilted flowers If you do not remove it in time and the boll will ripen, the purslane will self-sow, which, as a rule, is undesirable, because plants obtained in this way next year They will bloom only by August.
Growing purslane from seeds
In warm southern regions, seeds can be sown directly into the ground. But for purslane to bloom in June in the middle zone, planting in the ground is carried out by seedlings. Seeds for seedlings are sown in February - March. You can take any soil for germination, it is important that it is light, air- and water-permeable. Purslane seeds are very small, so when sowing it is convenient to mix them with calcined or otherwise disinfected river sand. This mixture is scattered over the surface of the wet soil, it is not covered with soil on top, it is simply pressed slightly onto the surface with a board, and sprayed with water from a spray bottle. The crops are placed in a warm place (with a temperature of at least 20 degrees), covered with a film or bag, which is removed once a day for ventilation. As the soil dries, the surface of the soil is moistened with a spray bottle.
After about 1-2 weeks, shoots begin to appear, at this moment the film should be removed from the boxes and placed on the windowsill. Continue watering using a spray bottle. Purslane, as a rule, emerges together, the seedlings are plump and juicy.
After the appearance of the second true leaf on the seedlings, picking is carried out. In this case, the plants are planted at a distance of 4 cm from each other and buried down to the cotyledon leaves.
Planting and care
Planting purslane in open ground is carried out when the danger of return frosts has passed. IN southern regions- in May, in the middle zone at the end of May - beginning of June, in Siberia and the Urals - after June 10. Before planting, it is useful to harden the seedlings 1-2 weeks before planting. To do this, containers with plants are taken outside during the daytime, gradually increasing the hardening time from 15 minutes to 5-6 hours. It is good if by the time of planting the seedlings have more than 10 strong leaves and buds.
Seedlings are planted in the garden at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other, and watered after planting. Until the shoots grow and cover the ground, the purslane needs to be regularly weeded and the soil around the plants loosened.
For purslane, it is important to choose the right place for planting. It grows well in open, sunny places and in light partial shade. It will bloom sparingly in shaded areas. Good illumination- perhaps the only fundamental condition successful cultivation purslane
Purslane feels great on poor sandy soils, doesn't like it very much peat soils, on nutritious soils shoots actively grow to the detriment of flowering. The area for purslane should be dry, without stagnant water.
When caring for purslane, you need to remember that it is harmful and overwatering. In combination with cold weather, this leads to the appearance of fungal diseases in the plant, although in general this plant is very resistant to diseases, and pests do not attack it. Water purslane abundantly, only in hot weather, when the soil is sufficiently dry. The plant can tolerate quite a long period of drying out; it is a succulent.
Purslane takes cuttings well. If you move one or more plants from the garden indoors for the winter, in the spring you can cut off several branches from them, root them in water and plant them in a flower garden. Within a month, the cuttings will produce flowering bushes.
The plant does not require mandatory feeding, but if you feed the purslane with mineral fertilizer 2-3 times during the summer, the flowering will be more abundant and luxuriant.
If you are interested in growing purslane from own seeds , this is possible, but most likely for non-double species. Terry varieties produce fewer seeds and have poorer germination rates. Since seeds are formed and ripen unevenly, they need to be collected as they form. The boxes are picked after they turn yellow, slightly unripe, so that they do not have time to crack, and are dried, laid out on paper. They can be sown for seedlings next spring, and germination persists for three years.
Purslane
In addition to decorative (inedible) varieties, there are edible, garden varieties of purslane. They are used in salads, added to soups, and pickled. Has garden purslane and medicinal properties, although it also has contraindications for consumption due to health reasons. Species specially bred in France garden purslane with red and yellow leaves.
This plant has an interesting name. What does it mean? There are two versions. First, the word comes from the Latin words pulli pied - “chicken leg”. Indeed, a sprig of purslane resembles a chicken leg. By the way, one of the popular names for purslane, “chicken’s leg,” can be considered an indirect confirmation of this version. According to the second version, the word “purslane” comes from the Latin word portula - “door”. The ripe purslane fruit, the capsule, is torn, and the torn edges resemble an open door.
