A plant that does not require special care and is able to survive in conditions of intense heat and drought is the dream of many flower growers, brought to life. It is these properties that a guest from the American continent, purslane, has. Planting and caring for this ornamental plant will bring only positive emotions due to abundant beautiful flowering.
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plant description
bright succulent flowers
Purslane - crawling succulent Purslane family, which came to us from the regions of North and South America. In Europe, the plant was previously used as a vegetable, and only in the 9th century - recently by the standards of world history - it moved into the category of ornamental horticultural crops.
The flower is perennial, but grown as an annual in temperate climates because it cannot survive the winter outdoors. Purslane is able to quickly grow green mass and is resistant to trampling.
The stems are thick and reddish, branching, reaching a height of 20–25 cm. The green leaves are needle-like and fleshy. The roots are also branched, shaped like a spindle.
The flowers of the plant are cup-shaped, simple or double, consist of 5 petals fused together. They look like a tea rose or peony, are located in the branches of the stem one by one or in groups of 3 and open only on clear days under the rays of the sun.
Purslane blooms for a long time: from June 15 to August 30 or even mid-September. The most common colors are white, yellow, red and dark brown.
Each flower blooms and blooms in one day, forming a fruit in the form of a spherical multi-seeded box with shiny black seeds. If it is not removed, then self-seeding will occur. However, such a development of events is undesirable: next year, plants from seeds will bloom only in August.
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Plants in the garden
Purslane is a really unpretentious flower, which naturally grows on rocky dry ground. The succulent feels good even on poor sandy soils.
Nutritious soil contributes to the excessive growth of the plant at the expense of flowering (it must be supplemented with sand), and on peat soil, the succulent may not sprout at all.
Lowlands, where water can stagnate, and poorly drained soil are not suitable for a flower - the plant loves dryness. Therefore, it is better to choose elevations near the southern wall of garden buildings.
The only thing that really it is important to consider when choosing a place for a flower garden - the degree of illumination of the site. An open area with diffused soft light is an ideal location for planting a heat-resistant purslane. Even a light shade can prevent a succulent from blooming.
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Landing in open ground
Planted heat-loving succulent
In open ground, seedlings with 10 strengthened leaves or buds, together with an earthen clod, are planted at the end of spring. If you do this earlier, the seedlings will begin to stretch. The plant is very thermophilic, so even a night temperature of +10 degrees can kill it. It is necessary to deepen the seedling to the cotyledon leaves.
Experienced gardeners recommend planting succulents from May 20 to May 30 in the southern regions, in early June - in the middle lane and June 10-15 in the Urals. Plants are placed in the ground at a distance of 20 cm from each other, watering abundantly after planting. The succulent begins to bloom within 1.5–2 months after the appearance of the first shoots.
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annual sprout
The flower is not recommended to be watered abundantly and often: it is enough to do this once every 4-5 days. It is best to use settled or melted water for moisturizing. Hard water significantly reduces the percentage of seed germination and the abundance of flowering.
Watering is carried out using a watering can under the root or from above. Succulent easily tolerates prolonged drought and requires more moisture than usual, only on hot days.
Excessive moisture along with low air temperature can lead to the appearance of fungal diseases of the plant. If watering is still not enough for the plant, then it will respond to the lack of water by dropping leaves and baring the stems.
Dadditional feeding for an unpretentious succulent is not carried out. At the request of the gardener, you can fertilize the soil with a liquid solution of cow's manure or other organics, but not more than 1 time per season.
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reproduction
Purslane
In nature, they reproduce by self-sowing, and in gardening they use 3 methods:
- seeds (suitable for southern areas)
- seedlings (for temperate climate)
- cuttings or dividing the bush (for growing indoors)
Experienced gardeners recommend another way to "relocate" the purslane to a new place: after self-seeding of the succulent, collect the top layer of soil in the flower garden below it and transfer it to a new place, scattering it around the flower bed. This method allows you to save sorting.
seeds
germinated succulent
To germinate plant seedlings, small seeds, together with disinfected river sand, are sown in containers with soil in late February - early March.
Disembarkation is carried out as follows:
- Planting material is poured onto wet, loose and light soil, lightly pressed down with a plank
- Sprayed with water at room temperature
- Cover with film or glass, put in a room where the temperature is maintained at least 20 degrees
- A home-made greenhouse is removed and ventilated once a day so that condensation does not form on the surface of the soil.
- As it dries, the soil is moistened with water.
Light-loving succulents are recommended to be illuminated with an ordinary lamp (bulb power 40–60 W) or a fluorescent lamp, bringing daylight hours to 12–14 hours. When the first shoots appear - green, on a strong thick leg, the film or glass is removed, but the seedlings continue to be watered, and the container is moved to the window.