Non-ornamental species of purslane are found wild in southern regions Russia, in the south Far East, in Central Asia, in the Caucasus. It has also taken root in the non-chernozem zone. Wild purslane is a stubborn, tenacious weed, which is very difficult to remove from the garden. Folk names: flea beetles, sandwich, chicken leg, chicken trail, sucker, dandur.
Purslane is an alien flower, not large, not particularly sophisticated, but it is not afraid of winds and can even grow on broken brick chips, which are close to the mountain conditions where it grows in the wild. Rug (rugs) is its common colloquial name, and many do not know that it is actually called differently. Why a rug? If it is planted between petunias or together with Turkish carnation, instead of a lawn or flower bed, during the flowering period of the multi-colored annual, there will be a bright, multi-colored, cheerful flower mat that pleases the eye, opening towards the sun every morning.
Purslane is an unusual flower, not large, not particularly sophisticated, but it is not afraid of winds and can grow even on broken brick chips
Heat-loving and annual, it requires annual cultivation - from seeds through the seedling stage, but many gardeners even sell it in pots on March 8: although the plant is not an indoor plant, it looks touching and cheerful in gift packaging. In addition, the gifted flower can be planted in the front garden when it gets warmer, and by autumn, collect the seeds from the box to grow further. This plant is from North and South America, but in the wild it can only be found there, and in Southern Europe, where it has long been refined and new varieties have been bred, it is indispensable attribute alpine slides in beautiful home parks.
Growing purslane from seeds in open ground (video)
Purslane as a plant
The name purslane comes from the Latin word “gate (portula).” This word is from the same category as Portugal and the portal. In the 17th century, a plant from the genus purslane was one of the most popular garden crops in Europe. It first came to France, but the British had the greatest preference for its use. This is one of the many plants that were undeservedly forgotten after the fall of the Roman Empire, but then they remembered it again and began to grow it. In the time of Hippocrates, purslane was used as a remedy for insomnia, sting poisonous snakes, was used to treat wounds, and the Arabs in the Middle Ages considered purslane a blessed plant.
The genus Purslane has about 200 species of plants, including annuals, perennials, and even succulents, but only large-flowered purslane is grown, which South America was a perennial creeping plant, and is now common as an annual garden plant ornamental culture. It is widely used in flower beds, borders, alpine slides, and is readily planted on balconies, in window boxes, outdoor vases and rosettes. Only with the help of this plant can you decorate an entire pedestrian square with huge flower beds, because its flowers are simple, five-petaled, with a fused corolla, double and even cultivars with a corolla of two colors.
Heat-loving and annual, it requires annual cultivation - from seeds through the seedling stage
Primary colors - white, red, orange, yellow - are complemented by various shades of the palette from cream, pink and purple to bright red and intense orange. The preference that purslane gives to sandy and rocky soils has led to the fact that it began to be planted in stone flower beds, walls, and used in rock gardens and alpine slides. With regular watering, the decorative flower tolerates both increases and decreases in temperature absolutely calmly, but at the same time it loves southern places, with maximum light and ventilation, and without sunlight it simply refuses to bloom. Purslane grandiflora can be purchased for planting as seeds and seedlings in cups and then it only needs to be planted in the ground, provided with sun and watered regularly.
Purslane cultivated
Despite the variegated species diversity, this plant in its cultivated form is found in only two varieties: garden and ornamental. The garden variety (dandur or flea beetle) is not popular among gardeners because they mistake it for a weed. For gardeners, its flowers, small and yellow, are too inexpressive. Its shoots are dark crimson in color, but they usually lie on the ground, and only the flowering part is raised. The leaves of the garden purslane are beautiful, but the garden purslane is not a plant for flower beds, because they only stand out well in the spring.
The value of a garden variety is in the healing substances that make up its composition. They give the shoots an exotic, slightly pungent taste, but are used not so much for food, but because of their medicinal properties. Purslane juice lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and medicines in which it is used, they remove inflammation in bladder, treat arthritis, difficult-to-heal wounds, help with diseases of the liver, kidneys, and eyes. IN folk medicine it is known as an anti-inflammatory, diuretic, wound-healing plant.
An ornamental variety, whose homeland is Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, gardeners conditionally divide it into three groups according to the type of flowering:
- varieties with simple five-petal flowers;
- semi-double varieties (Sunny Princess);
- varieties with double flowers(Mango, Long Summer, Hybrid Cherry, Hybrid Cream, Flamenco).
The name purslane comes from the Latin word “gate (portula).” Purslane flowers are the most different shades, thanks to which they are now becoming increasingly widespread. Of all the varieties, only Hybrid Cream, Mango and Princely Rug are distinguished by a certain color tone– Hybrid Cream with yellowish-cream flowers, Mango blooms intense coral-orange, and the Prince's Rug, spreading along the ground, is distinguished by corollas of an indescribable crimson-scarlet hue. Purslane terry variety Peacock has peculiar flowers, more lush and ruffled than other varieties, and blooms so intensely from mid-summer. Its flowers come in a wide variety of colors color range. The Princely Rug is no less famous and is much more widely distributed.
The most popular seeds at the moment are Air Marshmallow, a mixture of colors that produce a mat of flowers in whimsical shades, with large flowers from 5 to 7 cm in diameter. In this case, seedlings are planted from mid-April, and after planting sunny side enough weeding, watering and light fertilizing mineral fertilizers so that until late autumn the lawn, flower bed or flower box tirelessly pleases the gardener’s eye. Purslane, a mixture of colors, is a real find for lazy lovers who do not want to deal with varietal selection, but also for a true lover of beautiful flower beds and garden landscapes presents a really convenient set of seeds.
Popular plant varieties
Another equally popular assorted set is Purslane Baroque, which will create a unique floral pattern on the poorest sandy soils and in landscapes where stone beds with relatively low-growing plants are used. Large-flowered purslane for a taller rockery, flower terrace, which can be planted to decorate old walls, belongs to a higher, but no less popular species. These are the Flamenco and Kalambur varieties, which with ghfdbkmyjv care grow up to 15-20 cm. Large flower The pun resembles a tea rose and has different colors petals, and Flamenco, with long fleshy stems and needle-shaped leaves of a juicy green hue, evokes memories of sunny Spain, colorful holidays, and the hot southern sun. Both varieties will bloom for the same long time if you thin out the plants in time, remove weeds and water in a timely manner.
The large-flowered variety Sonya, which is traditionally perceived as lilac or pale pink, is extremely unpretentious and extremely resistant to the climate of the middle zone, and is not used often enough. In fact, Sonya, like Splendex, can be of various shades from violet-cyclamen to intense pink and violet-pink. “Sonya,” just like Splendex, could worthily decorate city flower beds and brightly decorate balconies, not limited to rock gardens, where it is most often used, creating a flowering mountain landscape.
Purslane flowers come in a variety of shades, which is why they are now becoming increasingly widespread. Another popular variety, White-flowered, resembles an airy marshmallow when its flowers completely cover the bush, with good care. As the name suggests, he white, which can give scope for creating a snow-white border using this variety. Purslane, the species of which are simply not yet fully developed garden designers and flora lovers, can replace fancy and fashionable plants that require much more effort and growing conditions.
With regard to garden purslane, the historical injustice has already begun to be corrected, due to which it fell out of the everyday menu. Two improved varieties, Firefly and Paradox, can already be grown from seeds at garden plot, as a complete replacement for spinach, which can be eaten by people with diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and at the same time greens are recommended, useful products. From 1 square meter you can collect up to 2.5 kg of leaves and shoots without spending any special effort on growing.
How to grow purslane (video)
Growing purslane from seedlings
Most in a simple way To plant purslane on a plot is to purchase it from gardening farms. But, if you have some experience in gardening, you can grow seedlings for planting yourself by purchasing seeds. The same bag of Baroque or Air Marshmallow. To do this, you will need transparent containers with humus, the bottom of which is lined with drainage and unsifted sand.
The soil for seeds must be calcined in the oven, after mixing it with charcoal and sand. The container must be transparent; some gardeners plant purslane in aquariums or glass containers. The temperature in the room with seedlings should be at least 19-20 degrees, and watering should be done with cool, settled water, by spraying the soil with a spray bottle.