After the appearance of the first pair of leaves, seedlings dive, planting in a larger container at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other. 10-14 days before the day of the proposed planting, it is recommended to start hardening the planting material: during the day, take it out into the street starting from 20 minutes at the very beginning, eventually reaching up to 4 hours.
seedlings
Succulent seedlings
At the time of buying grown seedlings in cups from the nursery, gardeners It is recommended to choose small plants with no visible signs of decay.
Planting seedlings in open ground is recommended to be carried out in the early morning or late evening. - so the likelihood that the plant will take root is higher.
cuttings
Shoots obtained by cuttings
Succulents are propagated by cuttings much less often, since for this, the mother plant must be stored in a cool room until spring. This is difficult to do due to the lack of lighting in winter.
One option is to transplant the purslane from the garden into a pot after flowering and take care of it in the winter like an ordinary houseplant. In the spring, prepare cuttings and root them in water.
Rooted shoots and the mother plant itself, after the onset of a temperature of +25 degrees, are planted in open ground. The succulent should bloom in 3-4 weeks.
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Drought tolerant and heat tolerant succulent
The plant is characterized by high resistance to diseases, including fungal, bacterial and viral. The only characteristic disease for purslane is the fungus Albugo portulaceae, under the influence of which the stems are deformed, and spots form on the leaves. You can defeat the disease by sanitary pruning and subsequent spraying with copper sulphate.
If you violate the rules of care - most often excessive watering - the plant can rot. The disease affects both the aboveground and underground parts: the flower stops growing, the foliage becomes covered with brown spots. You can get rid of rot by treating with a solution of a fungicide preparation.
Insects also show no interest in purslane and do not harm the plant. Rarely, but still, infection from other plants, for example, aphid larvae, occurs. In this case, the entire flower garden is sprayed with Fitoverm, Aktellik, Aktara preparations.
If thrips fall on purslane from neighboring plants, then they can be identified by the appearance of whitish stripes and spots on the leaves and stems. To combat insects, insecticides Karbofos or Fitoverm are used.
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blooming succulent
Even when growing such an unpretentious and hardy plant as purslane, some gardeners have problems. The main ones are summarized in the table.
| Problem | Possible reason |
|---|---|
| The plant produces little or no flowers. | A shaded place was chosen for planting, too fertile soil; soil contains peat |
| Leaves and stems are covered with spots, the plant stops growing | Excessive watering, groundwater close to the soil surface, frequent rains, cloudy weather |
| Small leaves, elongated shoots | Lack of light (when growing indoors, you can correct the situation by supplementing the light with phytolamps or fluorescent light) |
| Deformed shoots | Fungal disease - treatment with a fungicide is necessary |
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yellow purslane
Experienced gardeners recommend removing flowers from shoots immediately after they have faded and begun to fade. If you skip this moment and let the flowers dry completely, it will be difficult to see the fruit with seeds.
The box is torn off already yellowed, but not yet quite ripe, so that it cracks already in the container or on paper, and the seeds do not fall into the ground.It is almost impossible to collect the smallest seeds from the soil surface - they look like dust: 50 thousand seeds are placed in 1 teaspoon.
Purslane fruits ripen 2-4 weeks after pollination (the period depends on weather conditions). Freshly harvested seeds acquire germination capacity only for the next season, but retain this property for 3-4 years.
The plant does not hibernate in open ground, therefore, after all the flowers and stems have dried up, the flower garden can be completely freed from the plant. Seeds that have fallen into the ground by self-sowing save the gardener from the need for their purposeful planting next spring.
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Purslane in a pot
Decorative qualities and a long flowering period make purslane one of the most desirable plants for growing in an apartment.
When choosing a succulent as a pet, you should consider several features in caring for it:
- When transplanting purslane, you should not use the usual universal soil for flowering plants; ready-made soil mixtures contain peat, which makes it difficult for succulent seeds to germinate
- Suitable soil can be made independently by mixing garden soil with river sand in a ratio of 4 to 1. The mixture must first be disinfected by calcining in the oven or steaming. Soil should be placed in a pot for drainage in the form of expanded clay or pebbles
- The succulent does not need to be sprayed, the optimum air humidity for the plant is 50%, but dry air near heaters is dangerous
- The flower will best endure summer in the open air, and winter - on a glazed balcony or loggia
- At home, at high temperatures and sufficient light, the plant can bloom in winter, but very modestly. It is preferable to let the succulent rest in a cool room.
Heat-resistant and light-loving purslane is an ideal plant for southern sunny balconies, where it is impossible to grow other ornamental flowering plants. If it is necessary that the loggia looks elegant and bright from the side of the street, then ampelous varieties are preferred.
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Purslane colors
The plant includes more than 100 species, the most common of which are:
- large-flowered
- garden (medicinal, vegetable)
- terry
- ampelous
large-flowered
Varietal mix of succulents
In horticultural culture, the most common purslane is large-flowered.. This plant is up to 30 cm high with decumbent stems, small cylindrical leaves and cup-shaped single flowers up to 7 cm in diameter.