Planting in open ground
Seedlings can be planted in open ground when the air warms up enough. A hillock on the sunny side is ideal for the plant, because it is not afraid of fresh air, but loves sunlight very much. In such conditions, the plant feels best and blooms profusely. If the question arises when to pluck purslane because the seedlings or crops are too dense, then it is best to do this while transplanting the seedlings into the soil. A carpet that is too thick will not only create certain inconveniences in care and may impede growth, but can also reduce the expected flowering.
Without picking seedlings, the plant will grow not only in width, but also in height, since each sprouted seed will need living space. But, plants rejected during the thinning process can be planted in places where there is free sowing space, and decorative function not that important. For example, along garden paths, in sunny meadows in the garden or on open place at the gate. Even if there are not very many flowers there, a beautiful green mat of leaves and shoots will still delight greenery lovers.
Purslane, collar, rug - it doesn’t matter what this plant is called in household use. It is important that it blooms beautifully all summer, does not cause much trouble, but brings a lot of joy, creates good mood, caresses the eye with its multi-colored corollas. And all this is within the realm of possibility, even if instead of a flowerbed or garden plot There are only boxes with earth and a balcony.
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The genus purslane (Portulaca) unites more than 100 species of plants growing in the subtropical and tropical zones of both hemispheres. But only two species are most widespread: large-flowered or garden purslane and or vegetable purslane, often found as an ineradicable weed in the south of Russia. Purslane grandiflora – perennial, grown as .
Purslane is a small flower, reaching a height of no more than 25 cm, which forms creeping shoots with small fleshy leaves. Because of their ability to grow, these plants are sometimes popularly called “rugs.” The flowers are up to 6cm in diameter and come in white, orange, yellow, red, pink and beige colours, which open on sunny days and close at night or in cloudy weather. The plant blooms continuously from June until frost.
Growing and care.
Purslane grandiflora is a very easy-to-care and undemanding plant that is suitable even for a beginner. Since it is very, it only needs to be watered occasionally. In addition, the plant does not need to be fed at all, it only harms it. There is also no need to loosen and mulch the purslane, and weeds do not appear in its thickets often. It is also quite rarely affected by pests; in general, it is not a plant, but a lazy gardener’s dream. But there are still some peculiarities in care.
The purslane flower is very demanding sunlight, so for planting it you need to choose open sunny areas. Otherwise abundant and long flowering will not be possible to achieve. The plant blooms best on poor sandy soil and does not tolerate an excess of organic matter at all. On well-fertilized soil, the flower begins to fatten, increasing its green mass, while flowering weakens.
Reproduction.
Purslane is propagated by seeds, which southern regions You can sow directly into the ground, but in the rest of Russia it is better to grow through seedlings. In summer, you can also propagate the plant by cuttings and dividing bushes.
Purslane flowers are heat-loving and absolutely not frost-resistant; even with a slight frost, the plant dies. That's why it's best to grow it seedling method. Purslane seeds are very small, so they are sown in a mixture with sand on top of prepared, moist soil, which should not contain peat and organic matter, otherwise the sprouts may die. The seeds are lightly pressed down, then the container is covered with glass or film and placed in a warm, well-lit place, sometimes ventilated and moistened.
After about a week or two, sprouts will appear, then the cover is removed. Until the sprouts get stronger, do not water them; if the soil dries out, you can moisten them with a spray bottle. At one month of age, the seedlings are plucked. When the threat of spring frosts has passed, the plants are planted in open ground at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, because then the seedlings will grow, turning into a real multi-colored mat. As the seedlings dry out, water them, and when the plant will take root, watering is reduced.
Diseases and pests.
Purslane is rarely affected by diseases and pests. Among the diseases, it can be threatened by various kinds of spotting, and seedlings, with insufficient care, by black leg. Among the pests, the plant is sometimes attacked by whiteflies and aphids.
Usage.
Purslane is ideal for borders, and it also looks great on alpine hills. The plant is often grown in flowerpots, pots and balcony boxes. Since purslane grows well in poor soils and does not need frequent watering, it can serve as a good alternative to lawn. This “lawn” does not need to be cut and will always delight you with bright colors.