Initially, the species had only red flowers, but as a result of selection, varieties were bred with colors ranging from white and cream to purple.
The most popular varieties are collected in the table:
| Variety name | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Double Mix | Terry multi-colored flowers, varietal mixture |
| Sanglo | Large flowers that do not close even in the evening or on cloudy days |
| Air marshmallow | Low-growing variety with large white flowers and double petals |
| Cream | Hybrid variety with small, light beige flowers |
| splendens | Bright pink double flowers |
| Tequila White | A hybrid variety that forms a carpet of foliage up to 35 cm in diameter. Double flowers, up to 5 cm in diameter. It can grow both in conditions of high humidity and without watering at all. |
| Cherry | Low-growing variety - stems reach a height of 10-15 cm, and double flowers of bright cherry color - 5 cm in diameter |
| princely rug | Double flowers in white, red or orange |
| Royal | The flowers are simple, but large, of various shades. |
Separately, the following varieties can be distinguished:
Garden
Garden variety flowers
garden purslane - other name medicinal or vegetable - an annual that grows in nature in groups along roads, in gullies, ravines and on rocky paths. In terms of simplicity and speed of reproduction, this species is similar to weed grass. Often it is precisely as a weed that domestic gardeners perceive it.
It blooms with small flowers of pale yellow color, its leaves and shoots contain many valuable trace elements and minerals.
Garden purslane seeds are sown from May 20 to June 10 directly into the ground with pre-formed grooves to a depth of slightly less than 1 cm. It is necessary to leave a distance of 50 cm between the rows, and after the seedlings germinate, thin them out, leaving the strongest shoots in increments of 10 -15 cm.
Endowed with healing properties, its fresh leaves and stems are used in alternative medicine, home cosmetology and cooking.
Used to treat:
- dermatological diseases
- scurvy
- helminthic lesions of the body
- vomiting and nausea
- arthritis
- ulcers
- ophthalmic diseases
- weakness and fatigue
- decrease in the general tone of the body
- elevated glucose and cholesterol levels
Leaves become rough after flowering, therefore, without waiting for the plants to dry, they are completely removed from the soil and new ones are planted.
In cooking, young shoots of purslane are widely used for making soups, vitamin salads, and pickling. Succulent tastes like a cross between sorrel and spinach.
Terry
View Purslane terry
Terry purslane - a ground cover annual that blooms all summer and is valued for the beautiful shape of the perianth petals. Flowers delight gardeners during daylight hours, closing at night.
However, hybrid varieties have already been bred, the flowers of which remain open throughout the day. It does not have any features in the care compared to other varieties.
Ampelny
Ampel varieties in hanging pots
Ampel purslane - a hybrid artificially bred for growing in hanging pots and pots. Can be planted both in the garden or suburban area, and on the balcony.
It blooms with both simple and double flowers, the leaves are elongated, oval, form a dense cover, the stems are curly, drooping.
Perennial
Perennial variety of succulent
As a result of selection for cultivation in temperate latitudes, perennial purslane hybrids, which grows in a pot in winter and blooms in summer.
The main difference between such a plant and the usual annual is simple, modest inflorescences and not such abundant flowering. At the same time, the main advantage of a hybrid is longevity in one container or container.
Use in landscape design
Purslane among flowering plants
Purslane is widely used in the design of garden beds and alpine slides, ennoblement of borders and stony gardens. Combines well with other flowering plants: best planted after early spring flowers: daffodils, tulips, lilies of the valley.
Can grow in individual pots or pots, giving a finished look to the garden or house area, as well as in window boxes. In arid climates, succulents can replace the lawn.
It is considered a good substitute for small bulbous early flowering plants in mixborders. Purslane looks beautiful in carpet flower beds, on dry slopes and stone retaining walls.
Purslane is a beautiful, delicate flower that even a novice gardener can easily grow. In flower beds and apartments of experienced flower growers, this heat-loving succulent will delight the eye with abundant long-term flowering.
The nuances of planting a plant in open ground, tips and tricks for caring for a succulent are collected in a training video:
VIDEO: PORTULAC - GROWING CARE
Purslane: description, planting and care for an unpretentious flowering succulent, types and varieties, medicinal properties (55+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews
As soon as there was a site where you can plant flowers, I immediately began to look at options. In general, I love roses, but between them should also be filled with greenery. It was the purslane that saved me. I planted a couple of branches, they said that it is not whimsical and blooms constantly. So it is, it doesn’t require special care, but of course I water it 2 times a week, it reproduces itself, I’m already looking here and there. Maybe the birds were smashed, or maybe he lets out shoots. Blooms for a long time, until autumn. So far I have only pink flowers, but in the spring I need to plant other colors. I grow on the ground, but I think it will look good in a pea or some kind of composition.
A very interesting and useful article, it grows on the south side, it blooms constantly, I water it every other day.